Home cleaning tips to make life easier

We all love living in a clean home, even if we don’t necessarily enjoy cleaning it. So we’ve put together some tips to make cleaning easier, while delivering great results. These smart cleaning tips mean less elbow grease — and more time to get on with the things you enjoy!

Cleaning your oven:

If you would prefer not to use oven cleaner or don’t have any at home, you can mix some baking soda and vinegar together and use that. Apply the mixture as a paste to your oven, leave it on for 30 minutes to soak in, and then scrub the dirt off once it’s softened.

When oil splatters on your splashbacks or around your stove top, you can use baby oil or a little olive oil moistened paper towel to rub off the splatter. This may sound strange, but remember, oil removes oil. Wipe with a clean cloth until the oily residue has disappeared.

Steaming your microwave:

Instead of scraping off the food mess that’s coating the insides of your microwave, utilise the power of steam to clean your microwave instead. Place a microwaveable bowl with water and lemon inside your microwave and turn it onto high for 3 – 5 minutes. The steam created will loosen the grime and make it easy to clean off with a paper towel or soft cloth.

Burnt pots & pans:

You can clean a burnt pan with water, vinegar and baking soda. Half-fill the pan with water and then add a cup of white vinegar. Bring it to the boil, remove from the heat and then add two tablespoons of baking soda. Let it sit until cooled and then wipe the mixture out of the pan.

Wooden cutting boards:

Lemons are great for both cleaning and sanitising. Place some coarse salt on the cutting board then use a lemon that has been cut in half and rub it over your cutting board. This will help remove stains and clean it at the same time. Then rinse with water.

Disinfect your keyboard:

Most of us never think to do this, and we should probably be cleaning our keyboards more than ever with COVID around. This is an easy task to do with an old toothbrush and vinegar. Dip a toothbrush in a cup of half-water, half-vinegar mix and use it to clean on and between the keys. Don’t get too liberal with the liquid though- water and electronics do not mix!

While you’re there, use a spare coffee filter to clean the screen of your computer or laptop; the filters trap dust without leaving any fibres behind.

The wonderful lint roller:

Lampshades and upholstery can gather a lot of dust and pet hair over time. One of the best ways to remove this is with a lint roller; just roll it over the lampshade or upholstery and you’ll be amazed at how much comes off!  Take a look at our other upholstery cleaning tips.

Craft time with glitter can be a child’s dream and a parent’s nightmare. It turns up for months after the event —if not years!  Instead of trying to sweep the glitter up and spreading it, use your trusty lint roller once again. Here are some other tips for removing craft stains.

Removing water spots:

Water stains on surfaces can be removed using white vinegar. A solution of half water, half vinegar can also be used on water stains on glasses. Spray the solution on, leave it on for about 15 minutes then wipe it away and give the glass a clean or rinse.

Hard water stains such as limescale can be removed with a lemon. Cut the lemon in half and rub it onto the areas around taps in your bathroom, kitchen or laundry and let the juice soak in for 10 minutes. Then rinse with warm water.

Now that you have some handy tips to make your cleaning easier it’s time to get started. So switch on your favourite playlist, get your marigolds out and get cracking. Here is our ultimate cleaning music playlist for you.