What cleaning things do you do that you dont think anyone else does?

[SurlyCue]

Inspired by the wet wiping the stair carpet thread. It got me wondering what other cleaning tips i dont know and i do like to collect them

So what do you do that you think others should know about?

I'm trying to think of any of my own but cant right now. Will add if i do.

The other thing to remember with mopping and surface cleaning is that you will always temporarily raise the bacteria load on a surface when you make it wet. So ideally minimise the quantity of water and the length of time it sits on the surface. This is one reason steam mops are so helpful, but you can add in a dry mop and dry wipe cycle to reduce the growth period. But constant wiping down/wetting of surfaces raises the bacterial load.

In fact most mops (including double bucket or rinse systems) raise the bacterial load and they are not recommended in clinical cleansing. But tbh you don't want clinical in your house anyway so I don't know why I'm going on!

So ideally minimise the quantity of water and the length of time it sits on the surface. This is one reason steam mops are so helpful,

I have found the opposite. I am a cleaner so have used several steam mops including my own and ALL of them leave the floor soaking! Dangerously wet. None of them dry anywhere near as quickly as when ive mopped. I do mop with boiling water too and make sure it is wrung out really well which just isnt possible with steam mops.

I clean the washing powder and fabric conditioner drawers in the dishwasher, they come out like new.

I clean the shower while I am in it, this saves a lot of time and effort. I have got everyone else in the house into the habit of spraying with that 'daily shower spray' stuff you can buy, the Aldi stuff is just as good as the Mr Muscle stuff. The shower cubicle never looks grotty.

I'm another one who dusts with socks once I have taken them off, it takes seconds and I go to bed feeling very virtuous.

No matter what I do and how nice the house looks, the only thing that really makes me feel like a domestic goddess is when I hang washing on the line. Usually it just gets dumped in the tumble drier on my way out to work so when I actually get the chance to put it on the line I feel v accomplished

Yes, agreed that not all steam mops are created equal, but a steam mop that works properly is cleaner than a wring-out mop that works properly. But you don't need to take my word for it on mops! Google it. The super heated steam passing through the mop head for a sustained period is the crucial difference.

Boiling water does not kill all bacteria on contact. You need to hold fabric at 71 degrees or above for a minimum of three continuous minutes to kill bacteria, or ten minutes at 60c. In fact most domestic washing machines do not do this either, but it may not matter much for most people. It takes even longer to effectively kill things like dust mite eggs. The PP who pours boiling water on her cloth is not really effectively destroying bacteria tbh either.

I agree Surly, I have had 4 steam mops of different brands and all have gone back. Not only do they make the floor really wet I find they just push the dirt around rather than removing it

I agree Surly - I have tried the pound stretcher one, an expensive Vax one also my big Karcher one I usually only get out to do the carpets with- they all leave the floors too wet. I don't need my floor to be sterilised and germ free, it's a floor and we walk on it , it's not like we're eating our dinner off it. Give me a proper mop any day of the week!

I use boiling water and a dash of bio washing detergent too, leaves the floors gleaming!

Great tip Dame

Oh, and I tried my friend's steam mop too -I declare myself an expert on their crapness

OK sorry. I get the message.

Ha ha ha

I used mayonnaise today to remove white rings from wooden coffee table. I was dubious but it actually worked a treat!

Mayonnaise ? What do you do, just rub it in?

Yes, I just used a bit of kitchen paper, a dob of mayonnaise and rubbed it in, hey presto the rings had gone! I didn't think it was going to work at first, but then it did. Really pleased, as it's a relatively new table, it's pale oak so I didn't expect it to mark so easily. TG for the www!

Lurking bread crumbs with breadmachine bread especialy?...get the thin nozzle on ur Hoover and in seconds gone!!

From1762: 'Take a large head of garlick, peel it and cut it into slices, half an ounce of sugar ... two spoons of walnut pickle ... anchovies shred small .. grate all with a spirit of a sixth of a pint of white vinegar with enough to make it the colour of spirits of lavender ... stood for six weeks ...'

Cleaning windows, perhaps?

Toothpaste cleans tarnished silver jewellery. Just rub it in with your fingers then rinse - sparkly clean AND no nasty chemicals.

As for steam stuff....I've had 2 which were FAR more effort to use than they saved. I have now officially given up on steam - until I see the next magic one I must have. I believe they SHOULD work

Baddz I got mine from Costco. I've always been a big fan of wooden seats, but they just didn't stay done up (underneath) and on the few occasions my Mum has visited, she blooming well breaks them! and getting them to stay on tight was nigh on impossible, so I decided to fork out for this baby!! took a bit of getting used to as it's cold to sit on in winter, but I declare! it's brilliant for cleaning (soft close too!)

I LOVE my steam cleaner (from Lakeland) and it doesn't leave the floor wet. The mop head goes straight in the washing machine afterwards. So speedy! And a cleaning tip: a friend used to pop her dishcloth in the dishwasher with the dishes, which cleaned it beautifully - not sure about the safety factor though. I put my grill pan, shelves, pan supports and burners from the cooker into the dishwasher - cleans them really well and saves a lot of soaking and scrubbing.

Discovered one today. Needed to clean the bathroom, no microfibre cloth handy. Spotted my eldest's exfoliating glove discarded in the bath. And, et voila, it was so much easier to use. I'll just wash it and she'll never know get her a new one, of course!. Genius.

Not cleaning but washing. I put childrens socks in a delicates bag so they dont block the machine and dont get lost.

Not cleaning but sorting - I have a bin just inside my front door (its actually a large coal scuttle I got from an auction sale for a fiver). Mail comes through the letter box, is opened and the junk goes straight in the bin. You can't beleive how much time it saves - and it is ready to go out to the recycling bin when it is full!

My mum uses her fluffy cat to dust the TV.

The static pulls the dust off like a magnet :)

So how does the newspaper trick work for the BBQ please, because rubbing it down with it made sod all difference