Lynsey Crombie's summer cleaning masterclass
From smelly bins that have been made worse in the heat, to ant invasions and fruit flies around the kitchen, the summer months can cause havoc in our home! Luckily our Queen of Clean Lynsey Crombie is here to help with her ultimate summer cleaning masterclass.
The top places to clean over the summer months:
Smelly Bins: Add cotton wool balls coated with essential oil.
Shoes: Use tea bags or dry shampoo for hair.
Sink Drains: Try a bicarbonate of soda flush or use a drain snake.
Pet beds: Pop them in the washing machine, air them outside or use a steam cleaner.
Washing Machines: After a cycle has finished, leave the door and drawer open to allow the machine to air dry and run a cleaning cycle every few weeks.
Carpets: With sunlight streaming in through windows, old stains can start to smell, use carpet cleaner and keep on top of stains.
How to remove common summer stains:
Grass stains: On white clothing, use white toothpaste or products such as Vanish OXI Action or Dr Beckmann glowhite which will remove stains, restore and brighten.
Stained socks: If you don't want to use stain removers on socks you can add washing up liquid onto the sole and rub against an old school wash board.
Collar / Sweat Stains: Hair shampoo works well at removing collar stains for sweat and make up. Rub in, leave and then wash as normal. Lemon and bicarbonate of soda make a good scrub for old solid stains. For newer stains spritz with white vinegar before washing.
Fake Tan Stains: Use white vinegar and washing up liquid mixed together, blot but don't rub too much. For fake tan stains on your toilet seat use a magic eraser or a cream cleaner. For your mattress use hydrogen peroxide, a natural bleach.
Suncream: Drench the stain in white vinegar, leave overnight and then rinse with cold water and wash as normal or use a stain remover that acts quickly. Armour me tackles old stains and breaks down enzymes with ease, it's plant based, natural and works on car seats and pushchairs too.