ironingimage789789

How to clean an iron

by Cleaning Tips

This is question I am asked a lot but every model is different so it is sometimes hard for me to answer, if you ironing isn’t gliding effortless across your garments or if your plate has got oily or sticky then grab your owners guide and just check to see if they have a how to clean section, if you have misplaced the guide most are online so just do a search on your iron brand and model number.

But I do also have a few tips which may help you or maybe you need so simple ironing tips, after all it ones of those household chores many of us try to avoid.

Simple ironing tips

How to Clean an Iron Plate with Mineral Buildup

Mineral deposit buildup in the vents and on the face of the iron which can cause issues with the steaming function of your iron plus cause white chalk like marks when you are ironing, which will result in you having to wash that garment again.

The best thing you can do to prevent the mineral build up in your iron is to ensure you empty the water tank and steam reservoir after every single use.

  1. Start by making a homemade iron cleaner. Mix together bicarbonate of soda and water until you have a thick paste.
  2. Apply the paste to the iron’s soleplate, coating the areas with heavy mineral deposits and wipe off straight away with a wet cloth
  3. Dip a cotton bud is some neat white vinegar and gently insert into the steam vents and around that areas.
  4. Empty any water from the reservoir tank, this is applicable if you have a steam generator iron and add in 50/50 water to white vinegar. Run the iron on full steam over the sink and keep pressing the steam shot until all the liquid has gone, this will be flushing out any minerals.

How to Clean a Sticky Iron

Believe it or not, newspaper makes a great iron cleaner, especially when the soleplate is sticky. Turn your iron up to the highest setting and turn steam off completely. Now run the hot dry iron across newspaper or some kitchen roll until it’s clean. If it is till sticky just simply sprinkle a tablespoon of salt on the newspaper or kitchen roll.

How to Clean an Iron with Oily Residue

Simple solutions work surprisingly well for irons suffering from some oily residue on the soleplate. Make sure the iron is unplugged and completely cool. Wipe the soleplate with a clean rag dipped in vinegar. Then rinse with a soft rag dipped in water. If vinegar didn’t do the trick, repeat the process starting with a rag dipped in ammonia. Dry with soft cloth or kitchen roll and you are done!

But there is a fantastic product I do highly recommend, called faultless hot iron cleaner. which can be used to remove melted webs, fusible, iron-on interfacings, trims, burned-on synthetics & coatings caused by excess starch & detergent build-up makes iron glide easier so ironing seems faster. Plus it is the sort of product that will last you ages as you only need a tiny amount.

ironingimage789789

Essential ironing tips that you need to know.

by Laundry

If you run a busy household like me the last thing you want to do is spend hours ironing. Ironing is a bit like Marmite you either love it or hate it, personally I love it, I actually find ironing quite a good de-stresser and I love nothing more than to pop on a good film and get really stuck in.

As much as some of us hate it, ironing is one of those jobs you should do most weeks to save it piling up.

You can make ironing easier by investing in a good iron, I am a big fan of the Morphy Richards, TURBOSTEAM Pro with Intellitemp, it is so quick and easy to use and heats up in under 40 seconds, glides through creases and there is no need to change any settings thanks to the Intellitemp technology which also guarantees no burns. 

You can check out the amazing Morphy Richards Turbo steam by clicking HERE

And then by following these simple steps.

Get ahead of creases

As you empty your tumble dryer or take the washing off the line, assess each item as you may find with a quick shake and hang, you can stop creases forming saving valuable ironing time. 5 minutes checking this can save you a mountain of creased ironing building up. 

Split the ironing into piles

Check labels, and see what temperatures garments actually need, then create separate piles for each temperature type. Start with the lowest temperature and work your way up, turning the heat dial as you go. But the really good news is, if you are using the Morphy Richards TURBOSTEAM Pro with Intellitemp you won’t need to worry about this tip as it sets the perfect temperature, allowing you to iron jeans and silk without switching settings, saving you time AND protecting your clothes. Brilliant!

Lights on

Always iron in a well-lit room so you can see exactly what you’re doing and don’t miss any creases. 

Get your hangers ready

Before you start, make sure you have plenty of clothes hangers to hand and a little rail/some over the door hooks so you can hang as you go. This has the benefit of ensuring no creases form and makes your ironing easier to put away. Not everything will need a hanger so fold these flat and place on a cool even surface. 

Ironing board

Use a good sturdy ironing board that does not rock and wobble and ensure it is the right height for you, so you don’t end up with a bad back. 

If the height of the board/table is approx. belly button level, then it should be ideal for ironing without straining.

Iron inside out

Dark clothes in particular should be ironed inside out to stop the sheen that you sometimes get as hot iron melts the yarn fibres. Be sure to iron silk, satin, linen and denim inside out too. 

Only one side

Want to halve your ironing time? Do not over iron! You don’t actually need to iron both sides of the garment especially if you are using a good iron, the Morphy Richards, TURBOSTEAM Pro with Intellitemp is so powerful that one side is certainly more than enough, over ironing can ruin your clothes. 

Iron damp

Pure cotton items and linen can be a real pain to iron as you spend eternity going over and over the same crease! Iron these items slightly damp or have a water spray to hand and spritz as you go and you’ll breeze through these items in no time.

Keep your eyes peeled for stains

If you spot a stain, the worst thing you can do is run the iron over it as the heat will set it into the garment fibres.  Instead, give the item a cold soak with white vinegar, pop in the wash, leave to dry and only then get to work with your iron.

Iron care

As I always say ‘Care for the things that care for you’:  Make sure your iron has fully cooled down before putting it away, empty out the water tank to ensure that limescale doesn’t build up and give the plate a wipe with a damp cloth. 

I hope these tips will make much lighter work of your ironing and don’t forget to check out the new Morphy Richards TURBOSTEAM Pro with Intellitemp – I’ve had an absolute blast using mine ……. Click here for more info 

This is a sponsored post with Morphy Richards

Lynsey x

LQOC6-26

Starting your own cleaning business

by Cleaning Tips

How to get started

There are a lot of cleaning companies and self employed cleaners out there so competition is tough but don’t be put off as competition is healthy. Also remember you aren’t going to have an empire overnight its going to take you a while to build up a good customer base and be in the position to employ a few staff members.

Here are my top tips

Have some investment, you don’t need much but the saying you need to spend money to make money is true.

  1. Choose a good catchy name and slogan.
  2. Design a simple but effective logo. If you don’t have a budget use platforms like Canva.
  3. Set up social media pages, Facebook being the most important with a local business but its good to use all platforms to so you can connect with other local business and network. Some people will search social media before they pick up the phone and it is very good to be seen across all. Post some good engaging content and take advantage of the Facebook boost.  I love this feature as you can choose who you want to target and where these people live. I would advise approx £20.00 a month on this feature and its worth every penny.
  4. Join local community Facebook groups so you can post any offers. You will probably need to make sure the admin is ok with this first.
  5. Get some leaflets printed up and then go posting these into areas you would like to work, another good idea is to leave leaflets on local notice boards and in coffee shops. Keep your leaflet simple do not over crowd with information you want them to call you so you can sell your service.
  6. Join local networking groups, this will mostly be business to business but get your name out there and once people like you and when they need a cleaner they will know where to come.
  7. Start your business with an offer do a discounted rate for the first month or so or offer a loyalty scheme so you capture repeat business.
  8. When you first start out, you won’t actually need very much in the way of equipment, so don’t go out and spend a fortune on unnecessary products and eat away at any potential profits.
  9. You’ll also want to consider whether you want to focus on residential cleaning or commercial cleaning. There is the potential to do both, but you’ll likely need different types of equipment for commercial cleaning than you would for cleaning homes  – so give this some thought.
  10. Do you research. What services are other local companies offering and what are they charging. Phone them make out your interested and asses their level of customer service and check out their social media and websites.
  11. I brought ironing into mine and the response was huge so consider adding in additional services such as ironing and decluttering.

What you will need

You need to invest in a little money here but it will all be worth it.

  1. A vehicle so you can get around easily and carry around any equipment. For this you may also want to look at vehicle stickers for advertising when your out and about and to give a more professional look. Remember to keep your branding the same
  2. A vacuum cleaner – choose something lightweight but with good performance and this is also easy to clean. – My recommendation
  3. Steam mop –  A steam mop will be help with quickness and you know if will lift the dirt easily. – My recommendation
  4. Mop and Bucket – Not everyone likes steam so make sure you have two solutions to offer. – My recommendation
  5. Products – Setting up a trade account once you have a few customers in a good option as in the long run buying in bulk will save you money. You don’t need every product but these are my essentials. Try and choose eco-friendly too
  • Bleach
  • Limescale Remover
  • Multi purpose cleaner that can be used on floors and surfaces.
  • Furniture polish
  • Glass cleaner
  • Toilet cleaners
  • Bar Keepers Friend  – For tackling those problems areas.
  • Empty spray bottles – Perfect when buying product in bulk.
  • Microfibre cloths in different colours to aviod spreading bacteria.
  • Cleaning clothes
  • Sponges
  • steel wool.
  • cleaning caddy

You may also find like I did in the early days that people want you to use their products and their equipment. This is a huge bonus.

We use Numatic for Commercial cleaning.

Uniform

You might also want to think about getting uniforms for you and any staff you take on in the future This could just be a simple polo shirt with your company logo on. Not only does it make your business look professional, it will also save your normal clothes from being damaged whilst you’re working. Branding clothing is also a great way to get your business name out there. The more people who see your logo the better!

Ask friends and family to help

It can be hard to build up trust when you’re just starting out. Particularly when you’ll be entering homes and businesses. If you can, it’s a great idea to get some friends to try out your service for free and share their reviews. On your Facebook page, you can ask people to leave a review there. It only takes a small number of positive reviews to reassure people that they can trust you.

Insurance

Your clients will want some reassurance that they’re in safe hands. How will you reimburse them if you accidentally damage anything?

Go for it

Setting up a business isn’t easy but with a positive attitude and mindset you can do this. I do offer one to one sessions where I can advise you and help you so if you are interested then please get in touch and we can arrange an appointment.

Don’t forget you can make money blogging too and this is how I do it. CLICK HERE

Good luck, work hard and watch the benefits roll in.

Happy Cleaning
Lynsey Queen of Clean xoxo

This post does contain affiliate links

Ironing,Clothes,On,A,Yellow,T-shirt,On,The,Ironing,Board

Simple Ironing Tips

by Cleaning TipsLaundry

Ironing may not be your favourite way to pass the time, but it’s the key to looking good. With these top ironing tricks and tips, you can speed up your ironing, make it effortless and easy.

Remember not every single item of clothing you wash needs to be ironed.  Some clothing can be taken straight off the washing line or pulled out of the dryer, hung on a hanger and put straight away after a good shake.

What fabrics don’t need to be ironed?

Never iron sequins, velvet, or screen-printed clothing. Also, some fabrics are labeled “non iron” or “wrinkle resistant,” usually polyester and nylon.

Fabric condition can help decrease creases when washing your clothes but remember fabric conditioner is not required for all items.

Check care labels

Check the care labels in the garments and then split into temperature piles. start with the coolest temperature and work your way up.

  • Low-temperature: Acetate, acrylic, nylon
  • Medium-temperature: Polyester, silk, satin, wool
  • High-temperature: Linen, cotton, denim

Planning your ironing will save you time and prevent accidental melting or scorching.

Be prepared

Check the plate of your iron is clean, any stickiness can cause damage.

How to clean your iron

Use a sturdy steady ironing board with a good width that has a good rest area for your steam generator iron and a linen rack. When ironing position your board to be the height of your belly button. It is vital to keep a good posture when ironing.

Use a well padded ironing board cover and change once it starts to get burnt marks as these can cause damage to the plate of your iron. Most covers can be washed too, so add this task into your seasonal cleaning planner.

If you don’t have an ironing board, you can still iron by using a sturdy flat surface like a table or work top and prepare it correctly using an ironing blanket or thick cotton towel as a liner.

Invest in a good steam generator iron as this really will speed the process up and you will be surprised at the amount of time you save.

If you don’t have a steam generator iron before ironing, spritz your shirts with water. This ironing tip will help you get out stubborn wrinkles. Perhaps your iron even has a spritz option. If it does, use it! Once the item is dampened, iron as normal. The combination of water and heat will tackle wrinkles easily.

Grab some silver foil simply place a sheet of foil under the cover of your ironing board. The foil reflects heat, smoothening out the underside of your clothes as you run the iron press on the top side.

Top tips

Iron delicate fabrics inside out such as, silk, satin, linen and corduroy and also on items that sometimes are left with shine. This shine effect is most noticeable on dark colours.

You should iron fabric lengthwise to prevent stretching.

When ironing shirt collars, cuffs or pockets that are double the thickness of fabric, iron on the inside first and then on the outside to smooth any final wrinkles. 

Always remember to keep the iron moving. Stopping at any point could burn your clothing.

If you can hang the items straight onto hangers after ironing, folding them when hot can create creases which will set in.

When you are done

Keep your iron away from small children, irons can get very hot and cause injury.

Let your iron cool off and empty any water from the tank before you put it away.

Ironing is easy, why complicate it? Now that you’re privy to these convenient ironing tips and tricks, go ahead and try them. Don’t forget, the key is using the right iron so it is definitely worth investing in a good one and make it fun, listen to music or set the ironing board up so you can watch television.