Rubber Gloves

A-Z of DIY & Building Guides Top Cleaning Tips

Email this page
Date Published:
20/05/2008

Kim and Aggie are right - with the right attitude, cleaning doesn't have to be a chore. Here are some top tips to help you have a better time getting a cleaner home.

*All product details and prices correct at time of publication - 05/2008

Plate of Lemons

Lemon Fresh

Kim and Aggie are always recommending the powers of lemon juice. Here are their top three tips for getting the most out of that all-natural yet magic fluid...

* To remove limescale: Soak a paper towel in lemon juice, cover limescale with it for an hour before rinsing. Repeat as necessary. Do not use on thinly plated surfaces, such as gold.

* To whiten your whites: Soak the fabrics in lemon juice for 15 minutes then wash as usual.

* To buff brass or copper: Mix juice with coarse salt crystals, dip a soft cloth into the mixture, then rub away the tarnish. Polish up with a dry cloth.

Vacuum Cleaner

Beating Dust

Sneezing non-stop? It's might be time to buy a new vacuum, and probably the best small one is the Solution Hepa 5000 by Miele. It has a strong, 2,200 watt motor, but is really quiet (there's even a silence setting), a 10m cable, a bumper strip to protect furniture, and a HEPA filter, which should mean no more sneezing. John Lewis sells it for £199.

Dusting

Dusting Electrics

Everyone has dust under their TV. Why? Because it's really hard to dust under there. However, such an excuse is about to become redundant now we've discovered this great flat duster that is specially made for sliding under appliances. The duster costs £4 from Kleeneze.

White Wizard Cleaner

Spot Cleaning

Having trouble keeping that pristine sofa white? If you don't have the time (or energy) to wash removable covers, try White Wizard (£5 from Kleeneze) - a whizz of a product that'll take just about any stain out of upholstery, carpet and leather. Just spread it on and wipe it off, along with the muck.

Back to top

Your Comments

Post your comment

Please note: In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in to Channel 4:

Sign In Here or Register Here

Comments closed

Comments are closed at the present time

Your comments

Post your comment
By posting on this website you are agreeing to abide by our Comments Policy.
(Maximum characters: 4000)
You have
Back to Previous Page

Comments

Thank you for your comment!

Your message should appear below in a few minutes time. If it doesn't, it probably means we're reviewing the content of your comment. Providing the content is OK for us to publish, you should see it on the site within 24 hours.

Comments

  1. Hiya Please can you let me know how to get rid of a musty smell which is coming from my washing machine. I have tried a boil wash with a tub of bicarbonate of soda but its still there. Thanks
    Posted by helen on 20/08/2008 17:38:06
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  2. Hi Catherine It's there now - sorry, took a while to pop up! See about three or four comments down. Lucy
    Posted by Lucy 4Homes Ed on 20/08/2008 14:42:20
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  3. I have read with interest the information about pets and vomiting on carpets. The detailed answer you gave also mentioned about the smell of Urine and that the information was further down the page. However I have looked and can't see it. Could you advise once again how to get rid of ther persistant smell of urine despite the fact I have shampooed the carpet no end of times. Thank you
    Posted by catherine adams on 19/08/2008 12:53:30
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  4. Hi Rosie with the suede couches I'm guessing the kids and dogs came after the couch - otherwise it's madness mixing the three and expecting the sofas to come out tops!? Really, your best option is to get the sofas cleaned professionally every now and then. Or, sell them and buy new ones with removeable, washable covers with proceeds and the money you'd save on cleaning them
    Posted by Lucy 4Homes Ed on 19/08/2008 12:20:04
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  5. Hi Carly How often are you doing your washing? If mildew is building up on it, it would suggest you're keeping it somewhere dank and damp for some time. Best solution would be to throw out the linen basket you have, buy something with holes (or perhaps one made of wicker) so the air can get in while it's sitting there, and try to leave it sitting for no longer than two or three days before you do a wash. Normal washing should remove mildew stains. Old stains need a bleach solution (try household bleach diluted 5 parts to 9 of water). This is obviously only for white fabrics. Colour fabrics will need Stain Devils or something similar. In all cases, do a test patch first to check the stain remover doesn't ruin your clothes.
    Posted by Lucy 4Homes Ed on 19/08/2008 12:17:34
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  6. Hi Katie URINE ON CARPETS (i've highlighted that up big because everyone's having this problem!). You need to flush the area with cold water first, then blot till nearly dry. Then sponge with a carpet shampoo, then rinse with water and a few drops of antiseptic. Then blot. If smell persists, use a deodoriser, such as Febreze.
    Posted by Lucy 4Homes Ed on 19/08/2008 12:13:32
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  7. hi please can you help me .I have a 2 year old soon who i am potty training and for some reason he keeps peeing on his bedroom carpet.Please could you tell me the best solution to get the smell out.I have scrubed the carpet with hot soapy water and it still stinks.many thankxs katie shepperd
    Posted by katie on 19/08/2008 00:05:01
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  8. Hi Penney Are the tiles sealed, do you know? If they're not, once they've been cleaned, they should be to keep further grime from soaking into their porous surface. As for cleaning them, you'll need to get a specialist terracotta cleaner from a specialist tile centre - try www.yell.com for one near you. Good luck!
    Posted by Lucy 4Homes Ed on 18/08/2008 12:40:08
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  9. Hi everyone with vomiting and urinating pets... The soda tip is for vomit - you need to scoop as much of the stuff up as possible, then clean with a solution of bicarb of soda. Blot well, then rub in a foam carpet shampoo solution and repeat until the stain has cleared. Rinse with warm water, adding a few drops of antiseptic to it. Blot well. Urine tips - see below. The trick of course is to act immediately. Any delay makes for that much more elbow grease. As for smells, best I can offer you is a deodorising product - try your supermarket shelves for something.
    Posted by Lucy 4Homes Ed on 18/08/2008 10:07:06
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  10. Please can you let me know the best for terracotta tiles - cant get off the grime
    Posted by penney lister on 18/08/2008 09:08:50
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  11. Hi, Can you tell me what measures I should use when using cornflour to clean windows. I only saw the part when Aggie cleaned the windows and it looked brilliant!
    Posted by amy on 17/08/2008 17:09:46
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  12. thank you for your tip on limescale remover. it really works brbie
    Posted by barbara bastille on 17/08/2008 02:05:03
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  13. Hi I watched the program about the revisit to Pat crothers and would like the proceedure for removing the dog pee from the carpet, in our case it's not pee but her doggy smell where she lies all the time, we shower her weekly but the deodoriser products just don't seem to get rid of her smell both on her or the carpet thanks roy
    Posted by D Chung on 16/08/2008 10:42:32
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  14. hi on your programme, u mentioned how to get rid of dog pee on carpet, i hav a puppy who is impossible to train, my carpets are getting ruined and very smelly, thank you with regards emma
    Posted by emma on 15/08/2008 12:17:59
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  15. hi there i seen a tip in one of the shows about getting old stains out of carpets,it it old womit,tried cleaning it with soapy water,but no luck is it soda eater that i should use,if so what is soda water,and where can i buy it,please help
    Posted by sigrun on 14/08/2008 19:21:47
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  16. hi wonder if you can help me i watch your program on the 13th aug 2008 the revisited one pat crothers and they mention about getting rid of the smell dog pee with soda and water could you tell me what type of soda please as i have tried everything i can think off thank you
    Posted by jane on 14/08/2008 10:21:01
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  17. Hi i was wondering if anyone can help me,My lovely dog was not very well about a month ago she was sick and had the runs (she ok now)thing is she did this in my bedroom and the smell is still there i have tried everything i can think of.Have had carpet cleaned had stuff from vets just for this sort of thing and nothing seems to work.Could change carpet but not had it for that long and nothing wrong with it apart from this smell. HELP.
    Posted by Gail on 13/08/2008 22:53:04
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  18. Hi Amy, It might be that you have to tackle where the flies are coming from - a compost heap near the window, perhaps?? Traditional ways to deter them (apart from keeping windows and doors shut or putting fly screens up) are to hang bunches of mint or basil, or to grow strongly scented flowers, such as marigolds and pelargoniums at the doors or on windowsills. Less traditional methods include fly papers, impregnated with insecticide. If they're tiny, they're probably fruit flies, in which case keep rotting or ripe fruit and veg covered or in the fridge, depriving them of their source of food. Large quantities of dead or lethargic flies might be the sign of an infestation of cluster flies (about the size of house flies). In which case, call in the local authority's pest control department.
    Posted by Lucy 4Homes Ed on 13/08/2008 11:23:24
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  19. Hi Gilli I've looked into this for you and here's what I've found out: if you want to dip your teapot, you need to line a plastic washing up bowl with aluminium foil, fill it with hot water and add a handful of washing soda. You'd then have to immerse the tea/coffee pot but ensure the tarnished areas are touching the foil. Leave it for five minutes, then rinse. However, although the ebony can withstand abit of water, it won't benefit from this so you'd have to be confident you could seal it within a plastic bag, gaffered into place... Not that practical, me thinks. Your other option is to use a silver dip (buy them at dept stores and big supermarkets, and some mail order cos). These you just por into (and around) the pot, swirl around and rinse. Might be worth a try first.
    Posted by Lucy 4Homes Ed on 13/08/2008 11:18:09
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  20. i have a problem with mildew on my dirty laundry and it is spoiling all of my clothes. i am struggling to remove it and i am having to throw a lot of clothes away. i have tried spot on white wizard remover and i have hot washed my clothes, no hope. please help.
    Posted by carly on 12/08/2008 20:55:45
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  21. I HAVE SUEDE COUCHES AND 2 KIDS PLUS 2 DOGS. HOW CAN I CLEAN SUEDE FURNITURE WITHOUT DESTROYING IT? HELP!
    Posted by ROSIE on 12/08/2008 19:21:01
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  22. I have been using White Wizard as an intricate part of my cleaning regime for years so I was excited to see it mentioned here. This product is incredible and I am happy to see that the Queens of Clean use it also. Keep up the good work. Betty Barr
    Posted by Betty Barr on 10/08/2008 19:03:45
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  23. Hi. For some reason we seem to have flies in our kitchin all the time. We have cleaned and scrubbed and tidyed but they are still around. I remember on one episode that there was a trick with apple juice that could be used to catch flies but i cant remember what it was. Anyone remember?
    Posted by Amy on 10/08/2008 17:00:41
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment
  24. Hello! I have a silver coffee pot with an ebony handle which is in desperate need of cleaning. Ive heard you can clean silver in a bath of soda crystals and tin foil but Im worried about immersing the wooden handle - any ideas please! many thanks :)
    Posted by Gilli on 09/08/2008 22:38:03
    Offensive? Unsuitable? Report this comment

Advertisement

More on 4Homes

4Homes Property Search

Over 300,000 properties to search, interactive maps, neighbourhood reports and more...

 

e.g. Notting Hill, SW3, Glasgow

Powered by: Nestoria

Advertisement

4Homes