NOW CLOSED: Cleaning - Love it or Loathe it: talk to Ecover - you could win a £200 John Lewis voucher!

[AnnMumsnet]

Ecover would like to know about your top cleaning tips - whether you use tried and tested advice passed down from generation to generation, or you have recently stumbled across a magic remedy. What is your best eco friendly cleaning tip?

Also, Ecover are interested in how cleaning makes you feel. Do you see it as a therapeutic Sunday afternoon activity that you look forward to or do you do anything and everything else to put off the chore? Perhaps you multi task and combine cleaning with an energetic, calorie-burning routine, or maybe you encourage your DCs to give a helping hand? Or does your DH/DP do it all?

Are you so house-proud you spend an hour cleaning before letting anyone through the front door or do guests get to see it how it is - whatever state that may be?

All those who do add their tips or comments to this thread will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win a £200 John Lewis voucher.

Your comments and tips may be used anonymously on Ecover's website and possibly elsewhere.


Thanks and good luck with the prize draw

[Grockle]

Link please HoneyDragon!

[TheProvincialLady]

I don't like cleaning but it needs to be done so it's best to just get on with it. I keep cleaning materials in convenient places, ie loo cleaner, bathroom cleaner and cloths, binliners and a dustpan and brush in the airing cupboard in the bathroom - so if I am in there waiting for a child to finish brushing their teeth etc, I can do something useful at the same time.

[insanityscratching]

I hate cleaning probably because I was brought up by a super house proud mother who loved cleaning and made it her life's work.
To clean a grotty bath with minimum effort fill with hot water and throw in a handful of biological washing powder then retire with a good book and a coffee and biscuits. Next time you need the loo let out the water and rinse and as if by magic a clean bath.

[Honeydragon]

chicken soup, oiled hinges and appropriately opened fruit

[babster]

I don't like cleaning but I don't like a dirty house either, so I blitz a little bit each day to keep on top of it. Dusting is my least favourite chore and mostly gets done when my mother is coming over . When it comes to dusting the kids' rooms, quite often I grab an item from the laundry basket and dust with that then chuck it back for a wash. Now laundry I don't mind and do it most days. What I need is a good tip/product for a shower screen caked in limescale - I tried Cillit Bang but it smelled evil and I felt it was dissolving my fingernails!

[openerofjars]

I am not very keen on cleaning but I am less clean on living like Stig of the Dump, so something has to be done until such time as I can afford a cleaner. Here are my tips.

Never leave a room empty handed. For example, it is perfectly possible to carry a load of clean laundry and a large gin or some chocolate.

Soak everything - dishes, pans, utensils, children. The dirt comes off much more easily that way.

No one cares what the insides of cupboards and the underneath of beds looks like, apart from your mother. And your MIL. And that nice couple you are trying to persuade to buy your house.

Everyone in the house shall be trained in specialist areas. I am 6.5 mo pregnant, so my 3yo DS is i/c picking a stuff up off the floor. DH is responsible for heavy lifting jobs e.g. hoovering. I am in charge of, erm, well now, um...

Every once in a while, throw away everything in those piles of clutter that appear on flat surfaces. If it hasn't been needed it for weeks, it can't be that important. Or he wouldn't have left it there.

On a similar note, throw broken stuff away . You wont mend it, it'll just sit there gathering dust and your home will fill up with useless crap.

Get a telescopic duster: useful and fun for tickling small children with.

Dry your laundry outside as much as possible: sunshine really does get rid of stains and makes everything smell lovely. And it's free.

[avoidinglibelaction]

I loathe housework but if i don't do it no one elase will.
I have to do the laundry regulary because if i don't it breeds - if I do a load every other day there isn't much to iron - if I leave it a week it is exponentially bigger - does this happen to anyone else or do I have rabbits in my laundry basket?
My new plan is to do just a little basic stuff everyday to avoid the same thing happening with the dust, floors and the limescale in the bathrooms - and I have to confess to using very non eco stuff as I need the hard tough chemicals in my house to break down the years weeks of limescale build up on everything .

[ScorpionQueen]

I am quite house-proud. I like a clean, tidy house with minimal clutter but DH and I both work and have 2 children and a dog so it is hard work keeping on top of it sometimes.

We do a blitz on the weekend, a couple of hours all hands on deck Saturday morning. It does sometimes involve a bit of nagging the kids to tidy their rooms but once the house is done we can all enjoy it.

I do have an ironing lady but cutbacks mean I am going to have to do it myself. That is my least favourite job.

[openerofjars]

Less keen! All this talk of cleaning has spoiled my brain.

[openerofjars]

Ooh, another one: put your house on the market and not only will you be forced to keep it relatively tidy but you will clean like a maniac before every viewing AND do all those DIY jobs you've been meaning to get round to.

[Lilyloo]

I actually don't mind cleaning if I am alone in the house. I love cleaning a room and it looking the same when you go back in. It is very demoralising when the dcs are tipping it up behind you.
I try and do the basics every day so it doesn't get out of hand (unlike my ironing pile). I love hovering and find this makes thehouse look tidy on its own and do this through the house daily.
I love bathroom wipes as they are so quick to freshen a bathroom / kitchen.

[LineRunner]

Promise your teenager a new carpet or flooring, and then happily watch them spent weeks clearing up all the mess off their bedroom floor. Worth every penny.

[StainlessSteelCat]

Tips : The tip passed down to me from my mother is "hire a cleaner". damn good I think, but I can't afford it at the moment.
The tip I have discovered myself is sprinkle bicarb of soda in the bottom of your bin. Then if anything spills/gets down the side of the bag it won't smell.
Also, baby wipes clean everything. Except windows.
Final tip is clean the bathroom while the kids are in there, and the shower when you are. Chuck bleach down the toilet when you leave the house so the 3 yo doesn't pick then to investigate it.


When there was just me and DP we happily survived with just a weekly blitz. Now there are 3 DC I need to do little and often to keep on top of it or it escalates exponentially until it would take all weekend just to dent it. I hate cleaning. I hate tidying. However I do love being in a clean and tidy space. As i am a SAHM with a 6 month old DS I do the vast majority in the week so we can have family time at the weekend. The older kids have to help out, again little and often works better than a long blitz so they have to take all the toys back to their room, or clear plates from the table. If I keep on top of it I get to enjoy it.

The other benefit of little and often is that I can invite other parents round without feeling too worried about the state of the house. Unless the 6 month old has a run of bad nights. Then I tidy little and not at all often.

[IwishIwasmoreorganised]

I'm not a fan of cleaning but do love the smug satisfied feeling that I get when the house is looking sparkly and ship-shape!

I use a mixture of vinegar and water on the windows and mirrors and use newspaper on them - that works a treat and I love the smell too

Apart from the vinegar I use chemicals all the way - I feel that if I'm going to spend time cleaning then it needs to be as efficient as possible and fo some reason I've got it into my head that less chemical = more time!

[ouryve]

I hate cleaning. I have joint problems which actually make it rather a painful job.

I hate a dirty house even more, though. I find it helpful to keep high traffic areas as uncluttered as possible, so keeping things clean is easier. Little and often is also essential. I'll get up and do 5 or 10 minutes worth of something here and there, even when I'm really struggling.

[Lauzifer]

I love cleaning, i wont let in any visitors unless i have a presentable house. I'm a sahm so enjoy filling my day with various household tasks and the feeling of having a clean and tidy house is great.

I even have to have a good clean before i go away anywhere because i wouldn't want any potential burglars to come into a pigsty.

My best tip is if i have smelly hands from cutting onions or garlic, i rinse under water and rub a stainless steel spoon all over them. This seems to get rid of the nasty smell.

[heliumballoon]

My best tip is to invite your mother or MIL round. Makes me clean very fast - frantically even, as I always leave it to the last minute- and much more thoroughly than usual. It's known as the Clean of Shame.

[MadameChinLegs]

I only like cleaning if I can commit to it. I want a day to spend on it. Usually I have ten minutes here and there, which results in shoddy workmanship or total avoidance.

Laundry - I do it by person, rather than colour. All DDs stuff collected until her basket is full - wash - hang on line - iron if needed - put away. Same with DHs and mine.

My weapons of choice are antibac wipes, multisurface spray, jcloth and a duster with retractable cover. Oh, and housework is lonely, so I have Henry Hoover to chat to.

[LovesBeingWearingSkinnyJeans]

Have to say my most recent best tip is tge Ecover washing up liquid, really does get rid of tge Greece.

I feel different ways about cleaning, mostly depending on how much of a rush/pressure I have. Tge high tge pressure/rush the more of a chore it is. If I can do it as I like it to be done then I feel satisfaction, but if I have to do a quick job I hate it.

I also go through phases with cleaning.

My biggest top tip is that you should always washup/fill tge dishwasher and clean/tidy the kitchen before you go to bed. For tge sake of 5/10 mins it can have a massive impact on how you start your day in the morning. But if you really can't face it, when you get up and out in the kettle, get it done before you sit down to your first cup of tea, it really is worth it.

[PamFerriswheel]

I know that Greece is in a financially perilous state, but I don't imagine that Ecover washing liquid is going to push it over the edge

[babyinacorner]

I am very houseproud and quite enjoy cleaning and tidying. Every friday i write a list of all the jobs that need doing around the house over the following week then I have the satisfaction of ticking them off the list as I complete them.

I tend to change all the beds every other week, clean the bathroom and loo once a week ( deep clean) but wipe round surfaces and loo cleaner down the loo daily. Hoover daily, iron once a week, laundry every day, dusting and cleaning of glass sometimes weekly but often every other week.

My top tip is to declutter ALL THE TIME. This not only gives the satisfaction of feeling like you have done something but it makes cleaning a lot easier if you don't have loads of clutter and knick knacks etc. i probably take a bag of stuff to the charity shop every other week. I literally look at my shelves and cupboards all the time and weigh up f something is useful or really loved anymore and if not it goes in the bag!

My eco friendly tip is to periodically do a really hot wash with nothing in the machine and put some (about 50ml) white wine vinegar in the drawer to clean your machine.

[Ben10HasFinallyLeftTheBuilding]

I can't clean due to pain but try to keep things tidy as I go along. This never works and we end up with piles of stuff to sort, charity shop ebay etc. I do what I can before the cleaner turns up on Tuesday morning....better go, must start sorting!

[Tiddlyompompom]

I've inherited my mum's attitude to cleaning = don't make mess and you won't have to clean it up!
This however just means I just avoid cleaning and thus suffer from CHAOS = Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome...

My tips, for what they're worth;

Swirl a handful of water around the sink after every use to keep away soapy/toothpasty buildup.

Put used lemon slices in the bottom of stained mugs with a bit of water and leave overnight to get rid of the tannin stains.

Before putting dirty socks in the laundry basket, use them to give nearby surfaces a quick dust.

Open all the windows while hoovering .

I have piles of things 'on the way' to their final destination, so even if they don't get there straight away at least they're all in one place when I pass next!

[gazzalw]

Well we certainly haven't got OCDs about cleaning in this family. Cleaning is a bit of a chore but it can be done in a whirlwind if one of us is in the right mood. Personally we subscribe to the ethos that a little bit of dust/dirt didn't ever do anyone any harm and surprise, surprise we are a very healthy family with few tummy bugs etc....and that's even with a snooty puss thrown into the mix!

Tend to try Aggie and Kim's organic approach to cleaning in this house. Use vinegar for cleaning the windows, toothpaste for getting rid of limescale round the taps and soda crystals to help give an extra whiteness/cleanliness to the washing (and to fulfil the same role as Calgon for a fraction of the cost!)

[latrucha]

I manage the housework like this: I have the everyday jobs like cooking, washing up and wiping surfaces and then for everything else, I do it on a particular day of the week (bathroom Monday, ironing Tuesday etc). I need to do this or I feel a bit defeated, feeling I have to do everything all at once.

When I can, I get the children to join in (they are preschoolers). In the bathroom, or cleaning the kitchen table, I give them a white vinegar spray and tell them where they can't spray ad let them loose.

I wish I could have all the house clean at one time, as you do when you have a cleaner, but it's not going to happen. I try to relax and keep it hygeinic if not spick and span.