There are many benefits to ensuring that your carpets are kept clean and in good condition. The aesthetic aspect is important to ensure that your carpets look as good as possible. A badly maintained carpet can ruin the look of the whole room, no matter how nice the rest of the décor is. A well [...]

Every day: It’s hard to imagine having the discipline to wipe out the oven after every use, but deep down you know it makes sense – just think about never having to do a huge oven blitz again. Cleaning a dirty oven requires natural materials and elbow grease. The non-caustic method calls for, you guessed [...]

So often victim to ill-placed dribble and bogeys, toys do need adult attention from time to time. Soft toys: Check the label – if they are machine washable, pop them in the machine, in a pillowcase if they are delicate. Non-washable toys can be lightly sponged, then gently dried with a hairdryer. For non-washable toys [...]

The more you drink, the more you spill! Forget salt, it doesn’t do the trick at all. Instead, blot as much as possible with kitchen towel, soak with sparkling or soda water, then blot again. Repeat the process, then sponge with soapy water and blot dry again. From carpets: If stain persists, clean with carpet [...]

Prevent dust getting into your audio-visual equipment’s delicate parts. Every day: TV screens are a magnet to dust – give a passing flick as often as you can with a microfibre cloth. Wiping with a fabric softener sheet will reduce the static charge, too. Every week: Get the vacuum out and suck dust out from [...]

Salad dressing, hand cream, bacon – it all has a habit of spreading itself about. From carpets: Place kitchen towel over the spill and apply a cool iron to the other side to draw the grease up into the paper. Shampoo the carpet. From fabric: Use a pre-wash stain treatment or rub liquid laundry detergent [...]

Mouldy sealant is not a good look but there are ways to keep it fresh and clean. Every day: A quick wipe over sealant with a cloth after a bath won’t take a minute and should stop mildew taking hold. Combat mildew with one of the powerful mildew-tackling products on the market designed specifically for [...]

It’s sometimes hard to remember the worktop has a practical purpose other than making your kitchen look gorgeous – either way stains and spills are not helping.