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Cleaning safety tips

When you are working with chemicals when cleaning your home and reaching into the nooks and crannies of your house, you have to be careful. I was a professional cleaner for many years so I have put together some helpful safety tips that will ensure you enjoy the benefits of a clean home safely.

If in doubt

If you are every feeling unsure when you reach for a product then listen to yourself. You will be feeling unsure for a reason.

Before using a product always read the label.

When you are playing scientist with your cleaning caddy be extra careful when mixing cleaning ingredients. If you aren’t 100 percent positive that you can do it, DON’T!

NEVER ever mix bleach and vinegar, if you do you will be at risk of burning eyes and possibly lung damage.

NEVER ever mix bleach and ammonia, these can possibly burn your lungs, some washing up liquids contain ammonia so be careful and read those labels.

Label your homemade cleaning products

I absolutely love to make my own cleaning products, but when I do I always make sure I label the bottles. Liquids can looks the same but when cleaning you need to know what you are working with. You may think that you will remember which bottle is which, but two bottles with cloudy mixture are going to look very similar the next time you pull them out. 

Make sure you also pop on the label that date you made the product as some will only have cleaning power for A few hours/days whilst others will last months.

Don’t mix products

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do NOT listen to advise on TIK TOK unless you are following a reputable person, boiling zoflora on your hob to make your kitchen smell nice is a big NO NO! If you want to boil anything on the hob simply boil water with some slices of lemon for a fresh kitchen smell.

There is so much bad advice it scare me but simply follow this general rule of thumb, just assume that two chemicals can NOT be mixed. Always do your research and be mindful of which sources you trust your safety with. 

Protect your family

Ensure you keep your cleaning products in a safe space with the lids firmly fastened. Kids often go exploring when they are young and you need to keep them safe. Place products up high if you can in secure cupboards. Install child-proof latches on under-sink cabinets in the kitchen and bathroom.

When you are done cleaning, properly dispose of paper towels and rags that touched the cleaning chemicals, your pet could easily grab and chew away.

Use the right tools

Always ensure you have the right tools. For example, if you have high ceilings, don’t attempt to climb a ladder to dust the lights fixtures or remove cobwebs. Instead use extendable dusting wand that allows you to effortlessly reach these hard-to-reach areas. Buy the right tools so that you’re able to clean safely and efficiently. Improvising isn’t recommended

My favourite natural cleaning products

White vinegar – the hero of natural cleaning products this should be the staple for any cleaning caddy. Use it watered down to clean windows and taps . Add a small amount to the fabric softener compartment of your washing machine. It sounds bizarre but it will actually leave you with super soft clothes. It’s also great to help preserve the life of your washing machine and your clothes won’t smell of chips trust me, the vinegar disperses very quickly!  Another great use for white vinegar is to use it in the garden as a weed killer, mix a litre of vinegar with 3 large spoons of salt and washing up liquid for a child and pet friendly way of keeping the weeds under control.

Bicarbonate of soda – another household essential, bicarb is a great natural deodoriser and abrasive. Mix equal parts with water for a sink or bath scrub. Remove oil/grease stains from carpets and clothing by sprinkling bicarb on, leaving for 15 mins then hoovering or washing away.

Juicy lemons are one of the most powerful non-toxic cleaning products that is probably hiding away in your fridge right now. The humble lemon can be used instead of bleach, add a cup of lemon juice to your washing for bright whites with a refreshing scent. Cut a lemon in half and rub it over shower doors to remove mildew and water stains. Use the other half of the lemon to rub on your taps to make them bright and shiny.

Want to learn more about to clean safely then grab a copy of one of my books and I will show you how to clean your house and tidy up your life

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DIY Room Diffusers

Diffusers are a fabulous way to enhance your mood, freshen the air and invigorate your senses. They are so easy to make at home yourself, DIY diffusers will save you money and make a great little gift for friends and family. 

Essential oils provide a boost to the limbic system to enhance relaxation and anti-anxiety benefits, along with respiratory, disinfection, clearing toxins in the air and more. 

I love exploring essential oil blends.

I have popped some of my favourite blends below. 

To Make

Recycle your old diffuser jars and remove any stickers using the heat from your hair dryer. Gently heat and then the sticker will easily lift off. 

3/4 of the way fill with sweet almond oil, the reason I choose this carrier is because it is a light oil that easily soaks into the reeds.

If you have a nut allergy use safflower 

Add in 30 drops in total of your favourite essential oil blends

Give it a stir and pop in your reeds

You can top up with a few drops of oil every week to keep the fragrance fresh but remake or choose a new blend every month to keep the strong fragrance. 

All year round blends

This are all very fresh blends that give your home a clean feeling, the relaxing blend works well in the bedroom.

Fresh clean blend – Lemon, peppermint, and eucalyptus

Relaxing blend – Lemon, lavender, and rosemary

Energising blend – Peppermint, grapefruit and spearmint

Christmas blends

These diffuser blends will create the perfect Christmas atmosphere.

Orange, cinnamon, and clove

Pine, spruce, juniper and cedar-wood

Orange, peppermint and frankincense

Douglas fir, cedar-wood and juniper berry

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Cleaning with White Vinegar

Chances are, you’ve got a big bottle of vinegar stashed away in your cupboard. While you may use it for cooking and salad dressings, did you know it’s actually one of the most powerful cleaners on the market? Cleaning with vinegar is not only cheap and 100% natural, and it is extremely effective. 

Vinegar is made from acetic acid, so this makes it a natural disinfectant for so many germs including salmonella and E Coli. It can be great for some kitchen surfaces and appliances, as well as in the bathroom. It’s a brilliant product to have in the store cupboard and avoids using store-bought abrasive cleaners.

It’s strong enough to kill bacteria and dissolve mineral deposits, grease, and dirt.

White vinegar does have a smell but don’t worry it does disperse very quickly.

Lastly, it’s cheap! So you can clean to your heart’s content.

Window and Glass cleaning

Our windows can look really dirty really quickly but all they need is a homemade vinegar and water solution to get them sparkling in no time. I keep a spray bottle filled with half vinegar, half water then wipe clean windows and mirrors with a lint free cloth , don’t forget to label your bottles when you are making homemade cleaners.

Lime scale and hard water build up

Limescale and hard water build up can be a real pain to get rid off and many of the cleaning products on the market just don’t seem to work very well. 

Soak shower heads in a bag of white vinegar, if your shower head does not come off drench an old tea towel in white vinegar and wrap around the head .

Spray neat onto shower doors, draining boards and taps, leave for 15 minutes and then rinse away.

Carpet Stains

We all spill drinks or find marks on our carpet from time to time. white vinegar mixed with.a little washing up liquid can really help at removing those unwanted stains.  Simply mix together and add to a spray bottle, use a soft bristle brush to scrub away at the stain and then using a white cloth blot dry.

Repeat the process if necessary and then rinse away using a damp wet cloth.

Descaling the Kettle

To get rid of that horrible limescale inside your tea kettle or coffee maker, pour the water and vinegar solution directly into the appliance or water tank.

This is a monthly task that needs adding into your cleaning routine.

Simply fill the kettle with half water and 30ml of white vinegar then leave to sit for 30 minutes.  Once the time is up boil the kettle, empty and rinse thoroughly.

This will keep limescale at bay and eliminates the need of using harsh chemicals.

Prevent Mildew in water areas

If you have any mildew patches in the bathroom, around the shower, bath, window or on the shower curtain then spray liberally with neat White Wine Vinegar  leave to sit for a while to allow the product to work and then rinse away.

Remove odours from kitchen sink

Another task to add into your monthly routine is to pour a scoop bicarbonate of Soda and then add 20ml of white vinegar the two together will cause a chemical reaction which will free up any blockages and can get rid of those nasty sink odours. But this will not kill bacteria as the two actually cancel each others cleaning power out!

Clean and deodorise microwave

Many of us forget to give the microwave a good clean every now and then and it can quickly become a bit stinky.

Using a microwave-safe bowl, fill with 1/2 cup of vinegar and 1 cup water.  Place in the microwave pop on a high heat for 5 minutes.

Let it sit in microwave while it cools. 

You can then easily wipe down inside of microwave and  lingering odours should disappear. 

Cleaning the fridge

Mix a gallon of warm water and 2 cups of White Wine Vinegar to wipe down inside of refrigerator, including shelves, walls, and packaging. 

Your refrigerator will be clean and smelling clean without harming any food with harsh chemicals.

Freshen up laundry

If you feel your laundry is looking a little dull simply add 20ml of white vinegar into your washing machine. This will help brighten your colours and whiten your whites.

Grass stains

Make a mixture 20ml of white vinegar with 20ml of water. Apply the solution to the stain and blot with a clean cloth.

Repeat this process until you’ve removed as much green as possible, and then wash as usual.

Arm pit stains

A common stain which is so easy to remove using the power of white vinegar simply liberally spray under the arm of the garment, leave 15 minutes and then pop straight into the washing machine.

Cleaning your washing machine

Simply add two 100 ml into the detergent compartment or directly to the drum and then run a hot cycle to freshen up your machine. 

Wash fruit and veg

Vinegar will help remove bacteria and pesticide residues from fruits and vegetables, fill a bowl with water and add in 20ml of white vinegar, leave to soak for 5 minutes, remove then rinse. and dry off.

What Should You Not Clean with Vinegar?

There are many instances when you wouldn’t want to use vinegar, with such great power comes great responsibility!

Here are a few instances when you would want to avoid cleaning with vinegar.

  • Natural stone. Never use vinegar on your natural stone countertops or flooring including granite, marble, and quartz. It can react with the stone and defects in the surface, also causing the stone to become dull and lose its shine.
  • Hardwood floors. I know many people who use vinegar on their hardwood floors! In reality, over time it can dull the shine and sometimes void the warranty of newly installed hardwood floors.
  • Electronic screens. Vinegar can actually strip phones, TVs, and laptops of their protective coating which can enhance glare and even interfere with touch screens.
  • Knives and other metal utensils. Vinegar can corrode the metal and actually dull the knife edges, especially those made of stainless steel.

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Hands up if you hate Oven Cleaning

Oven cleaning is one of the most hated and worse household cleaning tasks.  Its one of those jobs that we tend to put off as much as we can. Once you close the Oven door you can no longer see the grease and grim.

I have to always have a clean oven and being quite a traditionalist after we have had our Sunday Roast I am straight in armed in my rubber gloves ready to go.  Daily if we use the oven I wipe the Oven over with a warm soapy cloth to ensure its stays clean. If grease and grim build up your Oven Clean can become a much more time-consuming job.

Plus having an oven door covered in grease, grim and burnt food is not good for your energy consumption, opening to check food will soon add up.

I have tried many products over the years and here are a few of my favourites:

Oven Pride makes oven cleaning less of a nightmare, it’s a unique bag cleaning system that has been designed to give unbeatable results. It’s so easy to use but please make sure before you start to use oven pride you must read the instructions and wear the provided gloves.

Scrub daddy power paste is made from natural materials, is biodegradable, non-toxic and can be used throughout the home including the kitchen and bathroom. It is Lemon-scented for extra freshness and does a marvellous job in cleaning the oven. Power paste is effective with water alone. Just dampen the sponge and swirl on the paste to produce a cleaning foam. Use it in conjunction with a scrubber to remove surface debris or with a microfibre cloth. The Scrub Mommy two-sided sponge is perfect for delicate as well as heavy-duty jobs. Her FlexTexture side changes depending on water temperature. Soft in warm water and firm in cool water for tough scrubbing

Astonish oven and cookware cleaner is a cleaning paste, that cleans all types of enamel, porcelain, ovens and cookware. This one is also lemon scented to banish cooking odours.

But I am a big fan of steering away from harsh chemicals in the oven so use a more natural method of Bicarbonate of Soda and white vinegar

Bicarb is really effective and makes the daunting task of oven cleaning a little easier. All you have to do to get a shining oven is spray the whole oven down including the glass door with a water bottle so that it is damp, and pour on a thick layer or bicarbonate of soda, especially on the bottom, until there is about 1/4 inch layer of bicarbonate of soda paste on the bottom. If any of the bicarb is still dry, I wet it with the water bottle.

Once the bicarbonate of soda has been applied then you need to add some neat white wine vinegar to a spray bottle and then liberally spray this all over the oven so it reacts and works with the bicarbonate of soda.  After close the door and leave for a few hours. The two products work amazingly with each other and will start to lift all the dirt and ground in grease.

I’ve found that it is important to make sure that the bicarbonate of soda residue has been completely removed before using the oven as any remaining bicarb  may smoke if left in contact with the heating element and a spatula works well at removing this.

For the wire racks I use wirewool and washing up liquid and I find this brings them up like new.

Then there is a the grass trick which does actually work, you simply remove the racks and leave over night on your lawn, the dew and moisture loosen the burnt on food and grim.

And lastly there is the tumble dryer sheet trick, check out my little demo here.

I hope this helps with your oven cleaning and remember if you try to wipe over your oven every time you use it with a simple warm soapy cloth this job will be a whole lot easier.

For more ideas on how to use White Wine Vinegar than take a look here

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The many uses of Bicarbonate of soda in the home

As you can see from my Instagram posts I use a lot of Bicarbonate of soda in my daily cleaning.  This idea came from my great Nan who always had pots of it around the kitchen and I have memories of watching her sprinkle it all over the house.

Its a natural chemical free way of cleaning so with this you know you are being good to the environment and your home. Keeping toxins at bay.

Mattress 

Bicarbonate of soda will eliminate nasty smells so a monthly sprinkle on the mattress will keep you nice and fresh.  Lightly sprinkle over the mattress and leave for approx one hour.  Then using the mattress attachment from you vacuum, vacuum up the bicarbonate of soda.

Carpets and Rugs

Again like the mattress this will help eliminate any smells, lightly sprinkle onto the carpet area, you can use sieve if you like and spread evenly.  Leave to sit for approx 1 hour and then vacuum up. Make sure you vacuum in a few different directions so as you don’t leave any in the carpet pile.

Kitchen sink

Cut a lemon in half and sprinkle Bicarbonate of soda onto the lemon half so as you cover the whole half and then give the lemon a tiny squeeze. A fizz will appear now gently run the lemon half all over the sink and then rinse with boiling water.  This will give your sink a fabulous shine and smell.

Tupperware

Spread an even layer over stained Tupperware and leave overnight with boiled water and watch this disappear.

Whitening agent

Add a spoonful into your wash with your whites and watch your whites comes back to life. This works particular well with white trainers and converse.

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Fridge

Add a small bowl of Bicarbonate of Soda and leave this in the fridge to keep nasty smells away.

Plug Holes

Pour 200 ml of bicarbonate of soda down the plug holes every week along with boiling water to keep your sink and systems fresh.

BBQ Grills 

Sprinkle Bicarbonate of soda onto BBQ Grill and this will help loosen the grim and enable less scrubbing.

Grout

With a toothbrush or a sonic Scrubber mix Bicarbonate of soda with a little Lemon and use to clean the grout in between tiles.

Mugs

Bicarbonate of soda works great on tea stained mugs.  Sprinkle into the bottom, leave for 15 minutes and then rinse with warm water.

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