Tag Archives: house cleaning

Too lazy to do house cleaning

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I’ve recently red about the new Dettol HABIT study and I have to say it is quite scary. The poll was done on 2000 people in the UK and questions ranged from personal hygiene to house cleaning; and let me tell you, we fail on both!

People are slipping in personal hygiene standards as well as a list of household cleaning jobs. The sad thing is that most of the times this happens because of laziness or people not caring to much.

10% of adults polled said that the last time they cleaned their toilet was two weeks ago. 1/4 of people usually change their bedsheets once every month.

Looking at the kitchen, 1/5 of people haven’t clean or disinfected their fridge in over a year. And 50% do not clean work tops in the kitchen until they are really dirty.

It is true that in a way “not so clean” spaces will make us stronger (our immune system will have the chance to fight back), but a little bit of hygiene doesn’t hurt anybody I guess!

Do you love house cleaning?

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One in three women secretly love cleaning their house.

According to a research conducted by Zoflora disinfectant, 1/3 of women describe their “cleaning relationship” as relaxing and even therapeutic.

But far from telling the world, 50% of them would never dream of telling others about their love affair with house cleaning.

The survey, carried out among 2000 women, found that vacuuming, tidying up and wiping surfaces are three of the house cleaning tasks women most enjoy. The least liked, on the other hand, were cleaning the oven, the toilet or even ironing.

So what do you think? are you a hater or a lover of domestic cleaning?

Weird cleaning tips that work

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Here are some cleaning tips to help you around your home:

1- Rub a lemon wedge inside your mug to get rid of tea stains; then wash with soapy water and your cup will be clean as new.

2- White bread will help you clean dirty spots and finger marks on walls and dust on paintings (just make sure that the bread is fresh).

3- Clean your plants with a little bit of mayonnaise or beer to return the shine on them.

4- Strike a match to get rid of all bathroom smells (greener than an air freshener and very effective!).

5- For smelly hands after chopping onion or garlic, just put your hands on running water for 30 seconds without rubbing them and the smell will disappear. Otherwise you can rub your hands on fresh parsley.

6- If you are washing red clothes for the first time, make sure you soak them in white vinegar first; this way you avoid these clothes bleeding all over your other clothes.

7- Put some dry rice onto your salt pot to protect from moisture.

Have you got any funny cleaning tips that work wonders? Let us know!

House Cleaning made fun

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House cleaning is always seen like a hard chore for most of us adults. This may be the cause for not being able to make our children embrace the cleaning with open arms.

Have you ever found difficult to teach your children that clean = good? Do you think it is a mission-impossible to make your kids clean their bedroom and do the washing? I may have found the answer to your prayers…

HighScore House is a website and ipad app that will guide your children through the process of cleaning chores while earning points that will lead to rewards (of your choice).

It has a special “parents section” where you could add tasks, change rewards and settings. Once these are set up, your children will be able to check their progress and how close they are from getting that well deserved prize!

Try it out and let us know your thoughts!

Valentine’s Day

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I remember when my uncle bought my auntie an iron for Valentine’s Day; I remember the cataclysm that followed. I can only say that he only buy her flowers and diamonds now…

It is supposed to be one of the most romantic days of the year (at least for the ones that buy into the spirit), so don’t expected your beloved to cry of joy if you buy a new hoover as a present.

Instead, a gift card to get the house cleaned by someone else would be a nice gift, specially if your partner is one of those who live a hectic life. Even nicer would be if you clean the house instead; but let’s be honest, it will make more “romantic” sense to spend the day with your loved one while a domestic cleaner leaves your home spotless.

What other present ideas do you have for next week’s Valentine’s Day?

Declutter your home and recycle

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closet_clutter_monsterI think one of the best cleaning tips I’ve ever heard is to de-clutter your home. Getting rid of items that have been forgotten at the back of our wardrobe is as essential as the cleaning itself to freshen your house.

But then, what do we do with all that stuff? We empty our closets, we throw away old clothes, boxes, toys… and then we leave them to dust in the corner as if waiting for them to walk out the door by themselves.

Here is an original solution for your clutter agony:

www.makingfriends.com/recycle.htm

This lovely website will give you ideas on how to reuse your clutter while having fun with the kids.

If you try any of these ideas, let us know!

Professional carpet cleaning

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We all know how important it is to keep our carpet clean at home. A carpet’s life can be reduced due to dirt, grit and oil residues, so prevention is essential to keep it nice.

Always remember to remove your shoes when arriving home; regular vacuuming is also important; as well as cleaning any stains as soon as they happen.

But eventhough we try our best to keep our carpet clean, we always need to think about cleaning it professionally on a regular basis. Here is a table to help you decide how often you need to call the professionals. Take it only as a reference and remember that every household is different:

How often should I clean my carpet: A house with:
Every  year 1 or 2 people

No pets

Non smokers
Every 9 months Children

or, Pets

or, Smokers
Every 6 months Children and Pets

or, Children and Smokers

or, Pets and Smokers
Every 3 months Children and Pets and Smokers

Mastering the art of organising your home

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1260926_beach_house_indoorsThe day of the moving is getting closer and, honestly, I am dreading it. You know that you throw away thousands of silly and useless stuff when you move house, but it is always difficult to get rid of that teeny weeny porcelain toy from your trip to Italy or that jumper you got as a present last Christmas and never wore.

When you decide it is time to organise your home and give it a good clean up you have to be brave and get on with it as soon as possible. Ask yourself these 3 simple questions and your life (and home) can change for ever!

– Do I use it? You have to be honest on this one. If it has been more than one year without using that item, the chances are you will never use it.

– Do you like it? Well, if you don’t use the item but you love it, there’s not a lot we can do… but you have to find a place it to keep it; if there is no place at your home, it may be better to throw it away.

– Does anyone like it? This could be an option if you find problems space wise. Think about a family member or a friend that would be happy to have that old jacket or that repeated copy of “Cooking for dummies”.

Be strict when cleaning up your house and don’t faint! sooner or later your home will become a paradise of organization and cleanliness!

Bed bugs

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1038456_roach“Good Night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite” is a saying that has become so common in our evening routines. Bed bugs have been around for thousands and thousands of years. Previously on a strict diet of body fluids of animals they have recently found another target – us.

Normally bed bugs are found in places where overall cleanliness is not of a high standard. However, it is a common problem everywhere and probably each and every one of us will have to face it sometime. Getting even a couple of these visitors can complicate things enormously as one bug can reproduce 3 times during its life laying 500 eggs at the rate of 5 eggs per day. It is therefore very important to know how to avoid them and how to act if they have already made a home in your bed.

Keep the room clean and well dusted at all times. Wash with a proper floor cleaner regularly. Change your bed linen often and meticulously clean rugs and mattresses. Consider buying mattresses and pillow covers that are bed bug proof. Inspect. Look for brown, rusty looking spots of bug excrement on your mattresses or bed boards and if you spot any, act immediately!

Prepare the area

• If the infestation is severe, things like stuffed animals, soft toys or blankets or even laptops should be removed, cleaned with a vacuum cleaner, and bagged for a couple of days.
• Where possible dismantle bed frames. By doing so you can expose additional bedbug hiding sites.
• Remove drawers from desks and dressers, to inspect and clean all hiding spots.
Inspect
• Look in any place that is dark and isolated. Inspect adjoining rooms where an infestation is found.
• Most popular hiding places for these bugs are cracks and crevices in head and foot boards and attached side railings and supports. They can also hide in tears on mattress.
• Stand up the box spring and shine a flashlight through the gauze fabric to expose bed bugs.

Treat

• Vacuum along baseboards, nearby furniture, bed stands, rails, headboards, footboards, bed seams, tufts, buttons, edges of the bedding as well as the edges of the carpets(particularly along the tack strips).
• Scrub infested surfaces with a stiff brush to remove all eggs.
• Discard vacuum cleaner bag in a sealed plastic bag when finished.
• Seal all holes where pipes and wires penetrate walls and floor, and fill cracks around baseboards and moldings to further reduce harborages.
• Caulk cracks and crevices in the building exterior as much as possible as those can also become alternate hosts for bed bugs.
• Garments and bed linen can’t be treated with insecticide therefore they will need to be laundered in hot water (120°F minimum).
• Spray affected areas with insecticide sprays

Be aware that most of bed bug sprays will need more than one application so do not punch the air in celebrations if you do not seem to find them after first treatment. It will take more than that to get rid of them fully.

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.