It's time for a spring clean, so where better to get some go-to cleaning hacks than from the Queen of Clean, Lynsey Crombie.
See below for Lynsey’s top tips for the key areas you should be focussing on and why.
Lynsey Crombie's cleaning top tips
When it comes to tackling the spring cleaning, think of your house like a cake – start from the top and work down. Choose to do a section each day. If you live with others, involve them, it shouldn’t all rest on your shoulders. Divide the house up into sections and make a plan.
Top tip: have the windows open to make the house cold as this will make you work faster to warm up. Use a ten-track playlist as a timer and choose upbeat music like you’re going on a run. Put your phone on airplane mode so there are no distractions whatsoever.
High contact areas of the home like the kitchen, bathroom and workspace are full of sneaky germ hotspots (the germs on your fingertips can double just after using the toilet!) which usually get forgotten or missed when it comes to the daily wipe down.
As the big spring clean can sometimes feel daunting, these are the go-to target areas to tick off the list first:
1.) Kitchen
2.) Bathroom
TOP TIP: If you’re tackling limescale around the bath, spray undiluted white vinegar on the limescale, leave it for 20 minutes, then wipe it down with a microfibre cloth using just water and the limescale will just wipe away. Chemicals will just mask the problem, they won’t eliminate it.
3.) Workspace
Other cleaning tips
• Laundry - If you hang clothes well, it means less ironing for you! Don’t forget to clean the things that clean you too – make sure you air out your washing machine regularly otherwise the mould that builds up in there will transfer onto your clothes and be as clean or fresh.
• The best cleaning products are in your kitchen - white vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, lemon, ketchup (for rust!), beer, and even things like white shaving foam (an amazing carpet cleaner!) are all fantastic cleaning products. One thing I love to do is put a little bit of white shaving foam on a microfibre cloth then wipe down my bathroom mirrors and leave for a few minutes before buffing. Your mirror will be condensation-free the next day after you’ve had a shower!
• Keep your cloths clean - When it comes to cleaning your cloths and scourers during the spring clean, I often keep a small bucket of water under the sink in the laundry room (with a little detergent in it) and put the microfibre cloths in there after use, then pop them in the washing machine once a week. For multi-use scourers such as the Marigold Scrub Away, put it on the top shelf of your dishwasher and let the steam give it a little spa treatment.
• A little goes a long way - The biggest mistake people make when cleaning is using far too much product and far too many chemicals (too much product will actually make things streaky!) Sometimes all you need is water and a microfibre cloth or mop!
Lynsey's must-have cleaning products
groceries.asda.com
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When washing up, I always wear Marigold Kitchen Gloves (which are 100% recyclable with
groceries.asda.com
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Make sure you use Marigoldu2019s Longer Bathroom gloves when cleaning in the bathroom u2013 these
www.wilko.com
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Marigold Let It Shine! Microfibre Cloths come in four different colours so you can coordinate your
www.sainsburys.co.uk
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Marigold Squeaky Clean is great for any quick damp dusting. Get it wet and it takes on a spongey
www.wilko.com
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My go-to for getting tough stains off pans is Marigold Scrub Away - all you need is warm soapy
www.wilko.com
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For a non-scratch alternative for your non-stick pans, for example, the Marigold Cleaning Me
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The great thing about the Vileda 1-2 Spray Mop is that you can use it for so many different tasks.
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The Vileda Windomatic is not just for windows u2013 try it on splashbacks, mirrored furniture,
For more cleaning tips Lynsey's latest book is available now:
