11 Clever Cleaning Hacks That Will Save You Money!
Penny pinching gurus at NetVoucherCodes.co.uk have researched and revealed 11 top tips for maintaining the house – by using products that double up as cleaning tools.
- Denture cleaning tablets to clean vases
A gorgeous bunch of flowers can brighten up even the most miserable of rooms, but it can leave dirty stains on the bottom and sides of glass vases. To get rid of the stains, simply fill the vase with water and drop in one denture cleaning tablet. When it’s stopped fizzing, the stains and musty smell will have disappeared. You can also use these to spruce up toothbrushes, and even jewellery.
- Alcohol hand gel to get pen off walls
If you’ve got children, chances are you’ve come across pen marks on your walls at some point. You probably tried everything you could think of to scrub them off, before resorting to painting over them altogether, but surprisingly alcohol-based hand gel does just the trick. Squeeze a little bit of gel on to a soft sponge, work it into the pen marks and see them disappear before your eyes.
- Sugar to remove nail polish
Pic: iStockphoto
If you spill nail polish on your floor, quickly sprinkle sugar all over it whilst it’s still wet. The sugar will make the nail polish clump so you can sweep or hoover it up off the floor – no scrubbing needed!
- Hand wash with baby shampoo
Some laundry products, especially delicates like underwear, require you to hand wash them. But instead of shelling out for a box of hand wash powder which you’ll hardly ever use, trying using baby shampoo instead. If it’s gentle enough for your tot, it’ll be gentle enough for your delicate garments, and you can buy baby shampoo for less than 50p.
- Hair dryer to clean radiator
Dust and pet hair often collects on top and behind radiators, and this can be hard to reach without dismantling it altogether. Simply blow your hairdryer back and forth on its highest settings to blow out all of the cobwebs, hairs and dirt.
- Shower squeegee to clean carpet
No matter how much you hoover, the edges and corners of rooms will collect dust where your vacuum cleaner can’t reach, but you can use a cheap shower squeegee to dig it all out. Simply use the end of the squeegee to scrape the dirt out and then pop the dust balls into the bin. You can use the squeegee across carpets more generally, to dig out embedded dust and pet hair.
- Washing up liquid to clean chrome
Pic: iStockphoto
If you find it impossible to keep the chrome surfaces in your kitchen such as the extractor fan and oven grease free, ditch the abrasive chemicals which mark the metal and instead use hot water, a non-scratch cloth and washing up liquid. It sounds too simple to be true, but it really works. Massage a generous amount of washing up liquid on to the surface and allow it to sit for a few minutes. Then use the warm water and cloth to wipe away. If it cuts through the grease on your plates it will do the same on your kitchen surfaces. You can pick up washing up liquid for around 35p and a pack of cloths for about the same.
- Toothpaste and a toothbrush to clean tiles
Pic: iStockphoto
Do you get sick of those hard to remove stains from grout and sealant in the shower and bath? Instead of using a bleach-based spray, try toothpaste and a toothbrush. The fluoride is a much gentler way to remove the stains and leaves the shower and bath sparkling. It’s also great for cleaning around plugholes and taps. A cheap toothpaste will cost you just 25p – or try and get yourself some free samples – and you can pick up some bargain toothbrushes for less than 20p, or simply use your old ones.
- Dishwasher tablet to clean baths
Pic: iStockphoto
A quick and easy way to clean your bath is to fill it with hot water and drop in a dishwasher tablet. The bath is ceramic or plastic, the same as many of your dishes, so it works a treat. After five minutes rinse thoroughly.
- Salt and bicarb soda to clean ovens
If you need an abrasive cleaner to remove hardened food on a cooker or baking dishes, mix equal quantities of salt and bicarbonate soda. Coat the surface or pan, leave to soak in for a bit and then wash away. You can pick up a large tub of bicarbonate soda for just over £1.
- Coffee filters to clean windows
Pic: iStockphoto
You may have heard of using newspapers to clean windows, but this can leave inky smudges. Surprisingly, coffee filters and a little window spray or even clean water work well. This leaves no lint traces and the mesh-like quality of the filter paper catches the dirt without scratching. You can buy 40 coffee filters for around £1.20 and they’ll last for ages.
Moira Chisholm
I'm the Health Editor on My Weekly and am always interested to hear what's new in this fascinating field. I also deal with the gardening, shopping pages, general features, our website content and the Ask Helen problem page. I have a special interest in Christmas content because I'm on the team for Your Best Ever Christmas Magazine, too!
