Life Changing Cleaning - Why Didn't I Know?

[Wavingnotdowning]

I can't believe I didn't know about rubber brooms before now! No word of a lie, it has changed my life - picks up dog fur from the stairs better than any hoover. My carpet is like new. This, after spending £s on Dyson. Anyone else got any brilliant cleaning tips?

Really hoping the toothpaste to get rid of plastic toy marks on the bath tip works!

I had a white ceramic kitchen sink that was looking stained, I tried all sorts (couldn’t use bleach as we have a septic tank). Then one day I happened to wipe a Brillo pad over it after cleaning the oven. Total magic! Wondered if that might work on stained toilets too?

Also if you have a large walk in shower or wet room, use a car cleaning squeegee rather than those diddy shower ones. Much quicker!

CarpeVitam
Someone said bleach but too scared what if it goes yellow 😭

For Marks on ANYTHING metal, ceramic or for example the bath, I give you Bar keepers friend ...just buy it already. Thank me later

Peek metal polish cleaned my mothers awful sink plug hole, it is so old. Nice and shiny now

Limescale in loo, poor vinegar in bowl, leave for 4 hours or overnight scrub flush. Repeat if needed

Can you use viakal on the bath? Also does anyone know best way to get white canvas shoes white again? Would bicarb do it?

Tip for dirty oven shelves:
Find or buy a plastic tub big enough for them to lie in -something like the ones you buy to stick under the bed with wrapping paper in.
Half a pack of soda crystals (under a pound) and a couple of kettles of boiling water. Leave till cold and rinse off.
(I generally do the whole thing in the garden)
No scrubbing required!

Can you use viakal on the bath?

depends on the bath. if it's enamel then not. other materials, yes.

baking sheets - place on hob, will with water and laundry powder.
bring to the boil.
scrub when cooled down again.

@FanFckingTastic

I've read the whole thread and only seen one mention of Zoflora!! I'm absolutely addicted to it. I make up a bowl and wipe my sides down with it, my leather sofas, my walls, skirting boards etc etc. I wipe windows and mirrors with it using a soft cloth and they come up great - no streaks. I chuck a bit of Zoflora down the loo and in the sink overnight and in the morning they are lovely and clean and smell good. I also put a splash in my washing machine when I wash my towels. I also have some diluted in a spray bottle and I give my bedsheets and mattress a spritz with it every now and then. My husband jokes that if he stands still for long enough I would Zoflora him and actually this is probably true. It disinfects and smells delish - what's not to love :-)

😱 leather sofas?! 😱 Bedsheets?

You’re crazy! Although I’m sure your house emails clean!

Zoflora makes me gag

Just open windows and keep things clean FGS!

I used Kilrock gel on my plastic bath Great stuff, and it comes with a brush so you can paint it on where you need it. And @Possiblynotever, I might try it in my toilet basin too.

@Calmasasleepycat thank you for the Ariel tip. The sink is soaking as I type!

For silverware line a plastic bowl or basin with tinfoil, put the silverware in and pour on enough boiling water to cover with 2tbsp bread soda per litre of hot water. After a few minutes dry the silver and all the dirt will be stuck to the tinfoil.
Don’t air dry silver and when you’re not using it, wrap it up in clingfilm so it’s sealed from the air. Also don’t wash it in the same load as stainless steel.

For sparkling saucepans rhubarb is amazing. So much so it puts me off eating rhubarb! I boil a batch of rhubarb every summer to make my saucepans gleam.

Has anyone any tips for cleaning porous marble (the matt kind, not the shiny stuff)? I have a table that always looks filthy but I’m afraid to use anything too strong on it.

For really manky toilets I can recommend harpic power tablets (this particular toilet hadn’t been cleaned in decades and I had to use a chisel very gently as well) Coke works well enough on the normal variety of manky toilets. I don’t like using strong chemicals but I think the harpic would probably shift some of the toilet stains mentioned here because the one I’m thinking of came up gleaming! I dread to think what’s in them.

A good cleaner is my only life-changing cleaning tip, slattern, moi .

Laurolii
Ray ban question
Baking soda toothpaste on a cotton ball rubb gently in circles, wash thoroughly

What a great thread. As an earlier poster said, I’m really thinking about doing some cleaning now....

Please can ask advice about robot vacuums, as they sound great. What kind would people recommend? Is there anything special to look for when choosing?

Grateful for any advice on this. Thanks

@Ddot

Laurolii Ray ban question Baking soda toothpaste on a cotton ball rubb gently in circles, wash thoroughly

Omg!!! I'm going to b and m to get the broom - wonder if they have the toothpaste!!! Thank you x

Another pet hair remover recommendation. I saw this on a FB ad, bought it but didn’t think it would be that good. It is fab! I love it on winter coats, pillows, duvets etc. Anything you need a quick clean up for it’s great.

www.amazon.co.uk/Remover-ACE2ACE-Reusable-Removal-Furniture/dp/B0819XVK92/ref=zg_bs_13154151031_1?psc=1&_encoding=UTF8&tag=mumsnetforu03-21&refRID=19D5575H2MY49Z9JHMBE

Laurolii
Please be gentle, it can go terrible wrong

DH swears by getting up dog hair with his trainers while he's hoovering. I guess that works the same way as a rubber brush?

I find that if I shuffle my feet back and forth on the rug while wearing my slippers, which have a rough rubber sole, they bring up alarming amounts of cat hair.

I discovered this when standing up after my fitness watch beeped because it thought I had been sitting down too long. This is now part of my daily routine while WFH and there appears to be endless amounts of cat hair on that rug, I'm surprised there is still any on their bodies.

Thelegohooverer using bicarb (soda) and tin foil damages the surface of the silver, it's a chemical reaction. You probably can't see immediately, but DON'T use it for jewellery. (As a part-time siversmith). It can damage settings etc, and OF COURSE never use for jewellery with pearls etc.

Halfwreckedbykids yes I seem to be abnormally affected by bleach and other cleaning-fluid fumes. If I whiff some then my chest feels tight and painful for a couple of days. I wear a mask to clean the shower and I spray the cleaner into a wadded cloth rather than directly onto the surfaces. I can't take any spray cleaners!

I'm also wanting to hear about cleaning the dark edges of light-coloured carpets if anyone has any ideas. I think draughts come up through the floorboards at the edges and carry lots of dirt on to the carpet... but how to get it off?

Stainless steel sinks, definitely barkeepers friend and a good rub with a cloth. It leaves a kind of polish on the surface too so it looks new again

I've just bought the rubber broom and the baking soda toothpaste.
The dog is going to the groomers this afternoon so I'll have 2 hours of uninterrupted obsessional cleaning 😀