cleaning tips

cleaning service    Get rid of stains on clothes cheaply with washing up liquid It's so frustrating to stain clothes with food or drink - and why is it that it always seems to be our favourite outfit? Fear not - all is not lost. Rub washing up liquid directly into the stain and then rinse with water – it works on most fabrics including delicate wool or silk, as long as you do it immediately. Use ketchup to shine your copper pans Copper is having a moment in fashion right now, and copper pans are a gorgeous way to modernise your kitchen. If they get dirty after use, there's a cheap solution hiding in your cupboard. Humble tomato sauce is actually great for cleaning, and will make copper pans shine after a quick rub.      Removes scuffs from wooden furniture with a walnut Have you scuffed your bannisters with the washing basket, or knocked your skirting board removing your shoes? It sounds weird, but a walnut (without a shell) rubbed onto scuffed or scratched wooden furniture, floors or bannisters will work a treat.  Clean your bathroom with vodka Got an unloved bottle of vodka left over from a gathering? If you don’t fancy making cocktails, you can always use it to get your porcelain fixtures shining! Dab some onto a soft cloth and give them a rub.    Stop your airing cupboard smelling with baking soda Do you find that sheets and towels get a bit stale smelling while in storage? Get out the bicarbonate of soda again to stop your linen cupboard smelling musty. Leaving an open box of baking soda inside it will mask any smells.   Remove carpet stains with washing up liquid If you’ve just spilled a glass of wine – or anything staining – on to your carpet, spring into action by dissolving one tablespoon of washing up liquid into two cups of warm water, and blotting the stain until it disappears. Then sponge the carpet with cold water and blot dry.29.    Stop squeaky floorboards with baby powder If you keep waking up your hubby by stepping on creaky floorboards in the night, he'll thank you for trying out this easy trick. Use talcum powder or baby powder to silence noisy wooden floors. Drop some onto the floor and sweep into the cracks, wiping away the excess.    Remove coffee stains with toothpaste Grubby mug? Just like coffee staining on teeth, the answer to your problem is in the bathroom cabinet. Get rid of tea or coffee stains from your favourite cup by rubbing with toothpaste. Then give it a good rinse to make sure your next beverage doesn't taste minty.Use bicarbonate of soda to clean your dishwasher Keeping your dishwasher in good working order will safe you lots of money in the long-term, and it's easy to do. For starters, shake baking soda onto a damp sponge and wipe it around the edges of your dishwasher to remove any food residue.    Great cleaning tip: get grease stains out of clothes with cola If you've got oily food stains on a beloved shirt, it can be saved thanks to an unlikely ally. Add a simple cake of coke into your washing machine along with your detergent and run it on a normal cycle. The acid in the drink will help dissolve tricky stains. .    Clean your toilet stains with Coke And that's not all that this humble soft drink can offer in terms of cleaning. Get a grubby loo back to sparkling white by pouring in a can of cola. Let it sit in the bowl overnight, give it a quick scrub with a brush and then flush the next morning for a great effect.   Pop a lemon in your fridge to keep it smelling nice Why is it that so many of our favourite foods leave our fridge stinking? Cut a lemon in half and put one on the top shelf, one on the bottom shelf, to mask any strong smells in your fridge. .    Get rid of burning smells with salt Burnt your dinner? If the house now smells of burning, just sprinkle some salt over your burnt pans or any food mess to reduce it. Then cut your losses and order a take away!    Clean your pans for free with aluminium foil Tin foil has many uses – for one thing you can use it in place of a scourer. Just scrunch it up into a ball and give pots and pans a scrub. It's a great way to recycle your sandwich wrapping, as well as saving you money.  Sharpen your scissors with tin foil Scissors get blunt so easily, especially if you use them to cut paper or wrap presents. But you don't need to replace them. Just use your scissors to cut up a piece of aluminium foil to sharpen them in an instant.   Remove limescale from your iron with vinegar Keep your iron working well by removing excess limescale. Simply heat it up, unplug it and let it cool a little. Fill the reservoir with one part white  to one part water. Leave it for an hour, then empty and rinse.Seal an envelope with nail varnish If you’ve got a duff envelope that just won’t seal, or you want to reseal a letter that’s been opened, use a blob of nail varnish to stick it back down. Opt for clear nail polish if you don't want it to look strange! We also like to use clear nail varnish to stop ladders spreading in our tights, so it's worth investing in a bottle to keep in the house..    Protect wood or laminate floors with a tennis ball Stop your wooden or laminate floors getting scuffed by chairs or other furniture by cutting tennis balls in half and popping them onto the end of chair, table and sofa legs as floor protectors.