Tag Archives: Cleaning

I Used To Be A Cleaner ― This 1 Vacuuming Mistake Is Ruining Your Sleep

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As a former cleaner, I notice the little details (like polished taps and doorknobs, or truly streak-free windows) that show an expert level of cleaning.

You don’t have to be a cleaner to meet those standards; I’ve even had clients whose homes were pro-looking spick and span before I turned up.

Even in those houses, however, an important part of the bedroom was almost always ignored.

Freddie Garnham, Lighting Design Engineer at Dyson, shared that “unseen dust mites, allergens and dust contribute to an unhygienic environment” in our sleeping space in one neglected area in particular.

Which is?

People, you are meant to vacuum your mattress.

It makes sense when you think about it ― you may already vacuum your sofa, but for some reason, mattresses always seem to evade deep cleans.

That’s not a great idea, Garnham says.

“Regularly vacuuming your mattress will ensure a cleaner and more hygienic sleeping environment and a sleep undisturbed by allergies,” he said.

“While the frequency will depend on the mattress itself, it is recommended to be cleaned every six months with bedding changed once a week to keep dust and allergens at bay.”

He’s not alone. Speaking to Ideal Homes, Jane Wilson, manager of Fantastic Cleaners, said: “Regular vacuuming of your mattress can help remove allergens, dust mites, and dirt, contributing to a cleaner and more hygienic sleeping environment.”

She added,“It’s generally safe and beneficial for most types of mattresses. This includes mattresses with materials such as foam, latex, innerspring, hybrid, and memory foam.”

How should I vacuum my mattress?

The good news is that you don’t need a specially designed tool for the task: a plain old Henry or other vacuum will do.

Mattress Online says you should get the nozzle on the bed part and begin “using small circular motions over the entire mattress to make sure you lift all of the dust, dirt, hair and dead skin.

“If you have one, you can also use an upholstery attachment to make vacuuming a little easier, but it’s not essential.”

Once you’ve tried it, we can almost guarantee you’ll never go back.

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Do This 1 Trick Immediately After Using A Sieve To Prevent Stuck-On Food

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Ah, sieves ― they’d be such a handy tool if they weren’t nigh-on impossible to clean.

As someone who tends to be much kinder to “current me” than I am for “future me,” – I still end up using mine about once a day.

It’s perfect for draining pasta (except for the washing). It’s a great way to ensure no lemon seeds end up in the juice (except for the washing). It’s useful for sifting flour, too, except… well, you get the message.

So you can only imagine how relieved I was to find that taking one simple step immediately after using the tool can prevent an awful lot of stuck-on food.

Which is?

Food magazine Bon Appétit wrote that whacking the utensil against your sink as soon after using it as possible is really, really helpful.

“As soon as you finish using your sieve, bang it against the sink,” they shared.

“This helps dislodge some of those smaller pieces that haven’t had time to mush up and settle in.”

They add that you should also soak your sieve in very hot, soapy water for 15 minutes “right away.”

A dash of distilled white vinegar added to the mix can make cleaning it even more effective, the publication says.

However, for both methods, speed is key.

Is that the only hack?

Far from it. In a Reddit thread about the cooking conundrum, site users were full of recommendations.

“I turn it upside down in the sink, and use the sprayer to blast the back side. This usually cleans it pretty well,” one Redditor wrote.

Many advised against letting your sieve rest after use, even for a minute ― more people than I’d expected knew about the “banging it against the sink” trick too (am I the only one this is news to?).

Yet another person suggested using a toothbrush if the debris gets really dire (Bon Appétit reccomends this too).

With all the resentment I’ve built up to that accursed mesh, hitting it against the sink should be easy…

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To Pre-Rinse Or Not To Pre-Rinse? The Age-Old Dishwasher Argument Has Finally Been Settled

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I don’t know about your household, but mine faces the same debate on repeat: should you rinse your dishes before putting them in the dishwasher, or not?

I’d always thought both sides made a valid point ― until I heard from Ian Palmer-Smith, appliance expert at Domestic & General, about the topic.

“One of the biggest dishwasher myths is that you need to rinse items before loading them,” he shared via email.

Here’s his reasons against pre-rinsing, as well as some other dishwasher tips from the pros.

Why shouldn’t you rinse your dishes before placing them in the dishwasher?

Palmer-Smith says that, in short, the practice is just a bit useless: “Pre-rinsing plates is a bit like hand washing your car before taking it to the car wash.”

Then, there’s the added boiler costs of using extra hot water (which, though likely not a huge percentage of your bill, are best avoided if not needed).

“In reality, [rinsing before dishwasher use] uses extra unnecessary hot water and typically won’t improve the results. Modern dishwashers use high temperatures designed to break down stubborn stains with little trouble,” he says.

Of course, that’s not to say you should just lob a loaded plate into your appliance, he adds. Scraping is the way forward, Palmer-Smith says, as too much gunk can clog your machine.

He concedes, however: “If you have a pan with some burnt-on food residue it can be a good idea to give it a soak beforehand.”

Still, it’s bad news for the rinsing regiment.

Dishwashers are more energy-efficient than you might think

In case you think I’m escaping the Dish Debate scot-free, you’re wrong; I’m usually a proponent of hand washing, because I always thought dishwashers used way too much energy.

But according to Palmer-Smith, I’m in the wrong.

“Even without pre-rinsing, dishwashers generally use less hot water than hand washing,” he says (that is, of course, if you have a dishwasher already).

“On average, a dishwasher uses water four times more efficiently than washing by hand so if you are running a load when the appliance is full, this can actually ease your energy bills more than most think,” the appliance pro adds ― and it turns out that science agrees.

Well, that’s a load of stress (literally) off my hands…

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Yes Really – This Is The Truth About Your Washing Up Sponge

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Where would we be without our trusty washing-up sponge? We use it to clean pretty much everything in our kitchen. Despite it being an item we use nearly every day, most of us aren’t changing our sponges as often as we should.

Think about it, when was the last time you swapped your sponge out for a new one? A few weeks ago? Two months ago? Well, I’m sure you’ll run to the shops and get a new one after realising how much bacteria is found in your favourite kitchen item.

A study found that one single sponge could hold up to more bacteria than the number of people living on this planet. Just let that sink in (pardon the pun).

“The sponge is humid and accumulates food residues which are also food for bacteria, leading to rapid growth of bacteria,” Trond Mretr, a research scientist at Nofima, a Norwegian food research institute said.

Though most of the bacteria found are not harmful, others like salmonella can spread from the sponge to kitchen surfaces, our hands and kitchen equipment which could lead to a potential illness.

What was most shocking to the researchers involved in the study was that the number of times the sponge was cleaned did not affect the level of growth of bacteria.

“The way the consumers used their sponges did not matter much regarding growth of bacteria. It is very difficult for consumers to avoid bacterial growth in the sponges as long as the sponges are not replaced daily,” Mretr explains.

Another study published in Scientific Reports in Germany found that different methods of cleaning sponges such as microwaving or cleaning them with boiling water did not actually get rid of all the bacteria found on the sponge.

Experts suggest using a kitchen brush instead of a sponge, as they found that harmful bacteria has a higher chance of survival in sponges than in brushes.

If you do want to keep using your trusty sponge, make sure they’re replaced at least once a week. Happy cleaning.

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No, You Don’t Need To Die To Benefit From Swedish Death Cleaning

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I’ll say it: some mourning processes are absolutely wasted on the dead.

Confessions of lifelong admiration? A chic all-black-clad gathering of your nearest and dearest? I could go for those now, TBH. And now, it seems I have another process to envy (thankfully, it’s appropriate for the living) – Swedish death cleaning.

Swedish what now?

The process, known in Swedish as döstädning, is designed to make it easy for your loved ones to pack away your stuff after you’re gone.

It involves simplifying your life by clearing away your old clutter, with the ultimate aim of chucking out more stuff than you accumulate.

And while cleaning is a big part of the process, Swedish death cleaning is much more of a minimalist exercise in intentionality than it is a weekend-long purge.

The goal is to have a true ‘place’ for everything in your life instead of mindlessly accumulating objects that end up being more of a nuisance than a beloved item (my enormous collection of unread books and I are trying not to feel offended).

The cleaning approach is the topic of Margareta Magnusson’s book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Make Your Loved Ones’ Lives Easier and Your On Life More Pleasant.

She mentions that you should start the system aged around 65, but IMO, it makes too much sense to hold back on.

So, how do I get started?

First of all, there’s no need to get into a decluttering frenzy.

The whole point of death cleaning is to slowly ensure that you’re surrounded only by things that matter to you, so don’t toss the entire contents of your bedside cabinet away in the name of ‘living clean’.

You’ll want to start with the easy (read: massive and annoying) things first.
That mattress you’ve been itching to throw out? The used-once-then-neglected paddleboard you bought during your brief ocean fixation phase? Yeah, those should be the first to go.

After all, Magnusson reckons “Mess is an unnecessary source of irritation” – so the clearing process will be easier if you chuck out the things that annoy you most first.

And you shouldn’t make death cleaning a one-off thing, either. Magnusson says that “Death cleaning is not about dusting or mopping up; it is about a permanent form of organisation that makes your everyday life run more smoothly.”

In other words, a one-off purge won’t cut it.

Don’t forget to include your online clutter, too

It can be tempting to limit your cleaning to the most satisfying, obvious parts of your life, like that crowded mantlepiece or the chaos in your attic.

But when it comes to Swedish death cleaning, ‘clutter’ just means anything that gets in the way more than it enriches your life, and which would be overwhelmingly annoying for someone else to clean up.

And yes, that does include your 5,687 unread emails (number sourced from nowhere in particular *cough cough*).

Remember, it’s about starting to sustainably shed more of life’s excess materials than you gain. So I reckon it’s about time we make a pact to delete three unflattering old selfies and blurred pocket pics for every new one we take, don’t you?

Think about what your extra stuff really means to you and others around you

A core part of Swedish death cleaning is centreing the other people in your life, and then considering how all your belongings affect them.

Of course, this consideration has an incredibly specific application when you’re actually using it for death cleaning – in that case, it’s worth asking yourself if your daughter really has room to store your beloved grandfather clock.

But anyone who’s lived with more than two other people will know how intrusive other people’s accumulations can be. Consider whether or not your unused, spare room-consuming camping gear or cutlery drawer-dominating melon baller is as meaningful to you as it might be annoying to those around you.

And you can keep others in mind when disposing of your items, too. If all this chucking out seems wasteful, remember, it doesn’t need to be – part of Swedish death cleaning is thinking about who might want to use the stuff that isn’t serving you anymore.

In other words, gifting, donating, and selling are part and parcel of the process.

So, fellow hoarders, if you’re also growing weary of your Vague Piles of Indiscriminate Stuff, it might be time for both of us to take a lesson from the Swedes.

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