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Vorwerk – Keep your Mattress Clean

How often do you clean your mattress?

Answer – I have never even thought about cleaning my mattress!  I spray with a fabric freshener every so often.

These are answers I hear all the time. So many people don’t even think about cleaning their mattress. They think that if they clean their bedding on a regular basis, that will be enough!

Well, NO, it’s certainly not.

Mattresses are covered in mites. These mites feed on dead skin that we naturally shed in our sleep. This means that you are rolling around and inhaling all kinds of nasty particles which could include fungal spores, bacteria, plasticisers and flame retardants.

It’s something I get a lot of interest in from my online posts when I’m using Vorwerk’s Kobold MP400 & MR440 Mattress Cleaning Set to clean my mattresses. This is a machine that will give your mattress a proper clean – and it’s something I cannot emphasis enough that you need in your home!

It’s been well documented that an accumulation of debris can cause health problems over time, therefore, it’s so important to give your mattresses a proper clean a couple of times a year and not just spray it with antibacterial or fabric freshener spray.

You could book in a mattress cleaning service, but that’s a short-term arrangement which could set you back around £250 to do three or four mattresses. That adds up.

And that’s why, as a Vorwerk brand ambassador, I know the important work and research the team has done to develop the Kobold VK200 Ultimate Homecare System which has the Mattress Cleaning Set.

I clean my mattress monthly with it. It is such an easy system to use and takes no time at all.

The mattress cleaning attachment is a dry-cleaning system so your mattress isn’t going to get drenched and then end up smelling like it would if you used a carpet cleaning attachment on it.

With Vorwerk’s set, you simply cover your mattress with the provided Lavenia Mattress Cleaning Powder. The Lavenia powder is recommended especially for people with allergies and is an amazing powder made of mild, natural substances which fights dust mites, bacteria and mould. It smells absolutely amazing too, it’s such a fresh clean smell, I love it!

With the power, you spread it evenly over your mattress, massaging in using the Kobold MP440 attachment and leave for 30 minutes – which means you can get on with your other cleaning jobs!

After half an hour, I then use the Kobold MR440 attachment to go deep into the mattress. This device vibrates to loosen all the dirt from the mattress surface. It’s such a satisfying feeling using this tool and you can feel this going deep into the mattress and pulling out all the dirt and grime.

Cleaning your mattress plays an enormously important role for a healthy, restful sleep. The first time I used Vorwerk’s system I honestly couldn’t believe how well I slept. I am the worst sleeper and spend endless nights lying awake, but this really has helped improve my sleep patterns.

I now make a point of doing this once a month and I do schedule this time into my cleaning regime. I find you get two cleans for a King size mattress from one sachet of the Lavenia powder so it is such a cost-effective way of cleaning your mattress.

A marvellous feeling of freshness and cleanliness is guaranteed with Vorwerk’s mattress cleaning system. I am so lucky to have this system and I highly advise that you book your FREE home cleaning demo and see this function in action for yourself.

If you feel your bed needs a little TLC then I have put together a simple May Challenge that will help freshen your bed and bedroom.

Thank you for reading and I hope I have given you some mattress cleaning inspiration.

Lynsey Queen of Clean xoxo

This is a sponsored post with Vorwerk 

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What are some of the dirtiest items in your home?

Everything we touch daily is covered in millions of living bacteria but not a lot of us know how often we should clean the items we use all the time. Some bacteria is actually good for our immune system but on the other side of the spectrum some can make us really sick. Germs can spread from person to person and from person to surface. Hand washing is so important and so many still go to the toilet and do not wash their hands.

Did you know?

Your bed

That you sleep in every night is covered in dead skin and your pillow case can contain more germs than your toilet seat.and your sheets can contain more germs than your bathroom door handle!  How disgusting is that. I am always asked about yellow pillows and this explains all, always use pillow protectors and ensure you wash your bedding at least one a week.  Fresh air in the bedroom too can really help and keep the bacteria from spreading and go deeper and deeper into your mattress. You should turn your mattress every six months and get a new mattress every seven years. Over time your mattress can become heavy from dead skin, gallons of sweat and millions of dust mites so make sure you hoover your mattress too or use a mattress cleaning system.

TV remote

Is one of the most commonly overlooked household objects that nearly everyone comes into contact multiple times per day. Your remote gets dropped on the floor, lost in the couch, coughed on, sneezed on, spilled on, and covered with any number of sticky messes. Most remotes are not designed to be easily cleanable and some TV remotes with a lot of nooks and crannies can’t be cleaned well even if you try to do so. ensure you wipe over your TV remote daily and spray with an antibacterial cleaner.  Always wash your hand when you come into the home or after using the bathroom to help keep the build up or germs and bacteria at bay.

Mobile phone and tablet

It’s a well-known fact that phones and tablets are dirty objects, but just how unclean are they? each square inch of your phone or tablet contains roughly 25,000 germs making it one of the filthiest things you come in contact with on a daily basis. That’s something to think about the next time you press your face to your phone. I tend to wipe mine over a few times a day with an antibacterial spray plus I also remove the case and place this in warm soapy water.  If your out and about having a coffee use handy handbag cleaning wipes to clean the table before you put your phone down and have an area in your handbag just for your phone or tablet.

Makeup Brushes

This is an important one. You need to be cleaning your brushes and sponges at least once a week. Among the nasty bacteria living in the bristles on sponge is Streptococcus, which can cause strep throat, scarlet fever and impetigo. If you are suddenly suffering from acne, pimple or an outbreak of spots then your makeup brushes could be the problem. Wash with baby shampoo or swirl in some olive oil.

Dish Cloths

The most important thing you need to know is that your dish cloth is most likely dirtier than your toilet flush handle or button. Soak daily in bleach or an antibacterial cleaner.  Sponges can go in the dishwasher too.

Washing Machines and Dishwashers

You would think that because these are constantly filled with soapy water then they are clean  but your wrong. These items keep your cloths and plates clean so they need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Think of all the dirt they pull off daily! A dishwasher can contain E.coli and pathogens that lead to infections of the urinary tract and skin. You should place a cup of vinegar and run through a hot water cycle weekly add in a drop of lemon juice too to create a fresh clean smell and with your washing machine keep the seal clean and run an empty cycle weekly..Read my Washing Machine Care feature and How to look after your dishwasher

Toothbrushes

In my opinion you need to change your toothbrush monthly as they are pron millions of oral bacteria. Did you know that when you flush the toilet chain and don’t put the lid down first, particles of toilet water, including faecal matter can spray up to 6 feet and land on your tooth-brush! Gross!  But this is true try to keep it in a cupboard or as far away from the toilet as you can. Its important to give your bathroom an Intense clean once a week, take a look at how I do mine CLICK HERE

Good habits like taking your shoes off before walking through the house and washing your hands after using the bathroom or touching raw food can help the amount of germs that build up in your home.

As always Thank you for reading
Lynsey Queen of Clean xoxo

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Keeping on top of the cleaning when you own a dog

As you can imagine, bringing an indoor pet into my family has not been the easiest of tasks for me. You have probably already read my blog post Can a clean freak like me cope with a dog?

I have been documenting my journey across my social media channels and I have really appreciated all the help and advice I have been offered whilst I was going back and forth about getting a pet.

I am a person who loves routine, with a pristine home, so this really wasn’t an easy decision for me.

Friends had told me about the constant battle with pet hairs all over their sofas and dog saliva on doors.

Some vacuums don’t have strong enough suction to deal with pet hairs or they get clogged up in the filters and cause all kinds of problems.

But I was determined to do this for my family, they were desperate for a puppy and I knew how much joy it would bring to our home.

One of my daughters is an asthma sufferer, so we had to choose our puppy very carefully. We couldn’t risk having a house full of dog hair. After a lot of research, we knew that we needed to find a hypoallergenic dog. These dogs shed very little because they have hair shafts with longer life spans.

We felt the breed Cockapoo would suit us the most as they come highly-recommended to live with children and, by chance, a local lady had five puppies for sale and Hetty just melted our hearts.

I honestly do believe that things happen for a reason.

I didn’t really want to increase my cleaning massively by owning a dog because I think we can safely say, I do enough already. So, before she came home I had to plan ideas that would make my life easier.

Hetty doesn’t moult, so pet hair really isn’t a huge problem for us but as humans we produce dead skin and hair so it’s only normal that a puppy would do too.

To prevent dog hair ending up on my furniture and floor, I brush Hetty daily and then I instantly vacuum the space we have been brushing using my amazing Vorwerk Kobold VK200 Ultimate Homecare System. I really couldn’t cope without this amazing vacuum cleaner as I’m sure you’ve seen on my social media!

With Hetty now here, I use the PB440 Electric Upholstery Brush attachment so much because it gets into hard-to-reach areas with a deep-clean across my sofas, carpets, rugs and upholstery to pull out dead skin and hairs.

The PB440 is an amazing attachment because it has a function switch for vacuuming surfaces or vacuuming crevices with a safety guard to protect your furnishings.

It also loosens allergic particles, such as mite excrement and fine dust, and reduces the risk of asthma and sneezing attacks so it’s a really handy piece with a new furry friend running around the house!

The PB440 is perfect for pet owners, it’s part of the VK200 system that’s built to get rid of 99.99% allergens and it really does clear every last bit of hair.

Whilst the PB440 is not suitable for leather, vinyl, duvets and quilts, it’s perfect for sofas, stairs and curtains so you get a great clean across a range of services and delicate fabrics.

Even if you do have a hypoallergenic dog like us, I would still recommend getting a VK200 because it’s built to tackle pet hairs, dirt particles and reduce allergens.

To also help my cleaning regime, when Hetty goes out into the garden, I give her a good clean when she comes back in to get rid of any muck that can potentially come into my home.

Dogs can pick up so much muck when they are out and about, it’s inevitable that the dirt will come into your home.

I’ve also covered all of my sofas with throws to keep Hetty’s smell and hair off my nice, new furniture. Her bed is washed regularly too.

My life with Hetty really has been made so much easier to keep my home clean with Vorwerk’s Kobold system, I can’t stress that enough. And Hetty is an amazing part of our family now too.

I’d recommend you to arrange a FREE DEMONSTRATION of the Kobold system, especially if you’re pet owners, so you can see the difference it can make – it’s well worth it.

As always thank you for reading and there is more about my journey with Hetty Can a clean freak like me cope with a dog?

Lynsey Queen of Clean xoxo

This is a sponsored post for Vorwerk 

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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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How to clean your Microwave

The Microwave is one of those kitchen appliances many of us put off cleaning.  Its one of those items that is out of sight out of mind and as long as the outside of the appliance is clean the inside can wait.

Inside the microwave there can be food splatters and food spillages and often a nasty unclean smell.

The microwave can also be an awkward appliances to clean that you need to get the plate out and get your arm right in to reach the sides and the ceiling of the appliance.  Food can often be stuck so after a little wiping many people will just give up.

But there is such a simple easy effective way to clean the microwave and here is how.

1 – Fill a microwave safe bowl with warm water and grab a lemon from the fruit bowl and cut this into 4 quarters.

2 – Pop the lemons in to the bowl of warm water and put the bowl into the microwave.

3 – Set the microwave to 5 minutes and start.

4 – The water should boil.

5 – Once the 5 minutes cycle has finished leave as it is for another 5 minutes and let the steam from the bowl along with the lemon do its job of dissolving the grease, spilled food and grim.

6 – Remove the bowl and dispose of the water and lemons. Take out the plate if you have one and wash this is warm soapy water and then with a clean damp cloth wipe the inside of the microwave and see the dirt and grim come away really easily.

7 – If you have some really tough old food stain add a little white wine vinegar to a cloth and then rub and this should then come away easily.

8 – Dry the plate and pop this back and you will have a very fresh clean smelling microwave the looks like new.

I hope this simple tip has helped you.

Thank you for reading.
Queen of Clean xoxoxo