Author: zoey

So, to finish the topic from yesterday, we already know how many bacteria there are in every home, and despite the numerous times we disinfect the rooms, the microbes will always find a place to hide.

– The chopping board – according to some, the chopping board contains even more microbes that you can find on the toilet plate. Frightening, isn’t it? Here’s what you should do – use only plastic chopping boards, because they’re easier to be cleaned. Plus, they absorb less. Use a separate chopping board when you cut meat. When washing the chopping board, use some lemon juice as well.

– Wet inner surface of the washing machine – You didn’t know that the washing powder doesn’t kill all of the microbes? Believe me – it doesn’t. What I would advise you is to clean your washing machine with hot water every time after you wash your clothes.

– The bath – about 100,000 on every 2.5 cm². Use anti-bacterial detergent at least once a week.

– The kitchen and the bathroom floors – clean regularly, even if you see just one small stain. It’s better to clean it on time rather than leave it until it gets sticky and turns into a small microbial island.

– The bin – again, another heaven for the microbes. A dark, moist environment for different micro-organisms. The solution – buy a pedal bin, so you won’t have to touch it often when you throw away the waste. Even if you don’t like the idea of cleaning it and washing it, it should be done once in a week.

– The toys – no matter what protections we use, the kids and the microbes just go hand by hand. Quite often the children take their toys when they’re playing outdoors and, thus, they bring many bacteria back to your house. What you need to do is to treat the toys as something that also has to be regularly cleaned. You can even wash some of them in the washing machine, or the plastic ones – in the dishwasher. The right thing is to teach your kids they should wash their hands every time they finish playing.

Most of all, don’t forget that hygiene is everything. And is a must in order to have a safe environment for you and your family.

What would happen, if we could put on glasses to show us all the microbes and bacteria at home? Maybe we would run away screaming… Micro-organisms can be found everywhere in our houses,  but not all of them hide threat to our health. Some of them even increase the efficiency of our immune system. Unfortunately, there are also those which can be quite harmful. What is worse is that the conventional methods for treatment (the bleach, for example) could be even more harmful for the health and the environment. I can give you some small tips that could be really helpful.

– Your sponges in the kitchen foster quite a lot of bacteria – about 250,000 on every 2,5 cm². Using the sponges to clean different surfaces, we actually spread the bacteria. The wet pores, which make the sponges so effective, are indeed a “cosy home” for many micro-organisms as well, which are quite difficult to get rid of.  You can do 3 simple things in order to solve the problem: you can either put the sponges in boiling water for 3 minutes, or wash them and put the in the microwave for 3 minutes, or wash them in the dishwasher along with the plates. We have the same issues with the kitchen cloths, but at least they don’t have so many pores. What you need to do is to dry them before using them, because the lack of moisture will kill most of the micro-organisms within a few hours.

– Kitchen sink – you can’t imagine what amount of bacteria causing salmonella and so many other diseases can be found in the sink and especially around the drain and the taps which we touch very often. The solution – rub the sink and the area around the drain with salt and an old brush at least twice a week, it really helps. And also it is advisable to use an anti-bacterial detergent.

If your other half told you in the very last minute that he has invited friends over to watch the soccer game, and your home is a total mess, you don’t have to panic, if you still have 10 minutes before the guests come. 10 minutes is plenty of time and is surely enough to do a quick and good clean. Here’s what you need to do:

List your priorities – Decide which rooms are in need for a clean and which could be missed. If the guests will be coming in the evening, then clean the rooms which will be definitely used – the living room and the bathroom. Choosing just 1 or 2 rooms will save you time and stress.

Use help – Ask your kids or your other half to participate in the cleaning. This will lessen the amount of work that you have to do. Call end of tenancy cleaners Putney.

Wipe the windows from the inside and any other glass surfaces – it might seem pointless to be done within the time frame that you have, but you can be sure that any fingerprints left on them are your own confession that it’s been a mess in your home.

Dust the TV – 10 minutes might not be enough to clean the dust from everywhere, but the TV is a must as it is the first thing to be noticed when the guests enter the room. A clean TV monitor will show what a wonderful and irreplaceable housewife you are.

Remove any hairs left by your pets – The anti static cloths are the perfect way to remove the dust and any hairs from wooden floors, if you don’t have time for a vacuum cleaner.

Tidy up the bathroom – Quickly clean the mirrors and remove the toothpaste stains from the sink. Hide any cosmetics or toiletries below the sink or in the cabinet, or wherever else you decide. Don’t forget to change the towels in the bathroom and to clean the toilet as well.

Make your kitchen shine – Just mop the kitchen floors and wipe the surfaces.

Freshen the air – Light a few aroma candles or essential oils, so your home would smell nicely.

Aaaand that’s it!!! You’re done!

Almost all flower pots lose a lot from their original colours with time and although your flowers always look lovely and fresh, the faded colours of your pots might ruin the idyllic view. That is why it is extremely important to take care not only of your flowers, but also of the pots. Don’t allow to have the beautiful look of your terrace ruined by something so small when it can be fixed just with a little bit of creativity. Instead of buying new pots, I usually apply some small crafty ideas and bring something from myself, so it would feel cosier and more pleasant.

What you need for a start is first some nice beautiful fabrics, scissors, glitter spray paint, decoupage glue (acids free), a brush and… your pots (of course). Just pick up any old pot of yours and put it on some papers, so you can make sure you won’t leave any stains after the job is done. You can paint the pot with any colour you want, or you can mix colours and create different patterns. Then wait for the pot to dry. Cut a piece of fabric after measuring the circumference of the pot. With it you can decorate the outside.

Apply some of the glue to that part of the surface of the pot where you plan to attach the fabric and then press the fabric onto it.  Depending on your tastes, you can decide whether to cover the whole pot with the fabric or just a part of it. Make sure there are no air bubbles left under the cloth. After that apply another two layers of decoupage glue, but wait for the first layer to dry before you apply the second one. And that’s it! I’m sure you’ll be more than happy with the result.

Here are some useful tips I have found quite well working over the years and after the long time spent at home taking care of the household and dealing with the boring daily chores. It is good to know that whatever situation you face, you can always rely on the internet to find a way out. It is time saving, effort saving and most of all it has already been tried by others, so you won’t have to worry about whether something will work or not. And here are some small tricks that will surely be of great help to you:

1. You can combine soda and vinegar in order to clean all types of surfaces.

2. For grimy dishes (just the stains) you can scrub the with salt.

3. You can clean your windows with water and vinegar, but first you have to wash them only with water and then add some vinegar to the water and wash them again.

4. For cleaning surfaces you can mix vinegar, soda and lemon juice.

5. You can use citric acid to clean sinks, sanitary ware and the bathroom as a whole.

6. Tiled floors are perfectly cleaned using water and vinegar. However, vinegar is not suitable to wash marble floors as it will change their colour.

7. Soda is a great way to scrub and clean pans. It is also known as a really good smell absorber as this is one of its main functions. That is why it is a fine antiperspirant as well.

8. The microfibre cloths are the best dust remover.

9. For polishing of wooden surfaces you can use olive oil and 1 drop of essential oil.

10. You can easily deal with any scratches on your furniture by using a small cloth with oil and soda.

11. Unpleasant smells from boxes and jars can be removed by washing them with 50% water and 50% vinegar solution. You can spray the hot plates with the same solution in order to get rid of any smells in the kitchen.

12. All of your glasses will shine if after washing them with the detergent then you also wash them with salty water and then just with water.

13. The colours of your rug will be brighter and more vivid, if you sprinkle it with salt from the previous night and you scrub it with a wet cloth on the next day and vacuum the rug after that.

14. To remove the mold, use vinegar and salt and scrub with a cloth.