HAVE A TIDY HOME.. WITHOUT THE HASSLE

Forget having to slave away with spring cleaning, these top tips make doing your windows and skirting boards a breeze

CLEANFLUENCERS have flooded social media with their sparkling homes and hacks to make cleaning your house as easy as possible.

For some, their videos can generate massive views as people learn their expert tips and try them out themselves.

One such cleanfluencer is @HomewithRoo who has 773,000 followers watching her polish and preen her house while giving witty commentary.

Here, she shares the time and effort-saving hacks she makes when tackling her spring clean.

GOODBYE GREASE

Rid your splashbacks of grease and grime with this easy hack. For ceramic, glass or porcelain splashbacks, spray with a mix of equal parts white vinegar and warm water.

The important bit – make a cup of tea while it gets to work. Whatever cleaning solution you use, it can really benefit from being left for five minutes, to reduce the work you need to put in.

Wipe down with hot soapy water and a microfibre cloth.

BRING BACK SINK’S SHINE

If you’ve got limescale on a tap, wrap it in a cloth soaked in white vinegar for at least 15 minutes. Next, using a paste of salt, lemon juice and a sprinkle of bicarb of soda combined with a non scratch scourer, scrub the sink to remove residue.

Unwrap the tap and rinse thoroughly. Finally, grab a dry microfibre cloth – it’s super absorbent and ensures no watermarks are left behind, only a satisfying shine.”

Always use a damp scourer and test first on an inconspicuous area. Do not use harsh chemicals and bleach, dry powder or abrasive detergents.

WOWABLE WINDOWS – JUST WITH WATER

Want to get streak-free windows? Your must-haves are a bucket of warm water and a Marigold Squeaky Clean Flexi Microfibre Cloth, which is ideal for all shiny surfaces and works just with water – no need for chemicals.

Always go frames before panes – you don’t want dirty water dripping on to clean panes – and regularly rinse and wring out your cloth in warm clean water.

For the best results, clean the window panes in Z motion, starting from the top.

And absolutely never wash windows in direct sunlight, as they dry too quickly, leaving smears.

BEST WAY TO DUST

Polish creates a smoother surface that makes it difficult for dust to gather, but this can just lead to dust settling elsewhere. So, the best way is to damp dust – this traps in the dust and stops it from resettling. Use a low linting microfibre cloth. However, if you’re not ready to ditch the polish yet, make your own by mixing together 1/2 tsp of olive oil, 1tsp white vinegar and few drops of washing-up liquid into a spray bottle, top up with water and give it a shake – then take your microfibre cloth and wipe.

EFFORTLESS SKIRTING BOARD CLEANING

Skip getting on your hands and knees to clean your skirting boards. Instead, use the Vileda Spin and Clean mop. Thanks to its 360° movement, the mop head folds up on one side so you can easily clean skirting boards and walls.

LONGER GLOVES FOR BIN DIVES

We all know the Marigold Longer Bathroom Gloves (with their longer cuffs) are great for unwanted contact with the loo – but I highly recommend having a few extra pairs for other jobs that require extra protection… like the dreaded bin clean (because nobody wants an icky bit of bin food attaching itself to their arm!).

For a deep clean, make a paste with some bicarb and water and give your bin a good wipe down, using a durable microfibre cloth.

Wipe off the solution with a damp cloth and, crucially, let the bin dry before you add a bag, so it doesn’t become a breeding ground for bacteria.

An extra tip is to add a sprinkle of bicarb to the bottom of your bin – it really helps eliminate odours.

DRIED ON DIRT

Sticky debris encrusted on your floor?

Make the effort you put in minimal by spot spraying trouble patches with cleaning fluid or a solution of hot water and white vinegar a few minutes before you get your mop out.

By the time you whizz over it with your mop, the microfibre pad will make spotless floors a cinch.

This tip not only saves time, but is more eco-friendly too as you can ditch the disposable wet floor wipes as its washable, reusable pad can be used time and time again.