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Hints and Tips for Household Cleaning |
| Date: |
12/03/07 (562 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: A good annual spring clean declutters and freshens the house
Disadvantages: Hard work!
With all the lovely sunshine recently I have noticed several areas in my house which could do with a spring clean.
BOTTOMING
I dust and vacuum every room in the house weekly, but every couple or months or so I give the house what I call "a bottoming." This means furniture has to be pulled out and dusted underneath, on top of and behind. Okay, so I might be crazy, at least some of my friends think so, but having been brought up with a mum who pulled furniture out every WEEK, I am afraid I cannot help myself!
Anyway, now it is spring it is time to think about spring cleaning. I have tried to delay it but last night I noticed some cobwebs on the light fitting so work must commence!!!
TOOLS FOR THE JOB
To do this I need an assortment of different cleaning products, but there is no need to spend a fortune on the popular brands at the supermarkets. After all, you are only using them to clean with! So shop at cheaper supermarkets such as Netto or Aldi or the discount shops such as Wilkinsons or the Poundstores. You will make a huge saving on cleaning products. I usually buy furniture polish, Stardrops (a mild detergent), vinegar, washing soda crystals and little else! You can spend a fortune on cleaning materials, especially if you buy those new cleaning cloths and all the latest products. Believe me, they are not essential!
My second piece of advice is to invest in a steam cleaner. I got mine from one of the tv shopping channels and it cost under forty quid, but has already proved its worth and it has saved me having to buy lots of cleaning products.
ROUTINE
When I spring clean I start at the top of the house and thoroughly blitz all the bedrooms. If you also have time to de clutter the wardrobes and cupboards then good, but if not, at least give the insides a dust and sprinkle some lavendar around. This will help to prevent moths or other insects eating your clothes. An alternative is cedarwood, which is also a moth repellant. Nowadays most fabrics are mothproofed but if you have something made from wool it is worth protecting it from these nasty grubs which eat away the fabric and you may not notice until you find a hole where they have nibbled the fibres.
Move the furniture and make sure it is dusted and polished, if necessary. Vac the carpet underneath the furniture. This is also a good time to rearrange things - it makes a change to reorganise the furniture from time to time and helps even out wear on the carpets. If there are indentations in the carpet where furniture has stood, pop a few ice cubes on and the fibres will soon reconstitute.
The next job is to take down the curtains and give them a wash or take them to the dry cleaners. If you don't want to do this then give them a vac using the brush attachments from your vac. You will be amazed how much dust accumulates in curtains! You can do the same with blinds.
Next you should brush the walls of the room to remove excess dust - I have one of those sheepskin long handled brushes for this and it only takes a few minutes. Don't forget the ceiling and also the light fittings! Remember - these are the places where cobwebs hang out!!!
I then wipe round the paintwork, including the skirting boards, with a damp cloth and a little detergent. I like Stardrops for this as it has a refreshing smell, is cheap and is not harsh as some other products are.
Once you have done this you can rehang the curtains, but make sure you have cleaned the windows first. No need to use any special cleaner, a dash of vinegar in warm water is just as good as anything else. Polish the windows with newspaper.
You can follow this routine for most of the other rooms in the house.
KITCHENS AND BATHROOMS
These rooms take a lot of heavy wear throughout the year and although you (hopefully!) give them a thorough clean on at least a weekly basis, they also need a spring clean.
I would usually start by washing down the tiles with a solution of Stardrops. If the shower or bath are particularly mildewed then I would use Dettol Mildew Remover, this takes minutes to remove those stubborn mildew marks that accumulate round shower screens and tiles. But now I have my steam cleaner, I can forget all this and just use tap water which produces the steam!
STEAM CLEANER
As mentioned earlier, this has been a really good investment. Not only is it great for giving a thorough clean to the bathroom fittings, it is also good for cleaning hard floors and great for removing stains from carpets and upholstery.
In fact, I am quite looking forward to using this in my annual spring clean as I know it will cut the work in half. And I will not have to spend as much on cleaning products as the steam will do the job better and it is chemical free so better for the environment.
One note of caution, the steam cleaner produces HOT steam and it is ESSENTIAL that you follow any guidelines which come with the machine.
OTHER METHODS
If you don't have a steam cleaner, then follow my routine for spring cleaning and your house will sparkle just the same.
Don't forget the old fashioned stand bys for cleaning - lemon juice and vinegar are both good for cutting through grease and making things shine, soda crystals are also good for grease and a handful dissolved in sinks and baths etc will help to keep drains fresh and clear. If you have some lavendar then sprinkle the seeds on the carpet before vaccing and the house will smell fresh. Lavendar is also good for keeping flies at bay.
Lastly don't forget the most efficient deodorisor to remove unpleasant smells from your house is fresh air. Make sure you open windows regularly. But only when you are at home of course, for security reasons.
OLD FASHIONED SPRING CLEAN
In the days of coal fires and before fitted carpets, the job was much harder. Spring cleaning started with the chimney being swept and carpets were lifted and taken outside where the dust was beaten out of them! Thank goodness things are somewhat easier these days!
Summary: Even if you dislike housework you need to do some!
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