cleaning hacks | Bredon Hill Cleaning Services

Blog Cleaning
February 28, 2021
carpet cleaning, cleaning hacks, cleaning mistakes, cleaning tips and tricks, how to avoid cleaning mistakes, mixing cleaning products, window cleaning

Cleaning Mistakes People Make

Cleaning is a job as old as time. For centuries it was considered one of the most natural women’s duties around the house. So, it should be almost instinctive isn’t it? Wrong! You will be surprised how many cleaning mistakes people make all the time. Here’s a short list of them.

Starting from the Bottom

Never start cleaning the floors first! Always work your way from the top to the bottom. Ceilings and top corners go first, then the walls and wall cupboards, then working tops and tables or other furniture and at the end you reach the floors. Many people even start by vacuuming the floor, which is a massive mistake. By the time you are finished cleaning everything else, your floor will need another clean.

Mixing Cleaning Products

Not only this is an extremely common error, but it could be very dangerous. Cleaning products are usually strong chemical substances. Unless you know how they react with other substances do not ever attempt to mix them. It could end tragically. If you happen to be in possession of professional cleaning products and you are not a professional cleaner, don’t use them at all. Those products require specific knowledge and training to use.

Cleaning Windows on a Sunny Day

It may sound the logical thing to do, but cleaning your windows on a sunny day is actually a big mistake. Doing the work under direct sunlight may lead to streaks on the windows later.

Cleaning Carpet Stains on Your Own

There are so many carpet cleaning tips on the internet that claim to be the ultimate solution for almost every kind of spill or damage to your carpet. Following those tips is a huge mistake. Professional carpet cleaners always advise to simply do nothing when you stain your carpet. Call the experts and let them do their job. In reality, it is much harder to remove a stain that has already been treated by an unprofessional with mainstream products.

Not Cleaning Appliances and Machines

You would be surprised how many people don’t realise that their vacuum cleaner, dishwasher and washing machine also need cleaning! To extend the life of your important household appliances you need to give them a good clean from time to time. Make sure you read the instructions, though!

Spraying Directly

Another major cleaning mistake is spraying directly on a surface. That could cause permanent damage to some materials or simply leave unwanted spots after the clean. The right way to do it by spraying the cleaner on a cloth and then applying gently on the surface that needs to be cleaned.

Leaving it for Another Day

By far the biggest cleaning mistakes anyone could make is not cleaning regularly. The more cleaning days you skip, the more work piles up for the day you eventually find time or feel in the mood to clean. Dirt that has been left to accumulate for long is also much harder to remove. So, make sure you have a cleaning schedule and do everything possible to always follow it.

Blog Cleaning
October 30, 2020
cleaning hacks, holiday cleaning, how to clean an oven, kitchen cleaning, kitchen cleaning tips and tricks, oven cleaning, professional cleaning services

Great Oven Cleaning Tips Before the Holidays

You can almost smell the holiday season coming with all the favourite meals we enjoy every year. But how would you make that famous roasted turkey with cranberry sauce if your oven is not working properly? Did you know that one of the most common reasons for oven faults is irregular cleaning? Leaving grease and burnt-ons in the oven for too long can cause many problems. Besides, who would like to eat a cake that’s been baked in a dirty oven? Ugh!

Putting your oven in a spotless condition can be a real challenge, but luckily you are reading the right blog! We have some great oven cleaning tips to use before the holidays!

Oven Racks Come [Off] First

As with every other project, when cleaning you have to have a good strategy and follow an effective methodology. First thing you should do is remove the oven racks and place them in a basin or bucket with a cleaning solution, which dissolves grease and burnt-on. If you want to use natural cleaning materials, mix baking soda, vinegar and some water. Let them soak for half an hour. Another way to get the nasties off the racks is spraying them with an oven cleaner and placing them in a sealable plastic bag for about 30 minutes. After that time, just take the racks out and gently scrub with a sponge. They will be as shiny as new!

Time to Spray

While the racks are soaking or in the sealable bag, you can use an oven cleaner to spray the oven from the inside. Alternatively, mix baking soda with vinegar to create a paste and apply to the dirtiest areas in the oven. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and then use an old toothbrush to scrub the hard to get places and any stubborn stains. After the development time it should be pretty easy to remove any grease with a sponge or cotton cloth, dampened in warm water.

Clean the Oven Glass

A glass scraper would be extremely useful to clean your oven glass. Alternatively, you can use some baking soda and dishwashing liquid. Apply to the glass and scrub with a toothbrush. If you are lucky enough to own an oven with a removable glass, unscrew it and soak it oven cleaner and warm water solution for half an hour. Then wipe with a clean cotton cloth and screw back on.

Get Rid of the Bad Smells

Cooked fish recently? Well, you better get rid of that smell before you put the cupcakes to bake in the oven! Good news is, there’s a very easy way to do that. Fill a baking pan with water and add a few drops of essential oil of your choice. If you don’t have any oils, a few slices of lemon will do just fine. Then turn the oven on low temperature and let the solution stay inside for up to 2 hours. In the end, you should have a freshly scented oven and if there were any grease stains left, they should be dissolved by the steaming water.

Don’t have the time to go through all that? No worries, we do! Book your oven cleaning appointment with us and get your baking recipes ready!

Blog Cleaning
October 25, 2020
autumn cleaning, Christmas cleaning, cleanign products, cleaning during holidays, cleaning hacks, cleaning ideas, Cleaning services, home cleaning, home organisation, professional cleaning, professional cleaning services, winter cleaning

How to Keep Your Home Clean During the Holidays

Christmas is 2 months away, yes, we know. But it will eventually get here and with it comes big family celebrations. We know how much effort you put into making your home look clean, welcoming and cosy, so we wouldn’t want that to go to waste after the holidays. So, we put together some good tips on how to keep your home clean during the holidays.

Clean as you Decorate

Decorating your home for Christmas is the perfect opportunity to get rid of old stuff you don’t need. You can move the furniture, wipe all surfaces, remove all dust and cobwebs on the ceiling. Many people use fake snow spray on their windows. That’s very pretty but don’t forget to wash your windows before that. Now you have a clean and lovely house, ready to be transformed into a magical Winter Wonderland space. You practically performed deep cleaning, which means between the holidays your cleaning workload is minimised and you may only need to vacuum a couple of times.

Focus on the Living Room and Common spaces

Your cleaning priority will be the living room, kitchen and bathrooms. Those will be the most used areas in your home during the holidays and your guests will have access to all of them. Maintain them always in good condition. Your own bedroom can wait until after the holiday madness.

Use Sofa Covers

You love your sofa, right? Cover it with disposable sofa covers. You can even choose festive patterns and add to the Christmas spirit in your home. Best part is, none of the festive menu items will leave a mark on your favourite and precious family sofa!

Use the Advent Calendar Trick

If you have children, you have a great advantage! Use the Advent Calendar to make them help you with some domestic cleaning chores. Tell them they can have the prize for each day only if they complete a certain task, for example, dust the furniture, clean up their rooms or vacuum the living room. If they do that for 24 days, it could easily become a habit and they would continue doing it even after Santa’s brought the gifts.

Keep the Cleaning Products Close

With all the festive family dinners and parties on the calendar, frequent messes are inevitable. Keep your home clean at that period is having your essential cleaning products within safe reach. Wine on the sofa? Quickly spray it and clean up the stain. Sorted! The minced pie got smashed on the floor? Fix that fast too.

Use the Dishwasher More Often

Christmas = a lot of food, a lot of food = a lot of dirty dishes. Load the dishwasher every night before bed so you have clean plates and cutleries every morning. That way you can peacefully enjoy your morning coffee, watching TV, instead of standing in front of the sink.

Do you have other ideas on how to keep your home clean over the holidays? Please share them with us, we are genuinely interested to learn how you do it.

Ah! One last thing… if you just want to relax for that one most peaceful (and lazy) week of the year, we can take the cleaning off your plate. Make sure you book an appointment quickly before our capacity is full!

Blog Cleaning
October 20, 2020
cleaning hacks, cleaning tips and tricks, home cleaning hacks, home organisation tips, how to clean oven, oven cleaning, oven cleaning hacks, professional cleaning

8 Oven Cleaning Hacks You Wish You Knew Earlier

Oven cleaning is often found to be more difficult than cleaning other kitchen or home appliances for the particularly stubborn grease and food stains uniquely found in an oven.

However, oven cleaning doesn’t have to be such a stress; it’s all about learning combinations that can tackle those stubborn stains. That is exactly what we would like to teach you in this article.

1. Before you start the actual cleaning hack

First and foremost, before using any chemicals or home solutions to clean your oven, you should use a paper towel or old cloth to wipe away already loose and solid bits of dirt. You can use a dustpan to collect the bits and then toss them into the bin. This way you allow the cleaning product to have its full effect on stubborn stains you cannot scrub off.

2. Home made solution hack

The most often mentioned oven cleaning hack is to combine vinegar and baking soda until they form a paste. Rub that on greasy oven stains and scrub. This solution should involve much less scrubbing in comparison to using some supermarket cleaning products.

3. Dishwasher tablets hack

Whilst associated with dish washing and not oven cleaning, dishwasher tablets can dissolve burnt-on grease and smaller pieces of food from your oven. Soak half a dishwasher tablet of any brand in warm water and rub it on the stuck-on food or grease. Leave for at least a minute before wiping away with a clean wet towel the paste. With any luck, burnt-on grease and smaller pieces of food.

4. Oven rack cleaning hack

Similarly to the above oven cleaning hack, you can separate and soak your oven racks in a hot bath with added washing powder. This makes it easier to wipe away dirt afterwards. You could try putting them inside your dishwasher for further ease and to take up less vital space.

5. Ammonia cleaning hack

A particularly low-effort oven cleaning hack is to fill a bowl with half a cup of ammonia,

leave it in your (turned-off) oven overnight and wipe away the loosened grime the morning

after.

6. Common household goods hack

Another great and practically effortless cleaning hack that uses common household ingredients is filling a bowl with water and adding two lemons cut in half. Leave that in your turned-on oven set to about 200 degrees for an hour. Similarly, you should be able to wipe away loosened grime while your oven is still warm (although cool enough to touch) with the added bonus of a pleasant lemony scent.

7. Illogical cleaning hack

This may sound counterproductive, but it is actually an oven cleaning hack that surprisingly works! Put some vegetable oil on a paper towel to wipe down greasy stove tops spattered with oil. Weird... but it does the job!

8. Universal cleaning hack

A cleaning hack, not exclusively applicable to oven cleaning, is using a toothbrush dipped in cleaning product to scrub stains instead of using a different scrubbing tool. The toothbrush has softer bristles, which are much less likely to create scratches or damage to your oven (or other home appliances) when used. Toothbrushes are inherently small and long-handled so, also effective in getting to those hard-to-reach spots.

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