After the dry winter months, spring brings both the familiar urge and the perfect time to refresh and reset your environment. And while many of us associate spring cleaning with our homes, it’s just as important for businesses, especially in hospitality and retail, to do the same, particularly before the festive season begins.
Jeffery Madkins, Marketing Manager at Unilever Professional, says spring cleaning goes beyond appearances. “A clean environment from top to bottom builds confidence – whether it’s a spotless guest room, a gleaming retail space, or an office that feels fresh and organised. It shows pride in your business and can enhance first impressions and boost staff morale.
Madkins shares some key tips to help get your business ready for the season:
Where to Begin
Start with high-touch areas like door handles, switches, countertops, and shared kitchens. Clean from top to bottom, starting with vents and light fittings, then moving on to surfaces and floors to prevent dust from resettling.
“Spring is the ideal time to arrange a professional deep clean for carpets and any areas that require specialist knowledge or equipment,” he advises. “Have air conditioners serviced and ensure filters are cleaned or replaced as needed to improve indoor air quality. This is often overlooked but crucial for staff wellbeing and guest comfort,” Madkins adds. “Always use the right products for the right surfaces and allow disinfectants their full contact time to work. A quick wipe may look clean, but it doesn’t necessarily disinfect.”
Hotels
Guest satisfaction starts with first impressions – usually shaped by what they see and smell. Focus on deep cleaning curtains, mattresses, and upholstery that may trap odours or allergens over winter. “Bathroom grout, tile edges, drains and shower heads are often neglected, but they can make or break a guest’s impression of your establishment,” says Madkins. “Using professional bathroom cleaners can help lift stains and restore surfaces to their original shine.”
“The same applies to kitchens. Even the most well-run professional kitchens benefit from a seasonal deep clean – tackle vents, floor drains, under and behind refrigerators and freezers, less-used appliances, high areas such as ceilings, light fixtures, walls behind appliances and anywhere else that can’t always get regular attention,” he notes.
For professional kitchens, products such as Handy Andy’s Food Safe cleaning range enable hotels, restaurants, and other food service establishments to maintain the highest hygiene standards. Specially formulated for food preparation areas, these products remove grease and contaminants effectively while remaining safe for use around food.
Retail
Clean windows, polished floors, and organised shelves instantly elevate a brand’s image and make products pop. “Presentation is everything, as it can encourage customers to linger, but a good spring clean goes beyond daily routine,” says Madkins. “Laundering changing room curtains, cleaning air vents, dusting ceiling tiles, decluttering and cleaning stock rooms, and the deep disinfection of high-touch areas help to refresh the environment, creating a clean, welcoming space for both customers and staff.”
Guesthouses and Short-Stay Properties
A thorough clean between guests is essential, but spring offers the perfect opportunity to go one step further between bookings. Move furniture, steam clean mattresses, wash upholstery covers and curtains, have carpets professionally cleaned and descale kettles and taps – because guests notice the details.
Using effective yet gentle products helps to preserve finishes and keep the interior of your establishment in top condition. Products such as Handy Andy Professional provide versatile cleaning solutions across multiple surfaces, helping businesses maintain a spotless, welcoming space for customers.
“Whether you manage a hotel, retail space, office, or guesthouse, a thorough spring clean is more than a once-a-year ritual – it’s an investment in your brand, your people, and customer experience,” Madkins concludes. ‘Because clean spaces make people feel cared for, and when people feel cared for, they come back.”