New Year, New You! There’s really no better time than when Spring has Sprung to give your house a good and thorough clean! As you know, here at the official Belle Casa Bucks and Berks Blog, we love nothing more than to look at top tips to help you get that cleaning done as efficiently, meaning you can spend the time you would have spent cleaning on more important things – important family time.
As we are now in February, and the rush of Christmas and New Year is out of the way, we look at 10 top tips to clean your home as quickly as possible, and our featured activity this month is the wonderful world of Cliveden National Trust, just outside Maidenhead, Berkshire.
Top Cleaning Tips and Tricks
Find out how to make your home look beautiful again with these expert tips from Belle Casa Bucks and Berks that will transform your living space and save you time:
1. Declutter Your Home
We took a look at decluttering in our January blog, and we suggest one simple rule when you are decluttering your home: if you haven’t used something in six months (and it’s not seasonal, obviously), do you really need it? You’ve lasted six months without it! Separate out ‘keep’, ‘donate’ and ‘throw away’ piles to make sure that those treasures don’t end up in the wrong pile! Our second top tip is to be RUTHLESS – you don’t need to hoard things you don’t need!
2. Deep Clean your Carpets
You’ll be surprised how much dirt, dust and hair build up in your humble vacuum cleaner! This can be especially bad in bedrooms and dining rooms. A deep clean once in a while will allow you to stop this building up and becoming a problem. Back in August, we took a look at how to improve your Vacuuming technique. Be as efficient with your vacuuming as you can.
3. Remove Pet Hair with Rubber Gloves
We have covered the removal of pet hair many times here at Belle Casa Bucks and Berks – including our handy guide to pet removal last June – but this continues to be a problem! The best hack we have discovered so far is to use a rubber glove! Simply pop the gloves on, run them under a warm tap and pat dry. Then collect the troublesome hair and will come right up. Seriously, try it!
4. Keep your oven looking HOT!
Oven cleaning is a time-intensive task at the best of times and never gets any easier. That’s why our top tip is to not bother with ineffective and often expensive over cleaning companies or products. Add bicarbonate of soda to warm water in a spray bottle and you’ve got your own handy oven-cleaning solution. You just need to spray the solution on the interior surfaces of your oven, avoiding the heating elements. Leave overnight and wipe clean the next day. If any soda remains, spray with vinegar to remove it. Check out our other uses for Bicarbonate of Soda here!
5. Your Fridge should always be Cool!
We have never met anyone who keeps up with any form of cleaning schedule in the refrigerator, which is weird because it is, arguably, one of the most important areas to keep sparkling clean. Our top tip? Use a toothbrush and toothpaste. The chemicals found in the toothpaste will help remove stains from inside easily and the toothbrush provides the friction and accuracy that you need to get the job done! If you some smells lurking around after doing this, cut a lemon in half. Put one half on the top shelf, one on the bottom and leave for 24 hours.
6. Unleash the Power of your Dishwasher
Your dishwasher really is a SUPERHERO in disguise! In June 2018 when we covered how to keep your Dishwasher clean and happy using Salt, but here’s another awesome tip for you – the dishwasher can be used for more than just dishes! Why not place children’s plastic toys (without batteries, obviously!) into the dishwasher, along with your normal detergent or tablet, and get them nice and squeaky (sorry!) clean again. Not only that, it helps to sanitise the toys so that they can be played with time and time again!
7. Steam Clean your Microwave
Cleaning your Microwave is something that usually requires a lot of elbow grease, and back in June 2018, we identified handy uses for Vinegar that included cleaning the Microwave. This remains our top tip, it also takes away all the work required for a sparkling microwave, and allows you to use ‘Chef Mike’ knowing he is as clean as he can be! Use a 50:50 mix of Vinegar and Water.
8. Make your Wardrobe as Stylish as Possible
Along the lines of decluttering, why not approach your wardrobe in the same manner? Try your outfits on. Do they still fit? Do you still like them? If the answer is no then it might be time to get rid of them. You could either donate them to charity, sell them on eBay (other internet-based auction sites are available!) or organise a swap shop with friends and family. You don’t want dust in your wardrobe – here are some more handy dust removal tips! Another handy tip to help you out in the morning is to organise your clothes by colour so that you can put outfits together in half the time, with no need to hunt out your favourite top!
9. Your bedsheets don’t need to Snooze – wake them up!
We all have that favourite duvet set. Our has cute Dogs on it! Again, our good friend Bicarbonate of Soda is not the hero you want – it’s the superhero you need! Soak those sheets in a 50:50 mix of Bicarb and White Vinegar – this will also breathe new life into them! But remember to give them a really thorough rinse, otherwise, they will smell very like a ‘Fish & Chips’ shop. I guess this could be a good thing or bad thing, depending on how you look at it!
10. Clean your bathroom… while you sleep?
Using toothpaste between your tiles and soaking your shower head in White Vinegar are our two top tips to keep your bathroom sparkly clean. And the best part is that they need to be left for a while – up to 24 hours is perfect. That means, set it to work and go away to catch up on some beauty sleep! When you return, they will be beautifully clean!
What do do with the time you just saved?
Set high above the River Thames with far-reaching views, Cliveden’s impressive gardens and majestic woodlands capture the grandeur of a bygone age.
Follow in the footsteps of dukes, earls and royalty as you explore a series of gardens, each with their own special charm. From the formality of the Parterre with its vibrant floral displays to the quirky statuary and topiary in the Long Garden, the gardens will delight you in every season. Furthermore, the formal gardens at Cliveden give way to secluded glades, tree-lined avenues and picturesque riverside with miles of the woodland walk to discover.
The house is now a luxury hotel but you can take a peek inside by joining a short guided tour on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from March to end of October (timed ticket required). For younger visitors, the Storybook Play Den encourages imaginations to run wild as you play amongst wooden carvings of favourite storybook characters whilst the 500 metres of winding paths in the Cliveden Maze make it a challenge for all ages to find the centre. They have additional activities to take the kids during half terms and other holidays too!
Check out their website, or look for them on Facebook or Twitter for more information!
Belle Casa Bucks and Berks
If you are looking for a reliable domestic cleaner, look no further than Belle Casa Bucks and Berks. We keep your world fresh and sparkling clean! At Belle Casa, we have over 18 years of experience in providing dedicated domestic cleaning services. Each cleaner is highly flexible to your personal requirements so you can enjoy a high-quality bespoke cleaning service every time.
Belle Casa is a franchised cleaning brand known throughout the United Kingdon and Europe for many years. And our trusted reliable staff are ready to help. So call us today through our online ‘Contact Us’ form, on (01494) 980037, or email sales@belle-casa.com
