How tomake cleaning fun ...andeven glamorous!

Start by giving your tools jolly names. Meet Sharon the Vacuum Cleaner and Dave the Duster

IHAVE such a laugh when I clean. I try to make it as easy and as enjoyable as possible. I’ve nicknamed all my tools and loads of my cleaning products, too, and I’ve even got a wardrobe called Narnia in the garage stuffed with everything I need.

Now, you might think I spend a fortune on posh cleaning products, but I don’t. I love a bargain – or a ‘barg’, as we say in Essex – and when doing a Hinch Haul (aka shopping), I scour high street stores such as Poundstretcher, Savers and Wilko for new things to try.

People may think I’m mad naming my sponges and dusters, but there are so many different types of cloth, it helps me keep track. It all started when I told people how attached I became to the fab yellow cloth I cleaned my sink with. When I joked that I should give it a name, a follower messaged me and said: ‘Mrs Hinch, call it Buddy.’

I did think of it as my buddy and it went on from there, and now I’ve got Dave the Duster, Cliff the Cif and Vera the Vileda mop among others – you’ll meet them all later on. They’re all stored in Narnia – my pride and joy.

It came about because one day, after a Hinch Haul, I couldn’t physically fit the new cleaning products in my cupboard, so I went into my garage and discovered an old wardrobe I’d planned to sell.

My dad put wooden shelves inside so I could put everything in neatly and when my husband Jamie saw it, he said: ‘Oh my God, it’s like Narnia in there.’ The name stuck – it’s a never-ending cupboard of magic.

In my kitchen cupboard, I keep my baskets. One’s my daily basket – full of the cleaning products I use all the time – and the other’s full of stuff I need weekly. They’re perfect because I can carry them around when I’m Hinching.

If you want to come along with me for the ride, here are some things you might need:

THE TOOLS

MINKY ANTI-BACTERIAL CLEANING PAD MY MATE Minkeh – I say it in my dad’s Northern accent – has a special place in my heart. As soon as I tested him on my bath, I fell in love and was soon using him daily – he makes whatever job I’m doing easier and that bit more fun. DISHMATIC I HAVE about ten Derek Dishmatics. They are cleaning sponges with a handle which you can load with detergent. I have one loaded with Fairy Liquid for washing up and one with Flash Bathroom Liquid to scrub my shower tray and tiles. Derek just gets the job done! DUST MOP SLIPPERS I ORDERED them as a joke from eBay because I was always too scared to walk on my kitchen floor after I’d washed it, in case I got footprints on it. While these make me laugh, they do actually work really well to clean the floors too! EXTRA THICK MOPPETS THESE I call Pinkeh, thanks to their pale pink colour (but they also come in green and blue). I use Pinkeh on all worktops, my dining table, leather armchairs and the leather seats in my car. Teamed up with my diluted Zoflora spray, I’m in heaven! HEAVY-DUTY SCRUBBING BRUSH AKA Barry! Basically, they’re bargain, hard-bristled, hand-held brushes. I use these for my rug, and to brush away mud on the carpet – after it’s dried. KNEELING PAD NEIL! He’s actually a gardener’s kneeling pad (£2, Poundstretcher) but is so brilliant to use around the house to save your poor knees when Hinching floors or skirtings. LINT CLOTHES BRUSH MY NAN used to have one and they are genius for picking up any kind of hair – especially pet hair – from the sofa. MINKY M CLOTH GLASS AND WINDOWS THIS green cloth I call Kermit, and he is a wonder. He’s a brilliant buffer on any shiny surface. PLEDGE FLUFFY DUSTER DAVE! Who doesn’t love Dave the Duster? I use him to dust off all of my surfaces before I spray Mr Sheen on them. A strong member of the Hinch family! RUBBER GLOVES ALWAYS wear your Gregorys. I don’t wear them nearly enough, which is a nightmare when you have long nails like I do. SHARK CORDLESS HANDHELD VACUUM CLEANER AKA Shelley. I use her all the time for getting rid of worktop crumbs and giving the car interior a quick Hinch. She may be small but don’t be fooled, she is powerful and convenient. SHARK DUOCLEAN CORDLESS UPRIGHT VACUUM MY SHARON! I’ve had every Hoover going then I tried this and, oh my God, the Hoover lines you get are a thing of beauty. SONICSCRUBBER CLEANING TOOL STEWART’S like an electric toothbrush but battery-operated so you don’t have to worry about recharging him. He is life. He gets into the hard-to-reach places and tricky gaps. SPONTEX MICROFIBRE KITCHEN CLOTHS AWWW, my Buddy (yellow) and Brian (blue). They’re the dream team to shine the sink and remove grease. You can put them in the washing machine again and again and they’ll come up like new. VILEDA 1-2 SPRAY MICROFIBRE FLAT SPRAY MOP MY LOVELY Vera. You fill her up with diluted Zoflora, press the trigger to spray her and off you go! Don’t let Vera go thirsty – no one deserves to be treated that way! VILEDA TURBO MICROFIBRE MOP NAMED after a friend of mine, Trace the Turbo Mop is turbocharged! Fun to use and your floors will shine bright like a diamond. VILEDA WINDOMATIC VACUUM I CALL this Victor. First, I wash windows and doors. Then I let Victor work his magic sucking away the dirty water. No streaks and no annoying droplets left behind.

THE CLEANING THINGS I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT

1001 CARPET FRESH SPRAY MAGIC on rugs and carpets – you can just spray and leave it. A quick and easy daily freshen-up, especially if you have pets. ACE STAIN REMOVER AND COLOUR BRIGHTENER I REALLY rate this – and it’s cheap as chips. Pop a capful in the washing machine drum – simple as that. ARIEL GEL I LOVE this – it has Febreze technology and that’s a game-changer. It works really well and it’s like a reliable old friend.

ASTONISH MOULD AND MILDEW BLASTER COUPLED with Minkeh, this works miracles in the bathroom. My tile grout has never looked so new. ASTONISH OXY ACTIVE PLUS I LOVE this for washing and always put a scoop in the machine. It makes my clothes look so much brighter. ASTONISH SPECIALIST HOB AND COOKTOP CLEANER IT COMES with its own sponge and does a brilliant job of getting off tough stains. ASTONISH WINDOW AND GLASS CLEANER SPRAY I’VE yet to find a glass cleaner that can top this. BAR-KEEPER’S FRIEND AMAZING for stainless steel but make sure you read the instructions because it can try to eat away at your sink if you leave it too long. BICARBONATE OF SODA SO CHEAP to buy and so versatile as it cleans shiny materials without scratching. It’s also a fab deodoriser. BLOO FOAM AROMA POUR a capful down the toilet and your loo will fizz up and smell amazing. Simple. Best left overnight to work its magic. CIF CREAM ORIGINAL WITH MICRO CRYSTALS I REALLY rate this for the hob and sink. I always use it with Minkeh because it makes it more effective and, yes, I find it fun to use. Who can’t resist writing ‘Hinched’ on their cooker in the bubbles? CIF PERFECT FINISH STAINLESS-STEEL SPRAY OH, CLIFF the Cif! I use Cliff and Buddy on my sink every single day without fail. The shine is simply beautiful. CIF POWER AND SHINE MULTI-PURPOSE WIPES THESE are by far my number one must-have wipes. I use them to clean toilets, remote controls, door handles and even shoes. They really add the perfect amount of moist. DETTOL ALL-IN-ONE SPRAY THIS claims to kill flu and cold viruses, so I’m sold. It’s safe to use on pet beds – an all-round must-have. DRI PAK SODA CRYSTALS I GET mine from Morrisons – £1 a bag. I use this to clean plugs, drains and my washing machine. Soda crystals are also ideal for tackling dirt, grease and oil. DR BECKMANN CARPET STAIN REMOVER IT’S the only one. I love it that the brush comes attached to the bottle. Super-easy and quick to use. ELBOW GREASE AKA ELVIS. HE DOES the work so you don’t have to (OK, you still have to do a bit). This multi-purpose cleaner is incredible – I’ve even used it on clothes stains. FLASH ANTI-BACTERIAL FLOOR WIPES IF YOU don’t have time to get out your mop and do your floors, these work wonders. FLASH BATHROOM SPRAY YOU can’t beat this. It breaks down all soap and scum, and the shine is fabulous. I’ve always said if I could wear Flash Bathroom as a perfume, I would… I’m not joking! HARPIC ACTIVE FRESH MOUNTAIN PINE TOILET CLEANER MY ABSOLUTE angel. It’s got a perfect pine scent, which makes me feel Christmassy all year round, and the smell lingers for hours. LENOR SPRING AWAKENING FABRIC CONDITIONER THIS doesn’t irritate my skin and the smell is divine. I also use this diluted with water to wipe down all the painted woodwork in my house. Minkeh joins us on this. LENOR SPRING AWAKENING TUMBLE DRYER SHEETS SUCH a bargain and they’re multitaskers – so I use them for loads of things. They’re anti-static so they’re especially brilliant for picking up pet hair and dust. LENOR UNSTOPPABLES FRESH IN-WASH SCENT BOOSTERS I USE these in every wash, they’re a dream. I also create little scent bags by popping some into an organza bag and hanging them in my car, airing cupboard or wardrobe. I also keep one inside Mr Hinch’s gym bag. No wonder he smells so good! MR SHEEN MULTISURFACE POLISH THIS is a whizz for glass, metal, wood, plastic – anything goes. I use it with yellow a duster classic cloth oldschool (Clarence) and this never lets me down. PINE-SCENTED DISINFECTANT (STARDROPS OR ASTONISH) MY AMAZING Paul the Pine. It’s so cheap and it works so well and smells absolutely amazing. PLEDGE ELECTRONIC WIPES IT SHOCKS me that people still use wet wipes on their TV, which could do it real damage. I’d be devastated if my TV was injured! STARDROPS LEATHER CLEAN AND FEED IT’S a fairly new discovery for me but it’s brilliant and my leather chair laps it up. Best leather cleaner I’ve yet used. THE PINK STUFF THEY call it the miracle cleaning paste and, yes, it is. It’s unreal. I mainly use it on the base of my pots and pans, tile grouting, oven, hob, ceramic sinks and ornaments. It does a cracking job and never lets me down. TOILET DUCK FRESH DISCS IN MARINE I’M NOT going to lie, I really enjoy using the little applicator to stick these on the inside of my toilet because it makes me feel a bit excited when it comes out perfectly round. I’m easily pleased. VIAKAL YOU need this in your life. It’s a magical limescale remover for me and it also leaves a fabulous shine.