The decorations are down and the resolutions have been made. One of those resolutions may be to make sure your home is cleaner this year. Instructions may have been given to different members of the family and you may even have made a rota.
That laundry bag you bought your teenage child for Christmas may not have been received with extreme joy but you can only hope that they will use it. Your other half may not have been that keen on the rubber gloves either but you want to get your home to be spick and span this year.
Here are a few tips on how you can get your home to shine.
Bicarbonate of Soda
Good old baking powder can work wonders on your taps, basins and baths. Unlike some chemical cleaners it is non-toxic, multi-purpose and best of all it is cheap. It is made by dissolving soda ash into a carbon dioxide rich solution and sodium bicarbonate is the result.
To use it to get rid of stubborn stains in your showers or baths make a baking soda paste which is made up of three parts baking soda and one part water and apply to that nasty mark. Let it stand for a bit and then scrub and wipe it away.
If you want to avoid your drains getting clogged you should pour about a ¼ of a cup of baking soda down them once a week. Make sure you then rinse them through with hot water.
Vinegar
You may be surprised to know that vinegar is one of the best cleaning agents around. Like baking soda it is a cheap and non-toxic cleaner that can be used for a variety of cleaning jobs around the house.
To clean your windows all you need to do is to put together a solution which is half vinegar and half water. Put it in a spray bottle and apply to your window and for best results wipe clean with newspaper.
Soak showerheads in vinegar to remove corrosion. Get rid of stains in your toilet by spraying them with vinegar and then wipe them away. Spray you shower curtains with the stuff to prevent mildew. There is no end of things it can be used for to keep your home clean.
Getting rid of mud
Kids seem to be attracted to mud in the same way that iron filings are to a magnet. In the summer while you are relaxing on your garden furniture with friends you can guarantee that the little devils will have found a way to get muddy.
There are two problems you will have to deal with here. The first is their filthy clothes and secondly you know they will have run inside to get that vital toy without a thought for the effect that their muddy paws will have on your carpet.
To deal with their grubby garments first. Pre-treat them with a stain removal bar before washing and if the stains simply won’t go get hold of some methylated spirit and rub some of that on their attire.
As with your cruddy carpet all you need to do is to let the mud dry and then get out your trusty vacuum cleaner and hoover it all up. You may need to get use a stiff brush to loosen any lingering bits of dried mud.
Before you know it that scruffy old home of yours will be good enough to go in one of those ideal home magazines.
