Here’s how to get your home ready for Christmas with some very useful tips on cleaning.
Get your shower screen sparkling, ready for your visitors
Mix bicarbonate of soda and a little clear vinegar to a consistency of a paste and apply using a nylon scourer. Leave for ten minutes and wash clean. Use a squeegee to wipe dry and buff with a clean dry cloth.
Get your furniture shiny and smelling nice too
In a spray bottle mix two parts olive oil to one part lemon juice and spray around the house on all your wooden furniture. Not only does it smell good it leaves your furniture with a lovely shine.
Get your oven gleaming before the turkey goes in
Turn your oven on to maximum and place an oven proof dish filled with water inside to loosen the grease and burnt on food. Leave for half an hour and then let oven cool ready for cleaning. To make a cleaning paste for your oven mix together equal amounts of borax, bicarbonate of soda, salt and warm water. Apply with a damp sponge and scrub with a nylon scourer. Leave for a few hours and then rinse clean with warm water.
Easy cleaning for your lovely table silverware
Line a plastic bowl with tin foil and fill with hot water, then add a handful of soda crystals. Submerge your silverware in the hot liquid and leave for no more than ten minutes (make sure each item is in contact with foil). You will be amazed at how quick the tarnish vanishes. No good for stainless steel as it may stain.
Give your dishwasher a clean and freshen up
Run a cupful of clear vinegar through a cycle whilst the machine is empty. It will remove the grime and grease leaving it with a fresh smell. Whilst you’re at it remove the filter in the bottom and wash parts in warm soapy water. Clean inside the machine too.
Sparkly clean wine glasses
Wash one at a time in hot soapy water and rinse, placing them on the draining board to dry off. Using a clean dry cloth buff each one to a sparkle.
How to deal with that every Christmas occurrence of spilt red wine on your light coloured carpet
Keep lots of soda water to hand along with a load of kitchen role at all those Christmas parties. When that spillage happens, firstly mop up with kitchen role soak area with soda water and press kitchen role on it, repeat until stain has vanished.
How to combat the smell of smoke if you or your visitors are smokers
Before the event, sprinkle bicarbonate of soda on your lounge suite and on the carpet, leave for a few hours and vacuum up. Also place around the room some little bowls with bicarbonate of soda in them and a few drops of your favourite essential oils, Christmas smelling ones for example such as clove, citrus or ginger.