Organization Cleaning TipsCleaning StuffHouse CleaningCleaning ProductsCleaning IdeasBrand CleaningCleaning RecipesCleaners CleanersHomemade CleanersForwardspring cleaning for your mattress: 1 cup baking soda, 8 drops lavender oil. sift across mattress and let sit for 45 minutes. Lavender is antibacterial, kills dust mites, and promotes sleep.WE all know the quest for a spotless home can gobble up lots of your hard earned cash, not to mention hours of your precious time. These handy cleaning hacks – which use everyday items you probably already have in your cupboards – will completely revolutionise your housework routine. You can use a solution with baking soda to clean your sofa, carpet, oven – and other tricky areas From using bread to clean up glass to putting alcohol on your mattress, these are some of the top tips from Australian cleaning company Bizzi Beez. Smashed glasses are one of the home’s greatest perils. It inevitably leads to a dilemma between cutting your hand as you sweep up the fragments, or risking stepping on a shard of glass later on.
Use sliced white bread to clean up tiny fragments of broken glass However, there may be a better way. Simply wet a slice of bread, preferably of the white variety, and press it down on the affected area. Bizzi Bees add: “You’ll be surprised that even the tiniest pieces stick to the bread.” We all love a good BBQ – but the outdoor grill can be one of the hardest kits to clean. To save your energy, half an onion and use it to clean the grate – it will add some flavour for your next feast, too. Clean your BBQ with an onion – it’ll make the food taste great, too If you’re sick of the chemical stench of most cleaning products, try using the humble coffee bean as an air freshener instead. Bizzi Beans explain: “Place the beans in a small cup or any unused container and put it on your kitchen tops, fridge, and in your bathroom.” Keep your mattress pearly white, and odour free, with VODKA This may seem a bit bizarre, but vodka is a very effective mattress cleaner.
The alcohol also kills odour causing bacteria. Simply mix the vodka into a bottle with some essential oil, spray on your mattress and leave to air dry. If your leather sofa is getting a bit worn out, shoe polish could be the miracle cure it needs. Use shoe polish to spruce up your leather sofas You use it to scrub the dishes, but the humble kitchen sponge is known to be one of the dirtiest cleaning materials in our homes. To kill 99 per cent of germs, wet the sponge and put it in the microwave for just two minutes. Likewise, use a combination of lemon and salt to rid your chopping board of nasty bacteria – which could give you a tummy bug if not handled properly. Use a combination of vinegar and baking soda to clean your oven, sofa, blender, and even to get vomit out of the carpet. Bizzi Beans add: "When it comes to cleaning your oven, mix a half-cup of baking soda with a few tablespoons of water to make a paste-like consistency. "Coat your oven evenly and let it sit overnight.
Then put a small amount of vinegar in a squirt bottle, spray a little to the baking soda residue and use cloth to scrape it off." Keep your make-up brushes clean with baby shampoo The quickest way to clean your make-up brushes is to shampoo them - but most of our hair products are too thick for the job. Baby shampoos are much milder, and could have your brushes looking spick and span within minutes. Just make sure you hang them out to dry afterwards. We've all got dozens of odd socks, after one magically disappears in the washing machine. Put the spares to use by using them to clean the floor, on top of a sweeper pad. Bizzi Bees add: "Try using socks that have nice material, they are great at attracting dirt on your ceiling and floors." You finally kicked that cold that laid you out for a week... but your home and personal belongings haven't. With the advent of cold and flu season, here are the things you really should clean after you recover from illness to avoid being out of commission for another week.
Changing the sheets after you've been sick is a good thing to do for the obvious reason that you've probably spent an extended time lying there, breathing germs all over the place, sweating out a fever, and generally doing all the gross things that sick people do. The other reason to change your sheets after you've been sick is that getting into a freshly made bed when you begin to feel better sends a psychological signal that you're feeling much, much better. If your illness is dragging on and you can't muster the energy to strip the bed and launder a full set of sheets, you might want to consider changing the pillowcases as a half-measure. The cases, after all, bear the brunt of your runny nose and sweaty brow. As a bonus, laying your weary head on a clean pillowcase will probably help to make you feel a little less gross. Did you brave a nasty little cold from the comfort of your couch? There's nothing better than curling up under a comfy throw blanket and festering in front of the TV to binge watch your favorite show.
But when you're well enough to get off the couch, don't forget that you just spent three days sneezing into that comfy throw blanket -- toss it in the wash. Speaking of your favorite blankie, do you have a beloved robe, hoodie, or set of PJs that serves as your go-to ensemble when you're under the weather? Just like that throw blanket in the TV room, items of clothing that we swaddle ourselves in while sick should always go straight to the laundry room when we're feeling well enough to put on clothes with buttons. Towels provide a breeding ground for germs and bacteria, which thrive on the moisture and residue left behind by dead skin and grooming products like soap, shampoo, and lotion. After an illness, it's important to launder the towels -- especially the hand towels -- to avoid communicating those germs back to yourself or other members of your household. While I have you here, thinking about your bathroom, this is a good time to mention that it's not a bad idea to clean your toothbrush, which is as simple as dunking it in boiling water for 2 minutes.
You can also swish it in a disinfecting mouthwash. The same goes for retainers or mouthguards worn at night -- make sure you give those a good cleaning too. Denture tablets are a great option for both. You're probably already well aware that your hands are responsible for spreading cold and flu germs all over the place. It’s the reason why doctors and nurses and people who are naturally germophobic are always banging on about the importance of washing your hands, after all! But you might not have stopped to consider all the seemingly innocuous (and rarely cleaned) places in your home that your hands constantly touch. So: Use a disinfecting spray like Lysol, or an all-purpose cleaner like Clorox Clean-Up to ride high-touch items like doorknobs, refrigerator and microwave handles, lightswitch plates, and remote controls of all the nastiness they've picked up. You know what else you touch constantly? Seriously, it's so gross, you have no idea. The easiest way to clean a grubby, grimy touchscreen without causing damage is to apply a small amount of rubbing alcohol to a microfiber cloth, which can be used to wipe away streaks and spots while also killing germs.