Simple Cleaning Hacks that Won’t Cost You a Pound
It’s a common misconception that one needs to have a wide variety of expensive products in their arsenal to do the cleaning like a pro. Still, in reality, your path to a spotless space is less thorny and expensive than you might think. Sometimes, something as simple as a wet wipe or a capful of vinegar can spruce up the look of your room and make it feel more welcoming. Below are some easy tips and tricks that will come in handy when you find yourself in a cleaning predicament.
Removing Lime Soap from Tile
You know that over time, soap tends to form that hard-to-remove residue on your bathroom tiles, as well as on taps and showers. You might even book a cleaner in London before to handle that pesky filmy buildup in your bathroom that seemed like a tough nut. But you didn’t know that with a cupful of baking soda and some white vinegar you could easily crack it! All you need is to mix these components and add some water until you get a paste-like consistency. To get rid of soap scum buildup, simply apply some paste onto the dirty areas and leave it there for 10-15 minutes. After the mixture does its job, scrub the problem area with a soft brush or non-abrasive sponge. Then, rinse and dry the surface with a clean cotton cloth.
Another great way involves a plastic putty knife, which you can use to remove a chalky residue from your tiles. All you need to do is let the buildup dry off completely and apply some effort to scrub it off. Make sure you’re not using a mental putty knife, which would be too harsh on your tile, tub, and shower. Deep scratches are the last thing you want to see in your shiny bathroom.
Cleaning with Baby Wet Wipes
Wet Wipes seem to be indispensable during trips, picnics, kids’ parties, etc. Still, you might be surprised to learn that baby wet wipes can be used for dusting off your favorite indoor plants, including artificial ones, without damaging their gentle leaves. Your baby wipes can also go a long way toward helping you clean the mess brought about by your kids’ DIY projects that involve much painting and gluing.
Get Rid of Coffee Rings
Undoubtedly, your mother used to tell you to always use a coaster whenever you drank coffee or beverages. And for good reason! If you haven’t developed this useful habit, chances are you'll be confronting those pesky coffee rings from time to time. And while removing them from finished surfaces might be a no-brainer, you might have a hard time removing coffee stains from your bespoke solid wood tables or unfinished hardwood floors. Don’t worry! And ordinary toothpaste can do the trick. You want to refrain from colored gel pastes. The best bet would be good old white Colgate toothpaste. Squeeze a pea-size amount of your normal toothpaste on the problem area and let it sit there for 20-30 seconds. Get a clean cloth and rub the surface until the stains come off.
Make Your Garbage Disposal Fresh Again
Nothing ruins the welcoming atmosphere of your home more than bad odors. At times, it might be challenging to neutralize smells in your sink drains and garbage disposal units. But some tricks can make short work of this task. For this, you’ll need some citrus rind and ice cubes.
Run your disposal and put orange, tangerine, lemon, or lime peels into the drain. Both citric acid and essential oils found in peels will disinfect and freshen up your drain. Ice cubes, in their turn, will act as catalysts speeding up the removal of crusty waste and other clingy residues from your disposal unit. You can boost the effect with baking soda, activated charcoal, white vinegar, and rock salt.
Clean the Greasy Mess in Your Kitchen
Even if you’re not much of a cook, you’ll need to deal with grease in your kitchen at some point in time. Of course, you can rob a cleaning aisle or fork out on some magic sprays, but the chances are they won’t do better than some cheap ‘pantry’ cleaning items.
Grease spills on your cooker, counter, and walls can become a huge problem if left unattended. With this in mind, you want to sprinkle some flour over the stains and let it absorb the grease. Make sure to remove the spills before they dry completely.
For tougher grease spills, use some baking soda and water. Put 3-4 teaspoons of baking soda into a cup of warm water and use the resulting solution to scour the grease splatters off your surfaces. For light stains, you can also use dish soap.
For your kitchen towels, cushions, carpets, and fabrics that have suffered from grease, mix some salt and rubbing alcohol and rub your solution onto the problem area. Let it sit there until the fabric is dry and remove the remaining salt from the surface. Depending on the type of surface, you can either vacuum it or use a clean damp cloth to get rid of any unwanted marks.
