Ask Mum Now - hints and tips and solutions » Cleaning routines

How to remove smells from washing machines

admin — Mon, 03 May 2010 19:54:09 +0000

I figure that even though we put heaps of really dirty, smelly stuff goes through a washing machine every day, every week, every year – think footy fear, gym socks and towels, mechanics overalls – we expect the washing machine to just keep on keeping on. And they do. But then there comes the day when we wonder why there’s a smell of stale dirty water

If your washing machine has got to this stage, then its time for the baking soda treatment. Its easy really.

Put the washing machine on to the hottest setting and add 1/2 cup baking soda. You can add 1 cup white vinegar at this point if you want to, but the baking soda will work on its own.

Let the washing machine complete a full cycle without any clothes in it, then wipe the inside surface with a clean cloth to remove any residue that has been loosened by the treatment.

Run a cold water cycle to complete the process.

This is called a maintenance cycle and should be run every few months depending on how much washing you have in your household, I would suggest every 3 months if you are doing a big wash of kids clothes every day. For a household of 2-3 adults, once a year would probably do it. It depends on the age of the washing machine as well.

Clean the bathroom without effort

admin — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 21:54:15 +0000

If you hate cleaning the bathroom, then here’s a quick way to do it without thinking about it – well almost. Do it while you’re using the bathroom.

Shower

Give yourself a few extra minutes in the shower to clean it while you’re showering.

Take your bathroom cleaner and cloth into the shower with you and wipe down the walls before or after you’ve cleaned your body.

It only takes a few minutes and you can rinse the walls as you go. You’re already wet so it doesn’t matter if you get sprayed with water as you rinse the shower walls.

Handbasin and vanity unit

On your first visit to the bathroom in the morning, give the basin and vanity a quick whisk over with a cloth.

Once a week (or more if you need to), spray the basin and vanity with bathroom cleaner before you wipe it with the cloth.

Toilet

Give the toilet seat and surrounds a wipe with bathroom cleaner on a cloth, paper towel or a length of toilet paper while you are in the bathroom at some stage of the day. If you have children, you could do this while you are supervising a bath or teeth cleaning.

Floor

Its a bit harder to clean the floor during the day when the bathrom is constantly being used. So maybe its a late at night job when everyone else is in bed.

You could make it a habit to take a wet mop with you on your last visit to the bathroom for the day. When you have finished your ablutions, then spray the floor with bathroom cleaner, whizz the mop around the floor, then put it away as you go to bed.

If you have small boys, you could try Wee Targets to save time on cleaning the floor! Wee Targets are a fun way to encourage small boys to aim straight! They work!! My daughter can vouch for that! Check out Wee Targets in NZ or in Australia

Hey presto – all done!

How to remove soap scum from shower walls and doors

admin — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 04:41:40 +0000

If you have a build up of soap scum on the walls and doors of your shower, it may take a bit of “elbow grease” along with a good household cleaner to get it off. Once it is clean though you can keep it clear with a regular wipe down with baking soda and vinegar cleaner (BSV).

I cleaned the built up soap scum from my glass shower wall with the BSV cleaner. It took a good scrub and about 20 minutes. I kept spraying more BSV until the glass was clear.

Now I admire the glass every time I walk into the bathroom. But I know I need to give it a once over every week to keep it looking like that. Better that though than having to take so long and work so hard again.

Baby steps to a clean and tidy kitchen

admin — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:36:44 +0000

What’s with a shiny sink?

Flylady.net has lots of useful tips on how to have a clean and tidy home without stress. Check out why she thinks it’s important to have a shiny sink.

http://www.flylady.net/pages/FLYingLessons_Shine.asp

Tidy bedrooms

admin — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 06:00:29 +0000

Dealing with dirty clothes

Did your Mum refuse to clean your bedroom when the floor was covered with discarded clothes?

It’s a good idea to get into the habit of picking up all the dirty clothes at the end of each day.

Either wash every day or have a laundry hamper to store the dirty clothes until you have enough for a load.

The number of people you are washing for is one determining factor in how often you wash.

Cleaning checklist

admin — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 23:57:57 +0000

You need to decide how often you want to clean and tidy the house and how you want to organise the tasks.

Here are some ideas for you to consider in your household

Cleaning checklist

Make list of cleaning tasks room by room.

Decide how often these tasks need to be done. For example if there are young children in the house you will want to wash the kitchen floor more often than if you are in a household of adults (mainly because the little ones are more likely to pick up food and other stuff off the floor and put it in the mouth!)

Decide if you want to do the whole house at once or a few tasks each day.

Work out with others in the household who will be responsible for what tasks

Make a checklist of daily, weekly and monthly/seasonal tasks and put the name of the person responsible beside the tasks. (You may want to change the responsibilities from time to time).

Put the checklist on the wall or the fridge door so everyone can see it and knows where it is.

This routine can work in a family situation or for a group of unrelated adults.

If you live on your own, or are the only person who can (or will!) do the household chores, the checklist will still work as a reminder to you. If you put your name against every task, that will also make a point to anyone else living in the house!