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Housekeeping

Find cleaning advice from other Mumsnetters on our Housekeeping forum.

Absolute must haves?

52 replies

honeysucklejasmine · 16/10/2014 12:08

Although I've been a homeowner for many years i am still a bit rubbish at housework. Please help! Blush

What are your must have products, and what do you use them for?

OP posts:
honeysucklejasmine · 18/10/2014 21:13

Thank you so much ladies. I am keeping this thread forever!

OP posts:
foreverton · 20/10/2014 23:27

Yy to zoflora! Also Mr muscle glass cleaner, lots of kitchen roll, cif cream, not a major bleach fan here.
I love trying new products when they come out:)
(Cleaning cupboard is my pride and joy)

Liveforthemoment · 21/10/2014 20:29

Baby Oil on kitchen roll to remove finger marks and streaks from any stainless steel appliances ??

mouselittle · 22/10/2014 19:19

E-cloths. much better than normal microfiber. The window cloths are great.
steam cleaner.

what do people use the magic erasers for other than removing marks?

WhoKnowsWhereTheSlimeGoes · 22/10/2014 20:34

Getting tea stains off the stainless steel sink, cleaning all sorts of surfaces that get grubby, such as around drawer and cupboard handles, tge top surface of drawer fronts, the cooker hood, the top of the fridge, marks off all appliances small and large, uPVC door frames, the glass of the oven doors, getting linescale off taps, finger marks off paintwork and lightswitches.

mouselittle · 22/10/2014 20:53

Think I need to get myself some magic erasers Grin

themummyonthebus · 22/10/2014 21:28

I simply can't be the only one reading this thread thinking, "a cleaner"? Blush I love mine, although she doesn't do windows so I'm thinking of getting a Kärcher thing for that.

MairzyDoats · 22/10/2014 21:51

Magic erasers are brilliant for making white window and door frames white again. They even get rid of spider poo!

MairzyDoats · 22/10/2014 21:52

Oh and good for cleaning the bathroom sink too, makes it all shiny.

guineapig1 · 22/10/2014 21:56

Tumble dryer is great for winter. Also second the put 10 extra things away. This also works for other stuff:-
Wash 10 items of crockery;
Iron 10 garments;
Delete 10 emails.
Usually by the time you've done 10 you are into the swing of things and will usually keep going!

Valsoldknickers · 22/10/2014 21:57

Sorry to hijack but I just have to ask MairzyDoats ( brilliant name) what does spider poo look like??!!!

ihatethecold · 22/10/2014 21:59

Very small I hope!

Sleepyfergus · 22/10/2014 22:08

Mummyonthebus - we don't have a cleaner because we can't afford it. We had one for a bit and it was fab, but it was £30 a week. In reflection, £120 a month is just too much for us at the mo.

mineofuselessinformation · 22/10/2014 22:10

I love my Karcher window vac, Vax floor cleaner (scrubs then vacuums up dirty water) and Morphy Richards steamer. They all save me a huge amount of effort.
I also use Barkeeper's Friend, Hob Brite and good old-fashioned Ajax powder. Smile
Oh! And I have a Lakeland scrubby thing like a giant electric toothbrush.

mineofuselessinformation · 22/10/2014 22:11

Fergus, spider poo looks like black / brown dots the size of a pencil lead.

mouselittle · 23/10/2014 07:44

bar keepers friend is wonderful but nowhere seems to stock it any more. I've had to start buying online.

spider poo Grin

mausmaus · 23/10/2014 07:50

yes yes to a good vacuum cleaner.
and also a good (microfibre cloth) mop.
many many j-cloths and sponge cloths for cleaning, they can go in the wash after use.
all purpose cleaner. cleans basicall everything.

MairzyDoats · 23/10/2014 16:56

ValsOldKnickers - Spiderpoo! Grin

Absolute must haves?
Valsoldknickers · 23/10/2014 22:47

Jesus, that spider must eat bran flakes for breakfast! Needs to carry around a tiny plastic bag if it's going to leave a mess like that behind. I'm all for on the spot fines for fouling.

RaisingSteam · 23/10/2014 22:49

Barkeeper's friend. Haven't cleaned the sink for 2 months? no worries.

Valsoldknickers · 23/10/2014 22:58

Honeysuckle I like microfibre cloths. Cleaning spray with bleach gets pot marks off my Belfast (Butler's) sink. I love to 'clean with the power of steam' (brilliant on the floors especially). Just wish I had the time and willpower to clean more often!

SerendipityDooDah · 24/10/2014 16:51

Grin at fouling fines for the bran flake eating spider! In our house we have a bevy of bran flake eating flies. They deposit poo quite similar to the spider poo picture, only slightly smaller. When we first moved in I kept wondering why there were ink spots all over the window sills and tile floors. I then came across a fly mid-poo one morning and nearly brought up my own bowl of bran flakes. Disgusting. Will give the magic sponges a try -- have a massive box of 30 or so (unbranded) that we got on Amazon for next to nothing.

emmalou64 · 22/01/2015 12:13

Re the handheld Dyson - if it seems a bit much to buy that just to do the stairs buy the version that is the full cordless vacuum and converts to handheld too - you just remove the long tubey bit (technical term!) which is really easy to do as it's so well designed.

I just got one and it's the best household product I've ever owned. My friends have vacuum envy Envy. I hate vacuuming and I actually want to do it now because the Dyson is so fab, which makes it worth the money in my eyes! Goodbye to lugging around a heavy vacuum, plugging and unplugging around the house and getting yourself wrapped up in cord!

I convert it to handheld to do stairs, sofas, inside cupboards/drawers, the car interior etc and any other little nooks and crannies eg. I was recently restoring a chest of drawers and used it to suck up dust inside the drawers after sanding.

It's worth noting that I do have wooden floors throughout my house so no so much need for full suction power except on rugs which I try to do frequently.

shovetheholly · 22/01/2015 12:25

I LOVE my Leifheit click system tools. The mop is great. I can do most of my floors every morning in 10-15 minutes, and they are so shiny it makes me look like a domestic goddess when I am really dead lazy. The mop cloths are microfibre, so you don't need any chemicals, and you put them in the wash when you're done. I had been using a steam mop before this, but the Leifheit leaves the floors much cleaner.

Distilled white vinegar. Costs a lot less than spray cleaner, and is so much better for cleaning and for the environment. I have one spray bottle of it upstairs and one downstairs. Stops smelling about 10 minutes after use. I use it with Microfibre cloths. I use one a day, then shove it in the wash.

Bicarb. Combine with vinegar and you have a shiny sink paste! Go over with lemon juice for an extra clean.

Baby oil - put some on a microfibre cloth and use to clean stainless steel.

Wash up wiz (from Lakeland) - unlike a cloth or scourer, bits of washing up don't get stuck in it. So it's always lovely and clean.

All that should save you enough money on branded cleaners to buy:

Miele cat and dog hoover - does a terrific job on carpet, even with mucky cats.

Bissell carpet cleaner - a lifesaver for those moments when the cat sicks up the bloody entrails of a half-eaten mouse on the light cream bedroom carpet.

DeeCrepid · 22/01/2015 13:29

Be very careful which magic erasers you buy. Make sure, if you buy them from Amazon, that you read the reviews. Poor quality ones just crumble.

I use them for cleaning my glass hob, cleaning the glass on my wood burning stove, cleaning oven glass doors, pots, pans, the sink, in fact almost anything. I cut mine in half which makes them go further