TO ask for your cleaning tips

[newmum1611]

Help! Lol...

I’m struggling to keep the house fresh and clean with a 2 month old baby and two cats - I’d love any tips for quick fire cleaning or ways to get the house smelling lovely and not like we have pets

Thanks xxx

open all the windows every morning for half an hour
wash carpets and curtains and other soft furnishings like bedding and cushion covers.
wash all towels
wash dirty clothes
clean hard floors
toilet cleaner sitting in toilet bowls
clean cat food bowls
two drops (literally that, no more) of zoflora in a kettle full of boiling water sitting in your clean kitchen sink and leave it there all day
light a scented candle.

If your house still smells after than then something else is causing it.

Erm... swop the baby and cats for a cleaner?

I don’t know anyone (who doesn’t have a very kind, willing mother) whose house was up to their usual standards with a two month old.

I did find the vacuum excellent white noise for dd though and used to leave it running while I flicked a duster round too.

I was stupidly precious about using chemicals like bleach though and wouldn’t clean the bathroom unless I had a clear hour where I wouldn’t have to hold dd (ha!). Environmentally awful but wet wipes were a staple of my cleaning processes for a good few months.

Is it the litter tray? I don't have a cat but my friend uses catsan litter it's amazing her flat never smells. Also you need to empty the litter tray very often

Oh yes, zoflora in the kitchen sink is an excellent tip. I do it last thing at night so the house smells great by morning.

I tried that Mrs Hinch trick of soaking dryer sheets and then zipping them into the sofa cushions and it worked a treat. I think she soaked hers in diluted zoflora but I used diluted essential oils instead.

Also recommend a few drops of essential oil on a cotton pad, tucked into your radiator for a lovely scent.

On the minus side of cleaning,, don’t use cilit bang on anything. It’s terrible,, eats unglazed tiling. Ruins brass taps etc. Avoid avoid avoid

Take pooh nappies to the outside bin
Open the windows for a bit every day
Use shake n vac on carpets (or sprinkle bicarbonate soda before hoovering on sofas too if they’re a bit smelly)

Fresh air. Only real solution.

Anything else is scent bombing.

If you iron, using scented ironing water makes the house smell lovely.

I’ve got one of these, but I don’t add any fragrance. Does get rid of pet and food smells.
Just to add, if you have cats, check before using any essential oils. Some are extremely toxic to cats.
www.amazon.co.uk/Air-Purifier-CareforAir-Humidifier-Revitaliser/dp/B005XZEASA/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=careforair&tag=mumsnetforum-21&ie=UTF8&qid=1547723233&sr=8-3

Make sure the noticeable things are done everyday such as dirty pots,toilet,hoovering etc

It's nappies sick and litter tray I'm guessing!

Love the fabric softer in spray bottle on soft furnishings and bedding. Works a treat we do it straight away when we get out of bed

• put all shoes into a cupboard and air them if necessary or buy some shoe spray
• ensure bins are taken out each night (and yes absolutely, used nappies should go straight outside to dustbin)
• ensure fridge cleaned out regularly
• use extractor fan when cooking to ensure no lingering food smells
• wash cat bedding
• buy a scented flowering pot plant

A house with a baby in it will smell of baby. A house with a cat in it will smell of cat. As it should.
You can spray things with the things suggested but the best thing is to dust and hoover and let in fresh air.
Sprays and chemicals are not likely to be good for the baby or cats.

Firstly, congratulations on your new baby.

My biggest tip and the only way I manage everything is to get rid of clutter! It takes minutes to wipe / dust surfaces if they are not covered in stuff, so make sure everything has a place to go. If you are really short of space get some clear storage boxes or baskets or whatever you think you can live with and stack stuff in them.

Again the same goes with hoovering. If you haven't got stuff everywhere, then hoovering takes remarkably little time.

When my DC were babies and small, I would try and do a room a day in addition to the kitchen everyday. That way things never got out of control.

Also, a blast of fresh air really helps. Unless you are struggling to afford heating, opening all the windows and letting fresh air circulate - just for a few minutes makes a big difference to clear lingering smells. You don't need them open for long, so the time it take to open the first one and come back around to close them all, is long enough and shouldn't cool the house too much.