Cleaning-tips
To clean soap marks off clear shower doors, try using a spot remover for carpets. Spray it on the doors, rub with a sponge, and it will all come of, as easy as anything!
The best way to clean your fridge is with cheap white toothpaste put on a soft cloth and rub in then wipe of with a damp cloth not only does it clean it will also smell fresh for ages.
Every day: It’s hard to imagine having the discipline to wipe out the oven after every use, but deep down you know it makes sense – just think about never having to do a huge oven blitz again.
Cleaning a dirty oven requires either natural materials and elbow grease or a pretty scary chemical attack.
The non-caustic method calls for, you guessed it, bicarbonate of soda, mixed to a thick paste and smeared all over the inside of the oven. Leave overnight then brace yourself for some serious scrubbing with water and a scourer.
The caustic method requires less graft but more prep. You need a solution of ammonia bleach and water, a respiratory face mask, thick rubber gloves, protective clothes and the surrounding area needs to be well protected, too. Take the oven shelves outside, spray them with your solution and seal them into a bin bag. Spray the oven with the bleach. After a couple of hours, hose down the racks (keeping away from plants, pets, neighbours etc) then wash them in warm soapy water. Rinse out the oven with plenty of clean water. Pregnant women and asthmatics should avoid this like the plague, and keep children and pets well out of it, too.
Shiny taps give a bathroom that luxe appeal, so keep yours buffed up.
Every day: Prevent limescale dulling your taps by drying them off after use with a soft cloth.
Keep taps looking good by using a mild bathroom cleaner, or white toothpaste is effective for most tap finishes (except brass or gold) – add just a dab and buff to a shine.
Limescale: Limescale-removing cleaners are useful, especially in hard-water areas – if it’s persistent, soak a cloth in the product and wrap it around the tap. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions as you could cause damage to the taps if you leave it on too long. To remove from chrome taps, rub with half a lemon, then rinse with water and buff dry.
Tobacco smoke leaves a residue on all surfaces. How clean are the other surfaces in the room? Including the walls and ceiling? If there is a yellow tinge to all surfaces then nicotine removal must be done first, wipe down all surfaces with a damp cloth containing a solution of high ph hard surface cleaner. You could test the skirting board with this method does any yellow nicotine deposit on the cloth?
Then and only then could you consider cleaning and deodorizing the carpets and upholstery. If the room is badly contaminated then a fogger would provide a better result after thorough cleaning.
A small amount of salt added to washing up water will make glass really clean and shiny.
To remove candle wax from material. Heat bowl of spoon over candle, wet some newspaper and squeeze out excess water. Place damp paper over candle wax to be removed. Rub hot spoon gently over paper where the wax is, remove paper and the wax should come away cleanly.
To remove all traces of cigarette smoke, leave a saucer of vinegar in the room overnight.
Got dull uPVC window frames?Polish them up with cheap car polish to restore the as new shine. Dirt beads off every time it rains. Have even tried this on the soffits & barge –boards (the plastic bits near the roof) with amazing results but get somebody to foot the ladder first!
This is a dream for removing sticky residue from almost any surface. Just dab a small amount onto the residue or onto a cloth and rub until the residue is gone. Depending on the amount of the residue and how long it's been there, this may take some effort. It's also wise to test the oil on an inconspicuous spot of the item with the residue to see if the oil produces a stain on it's own. But for glass, ceramic and mirrors--there's no problem!
Coffee Makers – When the coffee maker is empty, pour in a mixture of 1 cup white vinegar and some hot water to fill up the reservoir to the top. Run the coffee maker like you were making coffee, just without any beans in it. Once the cycle has finished, run it twice more with just plain water, which will rinse out the vinegar and any build up left inside. The coffee will taste better the next time you make a cuppa Joe!
Use rubber dish washing gloves to remove cat or dog hair from your sofa, your carpets, curtains, clothes, car seats and so on... Place one glove on your hand and sweep the area with the glove. Hair will clump together. Very easy to remove.
An effective cleaner & disinfectant is ordinary rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol! I use it in the bathroom for quick-cleaning & disinfecting sink and toilet seat, etc. Just pour it on a paper towel, cotton ball, or kleenex, and wipe away. Be sure your have good ventilation if you're doing a lot of this!
You can use shaving cream to clean a mirror by spreading it all over the mirror and then wiping clean. This keeps your mirror from fogging for the next few showers!
To save money buy a gallon of window cleaner for your vehicle then pour into a spray bottle. It cleans as well as top brand cleaners and lasts a lot longer.
