RAYS of sunshine are finally piercing the gloom as spring starts to make its long-awaited appearance. And that can mean only one thing: it's time to roll up your sleeves and get cleaning.

Like it or not, the annual ritual ensures that our homes don't get stuck with the winter blues, and freshening up rooms gives them a visual lift as well as making them more appealing.

"Cleaning a home from top to bottom can seem like an enormous task and it's all too easy to keep putting it off," says Lindsey Taylor, an expert from cleaning products brand Vileda.

"But it's manageable if you have a structured and organised approach. Try to clean methodically, never doing more than one room at a time, and starting with the bedrooms.

"Once they're sorted, you can move on to the harder cleaning tasks like the kitchen and bathroom. Always clean from top to bottom to ensure nowhere gets missed and dirt doesn't come down on an already clean area."

If you're still struggling to raise enthusiasm, bear in mind that in these days of tightened budgets we're all spending significantly more time at home. So every dusty, cluttered corner, or surface marred by grubby fingerprints, is much more likely to be noticed.

Spur yourself on with the thought that there are also all sorts of nasties lurking in your home which should be banished.

A survey by Rug Doctor, the carpet cleaning specialist, points out that the average family of four sheds up to 3lbs of skin a year. If that's not off-putting enough, a carpet can hold up to 2lbs of dirt per square foot.

It also found that 45% of homeowners tread grime, dirt and bacteria into the home by not taking off their shoes when they enter from outdoors.

So stand by your mops and spring into action, boosted by advice from the experts and products which will have your home gleaming in no time.

Declutter first Always declutter before you clean and polish, advises Taylor. "Make a list of the areas you want to target and tackle them one at a time, if necessary just add one area a week to your normal cleaning routine to make the whole job less onerous," she says.

Create four piles - of items to keep, items which have sentimental value, items you could do without and items you're unsure about. Keep the last one for a month and, if you still can't remember why you're holding on to them, then they're probably not vital!

"Bear in mind that not all your possessions have to be on show at any one time. Ringing the changes and storing away pieces can totally alter the look of a room," says Taylor.

Spring splurge: Improve storage with a rustic-style Bretagne bookcase with room drawers, £399.99, Dunelm Mill. Smaller items could be neatly popped into a set of four Orla Kiely storage tins, £37, STORE. Treat yourself to a funky key hook, Sparrow Key chain, £9.99, Firebox, so that time previously wasted hunting for keys could be allocated for a five-minute household chore.

Super tools Technology is now so advanced that you can put your feet up and let a robot do the cleaning at home, or arm yourself with the latest gadgets designed to make cleaning easier and more effective.

Vileda's Robot, £189.99, can be programmed to clean any size room and has lateral brushes for corners and edges of the room and furniture, as well as vacuum power to suck up dust.

It's those awkward corners and stairs which seem to be magnetic to dust and dirt. A hand-held Black & Decker V2400 Dustbuster, £19.95, John Lewis, could help.

Spring splurge: A Numatic International Hetty 1200-watt Tank Vacuum Cleaner, £109, Very.

Easy short cuts If you don't want to turn the house upside down in the manner of a domestic diva, simply target five chores and use Taylor's tips to make short work of them.

1. Ovens: "It's always one of our least favourite chores," she says. "Make the job easy by mixing some bicarbonate of soda into a thick paste. Smear this inside your oven, including the door, and leave for a few hours or overnight. Then simply wipe away with a damp sponge cloth."

2. Drawers: Use an essential oil such as lavender or lemon and mix with water in a ratio of 1:5. Gently wipe the inside of the drawers to give them a fresh smell but make sure you dry any excess liquid to prevent staining.

3. Shower doors: Dip a sponge cloth in white wine vinegar for wiping glass shower doors. The acidity of the vinegar cuts straight through any soap scum and will leave your shower sparkling.

4. Tiles: "Tackle mildew or staining of tile grout by brushing the tile joints with a bicarbonate of soda and water paste to remove stains. Then with a heavy duty scourer, such as Vileda Non-Scratch Scourer, and a mild cleaning solution scrub down tiles."

5. Bath: Fill the tub with a few inches of hot water from the tap, which will heat the bathroom temperature and improve the effectiveness of alkaline cleaning solutions.

Spring splurge: Pure Essential French Lavender Oil, £15, Celia Lindsell, has a variety of uses: add a few drops to scent a hand wash or sprinkle on dusters and sponges to freshen surfaces.

Harness the power of steam to degrease and sanitise with a portable Polti Vaporettino Lux Steam Gun, £34.95, John Lewis, which can be used on a hob, oven, glass, tiles, taps and many more hard-to-reach areas.

Green clean If you're conscious of the environment and aware of the harm that toxic chemicals can cause, you're probably keen to use eco-friendly home cleaning products.

"If you cough or find you have a headache after a cleaning session, and wouldn't want your dog to eat off the floor after you've cleaned, then it might be time to change your cleaning products," says Adam Lowry, co-founder of Method, planet-friendly cleaning products formulated with naturally derived, biodegradable ingredients.

"The way we clean is full of contradictions. While we're more conscious about where our food comes from and what's in it, we're not so aware of ingredients in cleaning products. Try going on a 'product diet' and scrutinise cleaning product labels the way you would food labels... you might be surprised by some of the symbols and small print you see."

Spring splurge: Method pink grapefruit multi-surface cleaner 828ml, £3; Method fresh air laundry liquid 300ml/25 washes, £5.99; and Method lemon ginger squirt and mop hard floor cleaner 739ml, £3. Available at major supermarkets.

Banish washday blues Cute kit may not take the pain out of drudgery but at least you'll be embracing 'chore chic'.

Designers such as Ben de Lisi have turned their attention to utility items and given them a charming makeover.

Even simple touches can revamp a laundry room or the equipment that's necessary for that weekly washing and ironing, and his Laundry Room range for Debenhams has a delightful retro style and could conjure a homely atmosphere.

Pop up a Wash 'n' Rinse metal sign, £8, or a Laundry sign, £10, and recover a shabby ironing board with his cover, £18. In store now and online from mid-April.

Spring splurge: Dunelm Mill has a range of fabrics, including a Caravans PVC fabric, £9.99 per metre, and Bergamo Stripe chintz fabric, £8.99 per metre which could jazz up a kitchen or laundry area. Wilkinson's brightly-coloured Laundry trugs, £4.50 each, could also be used for clutter and toys. Its eye-catching 25-litre Red Bullet Bin, £6, would ensure no-one forgets to get rid of rubbish.