A cleaning expert has shared the most undesirable places in the home that people never scrub.
Agnes Bouchier-Hayes is a Home Economist and Lecturer in TUS - MidWest. She got down and dirty with Claire Byrne on RTE Radio One to say what items in the house are neglected when it comes to cleaning.
Her best bit of advice is to roll up your sleeves and give them each a deep clean and here's where you should start.
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Dirty mattresses
Smelly sheets are easy to deal with, you can just put them into the washing machine and they’re good as new. But the mattress is a different story.
Agnes told Claire Byrne: "You can lose up to 500 grams of skin cells per annum in the bed. 285ml of water per night is what we would sweat off."
“Mattresses are usually an investment so it’s important to look at the manufacturers care instructions. Some you’ve to turn every six months, if you’ve a memory foam, you mightn’t be able to turn it."
Wheelie bins
This is where most of the dirt in the house goes, but do we clean it as much as we should?
Agnes said: “If you’re using compost bins, some people might use newspaper or compostable bags. It does become smelly.
“The best thing to do is roll up the sleeves, put on a mask, rubber gloves and go out with the hot water. I’d use washing up liquid and bleach. To prevent flies you can use citronella - a natural deterrent for flies.”
Shower head
You just never think of cleaning this one. But Agnes has given some easy tips on how to do it.
She said: “The shower head can be detachable, you can put it in citric acid solution and let it sit. The limescale will disappear. If it doesn’t detach, put the solution into a plastic bag and wrap it around the showerhead with an elastic band.”
Glass screen in shower
It just doesn’t stay clean!
“You can have limescale build-up”, Agnes added. “When I walk into my bathroom, I like to have a nice clean glass, to have it shining. It’s important to clean it so you don’t have that residue build-up.
“There are products for every single job but you can use products like lemon juice, vinegar, bicarb and salt diluted with water and some washing up liquid. If you use a citric acid solution and elbow grease. You can buy citric acid from the chemist.”
Cleaning the drains
We’re all guilty of procrastinating when it comes to cleaning the drains.
Agnes continued: “Take the hair out of the drain. The drains are usually very easy to clean and they’re plastic as well and you can give it a rub with a nail brush. Drain blockers are the best solution. It’s an awful job.
“In your hand wash basin, it’s important to take the click clacks off and scrub them.”
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