Christmas clean-up hacks!
From those stubborn burnt pans to red wine spills, our Queen of Clean Lynsey Crombie is back to share some of her favourite Christmas cleaning hacks.
But will she impress our former school cleaner Vernon with her tips?!
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Pan stains
Pop a tea bag in and let sit whilst you are eating your dinner, the tannins in the tea will clean the pan and no scrubbing is needed.
Pop in a dishwasher tablet and leave to soak.
Screw up some tin foil and use it as a scrubber with washing up liquid.
Grease/oil stains
Squeeze a lemon onto the stain and let it set (Lemon juice fights against grease and oils and breaks it down).
Another tip is to cover the stain with brown parcel paper or kitchen roll and then iron over the top to release the grease.
Candle wax
For split table wax which can occur on the carpet, table linen and even on the walls you simply need to cover the wax with kitchen roll or a clean tea towel and then using either your iron or hair dryer, pop on a cool/medium setting and go over. The heated wax then lifts off.
This trick also works on old wax stains which have been there for years.
Chocolate stains
People often find themselves sitting on chocolates over the Christmas period and marking the sofa, the best way to remove squashed ground in chocolates is to use Astonish upholstery stain remover.
If you get to the stain quickly, use washing up liquid mixed with cold water and work from the outside of the stain to the inside using a white cloth so you can see what you are removing.
Lynsey's top tip
If you have lots of guests coming over and want to protect your sofa, chuck some throws over them and then you can wash them when they are gone.
Product:Astonish Premium Carpet and Upholstery Shampoo, £2.99, Robert Dyas
Wine stains
If you want a home-made recipe that you can quickly put together at home then you need hydrogen peroxide and washing up liquid, test an area first to make sure it doesn't discolour your carpet and if it is ok apply and blot and repeat until it has gone.
Products:
Wine No More! Red Wine Stain Remover Spray, £7.99, Lakeland
Muddy footprints
Ensure you buy heavy duty mats this time of year to soak up mud as you come in and if they aren’t machine washable use Dr Beckmann carpet cleaner.
White shaving foam works great on mud removal.
Products:
Dr. Beckmann Carpet Stain Remover, £3.50, Wilko
White shaving foam
Tablecloth stains
Whip off and chuck in the machine with ‘Ace For Whites’. With this product you can apply directly to the stains or add into the fabric conditioner department.
Alternatively you can spray with white vinegar and leave to soak.
Products:
White Vinegar