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Lets go back in time with cleaning

by Cleaning Tips

As much as I love a cleaning gadget or a fancy pink bottle I do also love to go back to basics.  I can spend hours talking to my Nan’s about how they cleaned when they were young and what products they used and had access to.  When Jake was a baby I used to help a few older ladies out with their cleaning, I loved these days as they taught me so much and it is where many of the tips on my pages has come from. There is so much choice these days on both cleaning products and gadgets.  There is literally a product for everything but are all these products necessary?

I know this will probably sound absolutely mad but my dream is go back in time and spend a day being a 1950’s house wife or even better still being a house keeper at a huge county manor a bit like Downton Abby. I did get some brief experience of this when I did Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners. You can watch my episode set at Prehn House HERE

I love to visit National Trust homes and get a feeling on how it used to be.  Life has changed so much and we do have gadgets for almost everything but when it comes to household cleaning, is using harsh chemicals and cleaning products better than going for those good old-fashioned cleaning remedies of yesterday. For one they are kinder to our skin, much better for the environment and much cheaper too.

But would I still be as into cleaning as much I am today if cleaning was much harder work? Lifting heavy buckets of water, scrubbing floors with little brushes. Cleaning the house was a daily task that took hours and was mostly done by hand and involved a lot of physical labour.

The Victorians used to beat their rugs with carpets rods and then hang them outside for days to bring them back to life. Apparently this was more effective in the really cold weather as the cold air also killed the germs. Just imagine how hard this would have been. All we do these days is very quickly run our hoovers over them.

Carpet and rug stains used to be treated with neat lemon juice and they used to soak up oil marks using warm bread.

The air was refreshed using a pan of boiling water on the stove and using cinnamon.

Ovens were cleaned using water and bicarbonate of soda and left over night. I actually still use this trick. Check out my oven cleaning tips

Linseed oil, lemon juice and vinegar mixed together was used to polish furniture

Gone of bread was used to clean wall paper. A downwards motion would pull of any dust and stick to the bread.

Heavy irons were heated up on fires, this was a slow process.

Silverware was cleaned by lining a pot  using aluminium foil, filling with warm water and adding salt and bicarbonate of soda.  These days we have the luxury of the dishwasher or fancy washing up liquids.

Wow doesn’t this all sound like hard-work, mixing all the potions together to get started would have took more than enough time. But when I look back in time it makes me appreciate how easy looking after our homes is today.

Both of my Nan’s are in their early 80’s now and when they first got married neither of them had a hoover but they both had sweepers which where quite heavy and bulky. Sweepers were used to draw fine dust and dirt from the floor through the machine by means of a draft of air and needed emptying after every use. Neither of them got hoovers until later on and still to this day don’t use them daily.  The dust pan and brush is still a firm favourite for both of them.  I suppose in the future new gadgets will come along and we will still use what know is best and works well for us.

My Nan’s both loved to use Methylated spirits which are made from mostly natural products.  They were used to clean glass, toys, stains and was great at removing marks that stickers can leave behind.( I often use nail polish remover for the sticker trick)  I had never even heard of this until they both told me about it.

I really do enjoy going back to basics and coming up with my own cleaning remedies.

Bicarbonate of Soda  and White Wine Vinegar will always have a place in my cleaning cupboard and my fruit bowl will always be full of lemons.

Old fashioned cleaning methods can still be the best. If you have any fabulous old fashioned cleaning methods then I would love to hear about them.

So next time when your whizzing around with the hoover and think its too much like hard work spare a thought for your ancestors who didn’t have this luxury.

Happy Cleaning
Lynsey Queen of Clean xoxox

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How to remove suncream stains

by Laundry

Suncream can be a real pain to get out and the longer you leave it the worse it is going to get.  If you are out and about when the stain occurs you are naturally going to wipe the stain with a tissue or a wet wipe but the heat from the sun and perspiration can activate the grease even more making it much worse. Try to gently blot to absorb as much as the cream as you can or if you have your hand sanitiser with you, cover the stain and this will stop if from spreading.

This is a fantastic old school tip but If you are at the beach cover the stain with sand to dry out the stain.

Try to prevent Suncream stains always rub the suncream into your skin really well and wash your hands straight after application. If you are travelling with suncream always place it in a safe secure plastic travel pouch bag or place inside two carrier bags and wrap tight. There is nothing worse than getting to you destination opening your suitcase to burst suncream.

My Advice to remove suncream 

As soon as you can rinse the stain from the reverse under a cold water tap, this way the stain is being pushed out of the fabric and hopefully flushing out as much as the stain as possible.

White vinegar

Sun cream has an oil base so you need something to break that down, one of my go to products is white vinegar. Simply cover the stain in the vinegar then leave for a good 30 minutes to really allow the vinegar to work and wash as normal.

Eucalyptus oil

Eucalyptus oil has magical stain removal qualities when it comes to greasy marks – and it smells incredible.

Coat your stain in the stuff, leave for 15 minutes, then wash as normal.

If the staining was really bad then you may need to repeat but don’t panic as it will come out.

Sunshine

For light coloured clothes where the sun cream may have stained the fabric yellow, try hanging your clothes out in the sun to dry after the wash. The sun is great at naturally bleaching whites in a natural way. If the stain is really not budging, squirt some lemon juice on it first.

If you are due to travel soon then don’t forget my Holiday organisational planners which can help with your packing and ensure all those needed jobs are done before you travel.

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Cleaning with White Vinegar

by Cleaning Tips

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

by Cleaning Tips

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