From time to time we all come across problems during our normal cleaning routine, whether you’ve just noticed a stain on the carpet or lime scale on the taps. In these situations, and when a Maid2Clean cleaner isn’t at hand, we’ve compiled a list of cleaning tips for the top 5 most common cleaning nightmares.
#5 – Removing stickers from glass, wood or metal surfaces.
Stickers can come to be on any surface for many reasons, does your glass TV stand have a plethora of stickers on the top or did your child put a sticker of their favourite cartoon character on the dinner table?
The best, most effective way to get rid of these stickers is to first resist peeling them straight off. This will invariably lead to a mess of paper and glue left behind on the surface with no feasible way of removing either. Soak the sticker and immediate area with a damp cloth or sponge. Keep applying pressure for at least 2 minutes and assess how lucid the sticker has become. If you feel it is still firmly stuck on then apply the damp cloth or sponge again for another 2 mintues.
Once you’re happy the sticker has become loose carefully peel off the sticker with your fingers. DO NOT use a knife or other sharp instrument as you risk damaging your surface or inflicting injury on yourself or others. Once you have removed whatever you can apply a damp cloth or sponge again, for another 2 minutes. With the remaining glue or paper left over, use a blunt but soft material, such as a wooden fish slice, to gently scrape away the residue.
#4 – Streaks on your windows
Streaks on glass occur when water residue is smeared onto the surface, trapping dirt within. The theory of obtaining streak free windows is to simply remove all water from the surface. For this you will need a squeegee, a bucket of warm, soapy water and a cloth.
Use the cloth in the water to clean the window completely of all dirt and grime. Using neat washing up liquid can remove any stubborn grease marks left from fingers. Use a dry cloth to dry the window as much as possible, then use the squeegee, rubber side first, to move the spread the water over the surface of the window. This will allow the water to quickly evaporate and leave your windows sparkling clean.
#3 – A blocked sink
The sink that most commonly gets blocked is the kitchen sink. This is due to the nature of material going down the plug, such as grease/fat, other foot items and hairs. Over time these can come to clog and block the sink at numerous places like in the U-bend.
It is advised to employ the services of local professional plumbers to unblock the sink, though, with sinks, prevention is better than cure. Sprinkle a few teaspoons of salt down the drain followed by a rinse of cold water once every few weeks.
#2 – Dirty blinds
Blinds can be a nightmare to clean because of where they are positioned. Dirty blinds can be more than just dusty, and can be equally hard to clean. An easy method to clean blinds is to take them down, if possible. Once you have taken them of their brackets you can use a damp rag or sponge to clean down the blinds.
For those stains that just will not shift you can put your blinds in the bathtub and rinse well with warm soapy water, agitating the water as required. Please note that this should only be performed on materials suitable for hand washing.
And our #1 cleaning nightmare is…
#1 – Red wine stains
Red wine stains can be the most noticeable cleaning nightmare in the home, not only because of it’s bright visuals but also because of it’s pungent smell. Red wine is notoriously difficult to remove, especially from lighter coloured carpets.
Begin by sprinkling salt over the effected area. This will absorb some of the colour from the stain. Once left for a short while (10-15 minutes) brush or hover the salt away and use a biological detergent to remove the rest of the stain.
You can read more of our cleaning tips on our cleaning tips page.Please note: These links are provided purely for information. Please note that Maid2Clean cannot assume any responsibility for these methods. It is up to the reader to determine if any of the hints given are safe and suitable for their own situation.
