Category Archives: How to…

tips on how to clean or how to use products

How to fight mould

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496826_mouldMould is a common problem in Britain mainly due to weather conditions, the number of rented properties that are not being looked after properly and simply lack of awareness on how to deal with it.

It is caused by humidity, poor heating or ventilation and water leaks. Mould cannot exist and grow without moisture. Therefore you must first find and eradicate the source. Be careful though as mould spores have been related to various health problems including infections, asthma, allergies and sinusitis. It may be worth considering getting a professional company to do the cleaning especially if you have existing health problems. If you do decide to take this on single handedly then make sure you use all the precautions: rubber gloves, eye goggles, overalls and dust mask. Avoid eating, drinking or smoking in the contaminated area as well.

Most of the cases of mould will appear or become worse after major leaks, floods or other water damages in house. It is very important to clean up and dry-out the property immediately if you want to prevent this. Open windows, use ventilators or dehumidifiers. Avoid using fans if mould damage is visible as this can spread the bacteria more easily. Pay extra attention to ventilation after cleaning as although current equipment will dry your carpet up to 90% you still must have air circulation in the house afterwards to dry it out properly to avoid condensation.

Propionic acid is the most effecting mold remover as well as Borax and borates although these will not remove the staining from mould. Use phosphoric acid for that instead of bleach. Vinegar is a good green alternative too.
Borax and borates can be effective but will not remove the staining from molds – phosphoric acid can do this in preference to bleach. In some cases staining can only be covered by painting, but it is very important to dry area out first.

Make sure you also clean things that were affected, not only surfaces. If anything has been affected by mould, it is best to get it removed where possible. If this is not possible, dry them out (make sure you move things away from walls first), clean and disinfect. For badly affected items begin by using a high suction industrial vacuum cleaner then damp-wipe. Dispose of your wipes and rinse water frequently – as they will be contaminated with mould quickly. Scrub all contaminated surfaces thoroughly with stiff brush, hot water, and a non-ammonia soap/detergent or commercial cleaner. Collect excess cleaner and cleaning water using a vacuum cleaner, a mop or sponge. Finally, rinse the surface or items with clean water and dry everything out as quickly as possible.

It is unlikely that any home will be completely free of condensation, but adjusting your lifestyle and knowing how to fight mould off will make enormous changes. Clean more often, ventilate and make sure you dry any major spillages and leaks quickly and efficiently.

How to burn calories while cleaning

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1241736_fun_steakWith Christmas around the corner and dining tables covered with succulent turkeys and cakes it is easy to forget what your daily calorie intake should be or what is the meaning of the word calorie in general. To top that bloated next morning feeling, it is more than likely that you will have to wake up to a house full of dirt, leftovers and unwashed dishes. Don’t despair, you can make your house spotless and burn calories at the same time.

Begin cleaning from bathroom. Scrub the tiles with long sweeping motions. Exaggerate the movement up and down until you feel the burn. When scrubbing the bath get into the squat position and hold it. Keep yourself suspended to burn more calories. Get on your knees to scrub the tub, and use long motions back and forth to work the arms and shoulders. Shake the rugs outside up and down several times. Use round circular movements with your arms to clean toilet bowl and sink. Swing the mop out way in front of you making sure that your knees are bent to protect your back when sweeping the floor.
Hover taking long swift moves. If you feel even more festive, you can even do some dance moves while cleaning your carpets. Hover can be brilliant dancing partner, just don’t let your neighbors see you. Use circular motions for all the furniture when dusting and don’t be afraid to put some pressure where possible. This is great for firming the arms. When bending down to reach hidden places, take some time to do deep knee bends. Step up to the cob webs. Stretch on your toes or use a small ladder. Get the duster and step up, dust, step down and repeat.

Remember that half an hour session of hovering will burn between 75 and 125 calories, mopping floor-112 , cooking and food preparation-100 calories per hour, making beds-70.

So don’t rely on Brussel sprouts to get you through Christmas dinner, but explore the hidden gym in your house and you will be amazed at the results.

How to get rid of bad odours

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180344_sourpussA nice smell is the sign of a clean house. Read on how to determine where the bad odours are coming from, what to use to remove them, and how to prevent them from showing up again.

It is easy to eliminate bad odours if you know what is causing them and where they are coming from. It is trickier if you don’t. Leak in your refrigerator may cause metallic smell of Freon. Overfilled basket of dirty laundry in the bathroom, blocked pipes outside your open windows, kids sneaking in food in their bedrooms or dead mouse stuck between your floor boards can all be blamed for unpleasant smells.

Most deodorizers although popular only cover the smells, but do not eliminate them. Choosing the right type of cleaner with a touch of smell makes a big difference though, so do not discard these.

Lemon based cleaners eliminate bad smell and clean the kitchen. Grapefruit or orange cleaners tend to work best to break down the bacteria causing smells around the toilet. Use floral cleaner for the cigarette odor in the car or light an oriental candle to cover smells caused by pet stains.

Leave an open box of baking soda in your kitchen shelves-this will absorb bad smell and prevent it from spreading. If spray air freshener is not effective, try neutralizing odours by mixing it with one teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda and one teaspoon of lemon juice in two cups of hot water and use this as a spray.

As usual, the best way to eliminate odours is to prevent them in the first place. Change your kitchen cloths regularly, don’t overfill your bins or laundry baskets, deal with mildew in your bathrooms as soon as it appears and try to ventilate your house as much as you can, even during winter months.

Cleaning your bathroom

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1209273_bathroomWe use our bathrooms everyday, therefore it is one of the most favourite places for bacteria to spread. Cleaning your bathroom should not be a hard work if done properly and regularly and you do not even need to invest in expensive products. You can do wonders by using the contents of your kitchen cupboard.

Bathtub. Give attention to your bathtub as you use it every day and so the right amount of time must be spent on cleaning it. Firstly give it a good rinse. If you have a shower curtain, remove it and wash it separately. Then sprinkle baking soda over the wet surface of the tub. The moisture from the rinse helps the baking soda stick to the tub. Use a stiff scrub brush to scrub the tub. The baking soda will form a paste with the water and act as an abrasive to remove mildew and stains. Scrub it off. Then dip a sponge with a green scrubby attached into some vinegar and continue scrubbing the tub. The vinegar is a disinfectant, and it will activate the baking soda to help remove stains even more. Rinse the baking soda and vinegar off the tub.

Cleaning a Bathroom Sink. It is important to clean sinks regularly to avoid spread of harmful bacteria.
Vinegar works wonders. Fill a small bucket half way with vinegar, and soak toothbrush holders, razors and razor holders, and anything else you keep on your bathroom sink that’s been covered with toothpaste, soap, and water spots. Vinegar descales and dissolves water spots and soap residues almost instantly. Soak the entire surface of the sink with vinegar using a sponge and leave for a little while, maybe 5 minutes. Scrub the entire surface of the sink from the top, down. There is no reason to rinse the vinegar off. Simply wipe everything dry. Scrub the items you’ve been soaking and dry them off without rinsing them in water as well.

Bathroom Tiles. Different tiles will need different products so always be aware and careful. For cleaning ceramic, porcelain, or glass bathroom tiles you’ll need soft sponge, vinegar in a spray bottle, salt, baking soda, lemon juice and warm water. Spray vinegar on the tiles and scrub with a damp sponge. There’s no need to rinse the vinegar away; it will evaporate and leave no residue or smell. If the tiles are still dirty, mix water, baking soda, and salt in equal parts. Rub this paste onto the tile with the sponge. When done, rinse out the sponge and use it to remove the paste residue from the tile. Then dip rinsed sponge in lemon juice and coat the tile. This will remove traces of soap and oils and make the tile look shiny. This also does not need to be rinsed off.

If you are cleaning tiled floors, simply mop the floor with soapy water and let it air dry.

How to remove scratches from furniture

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887737_2_green_chairsIt is difficult to protect our furniture from scratches especialy in the households with pets, but you can remove the scratches without having to replace the piece. There are few special products for this, but as everywhere, there are also alternatives to them such as …nuts.

You will need fresh walnuts, nutcracker, clean cloths, crayons, iodine, household alcohol.
1. Crack open a fresh walnut to reveal its meat, using a nutcracker.
2. Rub the meat over the scratch, rubbing in the direction of the wood grain.
3. Rub the affected area with a clean cloth. Continue until the scratch starts blending with the wood. This method works well for light scratches.
4. Fill in a darker scratch with a crayon that matches the color of the wood and rub with a clean cloth until it blends in with the rest of the wood.
5. Apply iodine to scratches in mahogany, using a clean cloth. If you have a maple piece of furniture to repair, dilute iodine with household alcohol and cover scratches with the solution.

Winter cleaning

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We are all familiar with term “spring clean” and surely everyone will agree that a deep clean is a must in each household at least annually. But how about preparing your house for winter?

Living in a region with changing seasons, like Britain where winters get cold, it is very likely that your home will be closed up all winter long therefore winter clean is just as important as spring clean. First reason is of course health. The second reason is because with the holiday season, you will most probably be a host to lots of parties. Last but not least, for most people Christmas season brings more stuff into the house; presents as well as dirt and germs. Clean now to prepare for these unwelcome additions and keep your mind at rest.

We have listed a few of the “musts ” for winter deep cleaning.

1. Clean your skirting boards. We always vacuum, steam clean our carpets, sweep and mop floors, scrub tiles…but often neglect the skirting boards. It is easy enough. First vacuum the area with your attachment, or rather the hose, then use a mild solution to wipe them down.

2. Clean the air vents. Those will give you unnecessary dust if neglected. Unscrew them from the wall if you can, remove, clean them well and put them back on. Makes a big difference. Remember you will have a sealed house for the winter and the heat on almost constantly.

3. Dust ceiling and freestanding fans. Dirty fans will blow dust around once heated so please pay attention to them. Turn the ceiling fan off, stand on a chair or small ladder, and wipe the blades down with whatever solution is appropriate for the material the fan is made of. Wipe the top of the blade, and not just the edges. Take apart a freestanding fan by unscrewing the cage around the fan if needed. Reassemble and resume use after cleaning carefully.

4. Vacuum your upholstery. If you have pets, perhaps you do this regularly, but for those of us who don’t, we sometimes neglect this. Take the cushions off after you vacuum those, and clean underneath.

5. Sanitize the trash cans. Scrub and rinse them inside and out. Doing this outside with the hose works well, if you’re still able to go outside and not freeze your fingers!

6.Twice a year (summer and winter), you should clean all of the mattresses in the house to keep dust mites under control. Vacuum the top of the mattress, move the mattress and vacuum the box springs, then flip the mattress and vacuum the new top of the mattress. For further protection add an allergenic mattress pad and wash your sheets in hot water.

Pay extra attention to humidity of your house. Perhaps it’s worth investing in humidifier now or using alternative methods such as bowl of boiled water. The air will get very dry with your windows shut through the winter and that heating on.

Ironing Services

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1154343_ironingWe do not know exactly when people started trying to press cloth smooth, but we know that the Chinese were first to use hot metal for ironing. Pans filled with hot coals were pressed over stretched cloth thousand years ago and today the meaning of ironing is still growing with each day- new products being introduced, new tips and tricks being offered to achieve that perfect finish.

Good ironing equipment makes a big difference therefore invest in them and they will serve you long time.

There are lots of tips on ironing that you can find via the internet and these will be worth looking at as well if you want to change your ironing experience for the better, but we have listed some of the main one’s for you bellow:

• Move the fabric away from you not toward you as you iron, to avoid needless creasing.
• Improve the results of your ironing by reflecting more heat. Do this by putting a sheet of aluminum foil (shiny side up) between your ironing board and the ironing board cover. Alternatively, purchase a metal coated ironing board cover.
• Certain fabrics such as viscose, dark fabrics, acetates, and wash and wear fabrics in general, should be ironed on the reverse side to avoid giving a shine.
• One of the best money saving ironing tips is to make your own starch solution if you need to use a spray starch on certain fabrics. Simply dissolve 1 tablespoon of cornstarch in 2 cups of water, pour the solution into a spray bottle, and voilà, you have your own spray starch.
• Some ironing boards come with a sleeve board attachment, ideal for shirts and blouses. If you don’t have one, roll up a towel and insert it in the sleeve before ironing to avoid creases if needed.
• Some thick fabrics need ironing on both sides. Be sure to iron the inside first and the outside last.
• Take a moment to sort your laundry before starting to iron so you have a pile of garments needing low temperature and graduate to the garments needing a higher temperature, adjusting the thermometer on your iron progressively.
• Don’t iron dirty clothing or stained clothing. It can make it difficult to remove the stain afterwards as it becomes set in the fabric.
• After ironing shirts, put them on hangers and then fasten the top and center buttons. The shirt will then hang straight and your ironing efforts will last
• For large items like tablecloths or bed sheets, put layers of newspaper out on a large table, cover them with a sheet and place the tablecloth or bed sheet on top to iron.
• When choosing an ironing board, get one with a wide end. It is easier and quicker to iron on this extra surface with fewer strokes and doesn’t require moving the fabric so often.
• For shirts, iron them when slightly damp. If they have dried too much, spray them with a little water.

Ironed clothes plays a big part in how other people will portray you, therefore research, invest and enjoy your ironing experiences.

Health & Safety- How to use cleaning products

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When you work with chemicals on a daily basis, it is easy to forget just how dangerous these products can be. The tendency is to forget to treat them with the respect they deserve, and painful injuries are often the result.

Cleaning products are a good example. Most of us use cleaning products fairly frequently, at work and at home. But how many of us actually bother reading the directions or product contents? How many of us use rubber gloves or splash goggles?

Having your hands wet for a long time or having them frequently wet during the day can irritate your skin leading to dermatitis.
Some ingredients in cleaning products can cause skin allergies and asthma. Also, some cleaning products are corrosive and can cause skin burns and eye damage.
Acids and bases are all corrosive, and most cleaners are composed of acids and bases. Think about it: when cleaning, you’re trying to “eat” away the dirt and grime. Most likely, the more effective a product is at eating away the dirt, the more effective it will be at eating away the skin on your hands. It will also do more damage if accidentally splashed in your eyes.

Cleaning products can also be extremely reactive when mixed. Bleach, when mixed with any product containing ammonia (or visa versa), will react to produce deadly chlorine gas. NEVER MIX CHEMICALS, ESPECIALLY CLEANING PRODUCTS. Some people think that if something works well by itself, it might work even better if combined with something else….. Wrong!!! Even emptying a mop bucket with an ammonia containing product into the sink, followed by a sponge full of bleach, can produce enough chlorine gas to be dangerous.

Take whatever steps are necessary to avoid mixing cleaning products. Always run clean water through a drain after dumping any sort of cleaning product down it. Wear rubber gloves, especially when using industrial strength cleaners. If there’s any chance of getting a splash in the eye, wear protective goggles. If you do get a chemical splashed in your eye, wash it with clean water for at least 15 minutes.

Always use common sense to protect yourself, and treat all chemicals with the respect they deserve.

Sustaining your cleaner’s standards

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Sustaining your cleaner’s standards is a very challenging task when you have a person cleaning your home on regular basis. You may feel that her standards have dropped or haven’t really improved since she started.
We have some tips on how to make sure that you are helping your cleaner to deliver the best of her!
The most important point is communication: the more you tell your cleaner what you like and what you don’t like the better she will be. Don’t wait until you have enough and cannot stand the way she is cleaning your lovely home.
Is very useful to leave notes (task sheets) for your cleaner if you are not home when she’s working so that she can follow your requirements. This will also help them to manage their time and finish within the expected amount of hours.

And remember: an organized home is easier for a cleaner to do her job and they will achieve more in a shorter period of time.

HOW TO GREEN-CLEAN YOUR HOME

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1250865_green_earthThinking about new ways in which you can live a more eco friendly life? Using eco-friendly products around the home can have a great positive impact on the environment. Many non-eco cleaning products contain enzymes, bleaches, brighteners and perfumes.

Here are some tips for you to green clean your home (White distilled vinegar is a popular household cleanser, effective for killing most mold, bacteria, and germs, due to its level of acidity):

– Clean the shelves and walls of the refrigerator with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar.

– To shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime buildup, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar.

– Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.

– Make your own scouring cleanser by combining 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture.

– Cut the grime on the top of the refrigerator with a paper towel or cloth and full-strength white distilled vinegar.

– Clean counter tops and make them smell sweet again with a cloth soaked in undiluted white distilled vinegar.

– Deodorize the garbage disposal by pouring in 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal.

– Get rid of lime deposits in a tea kettle by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the water and letting it sit overnight. If more drastic action is needed, boil full-strength white distilled vinegar in the kettle a few minutes, let cool and rinse with plain water.

– For stained and smelly plastic food containers, wipe them with a cloth dampened with white distilled vinegar.

– Spray shower doors with full-strength white distilled vinegar after you’ve squeegeed the glass, or before you step in and turn on the water. It will help release the hard water deposits so they don’t remain on the glass.

– Mix up an inexpensive tile cleaner by adding 1/2 cup baking soda, 1 cup white distilled vinegar, and 1 cup ammonia to a gallon of warm water.

– To clean a scummy showerhead, pour 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup white distilled vinegar into a sandwich bag and tie it around the showerhead. Let this set for an hour after the bubbling has stopped. Remove the bag and then turn on the water.

– To make the toilet bowl sparkle, pour in a cup or more of diluted white distilled vinegar and let it sit several hours or overnight. Scrub well with the toilet brush and flush.

– For an economical and environmentally friendly floor cleaner, mix a solution of 3 drops dishwashing liquid to 1/3 part white distilled vinegar, 1/3 part alcohol, and 1/3 part water. Spray sparingly and mop for a fast clean-up.