Now Christmas and New Year have come and gone, many Brits will be turning their attention to getting their houses back in order. The festive season brings people together over food, drink and presents - but it also creates a whole lot of mess in your home.
While everyone might have tried to be on their best behaviour, there's sure to be a spillage or two waiting to be cleaned up on the counters or carpets. But it shouldn't have to cost the world, or take up too much of your time, to keep a clean and tidy home - and that's exactly what a group of cleaning fans have made possible.
These experts have been sharing their best-kept secrets with homeowners across the UK to make their lives easier in 2023, covering everything from keeping your oven clean, getting stains out of your carpets, and taking the Christmas tree down without battling with fallen needles.
Once a year oven cleaning hack
One woman has shared an ingenious hack to make sure your oven is left sparkling - and she only has to clean it once a year.
The neat tip, which has been shared on TikTok, only involves a few household items and can be all sorted in just a couple of hours.
User Mac, also known as @healthylittlepeach, said: "I'm not going to lie to you all. I'm definitely the type of girl who cleans her oven once a year but when I clean it I've got to clean it."
She then reveals the ingredients for her solution which avoids any nasty chemicals.
The miracle mix contains just half a cup of washing up liquid, one and a half cups of baking soda and three quarters of a cup of white vinegar.
The best bit is this solution can be completely eco-friendly if you look out for a washing up liquid with natural ingredient.
When mixed together the ingredients combine to make a white paste which can work wonders on those grimy oven racks.
Mac said: "I remove the oven rack and add it to a hot tub of water. I soak that with some washing up liquid, some laundry detergent and some baking soda, then let it sit."
While the racks are in soak you can apply the paste to the interior of the oven and that can be left to sit for two hours.
"Then I scrub the mess out of it, this is the hard part. You've got to scrub it. I have a little water bottle of spritz in case it gets crusty," said Mac.
"I take a whole roll of paper towels and wipe it all down. I go to the bathtub and clean those racks, and add them back in."
Then the final part of the cleaning process is to spritz down the outside of the oven using an antibacterial cleaner and a micro-fibre cloth.
Clean a microwave in 30 seconds
But it's not only the oven that works at full capacity at Christmas, as the microwave plays its part too.
One woman revealed that all you need to get the microwave sparkling again is a lemon and a tub of water.
The best bit is this hack also only takes 30 seconds so you can easily do it among your other jobs. Plus, it only costs 40p.
On Boxing Day, a man asked the Mrs Hinch cleaning tips Facebook group: "Best way to clean a microwave please?"
Thankfully, it did not take long for the Mrs Hinch cleaning tipsters to respond and many of them have offered the same advice in the shape of a lemon.
One cleaning fan replied instantly as she said: "Heat up water with lemon juice and let the steam start the process then wipe clean. Easy."
Others also suggested the lemon method while others said that using half of an actual lemon in the water could also do the trick to get your microwave sparkling again.
They advised: "Put half a lemon inside on the glass and turn for 30 seconds. Then wipe with kitchen towel."
The steam generated from the heat of the microwave could also be a valuable method for getting rid of any grime from the machine.
Another added: "It's own steam works best. Dish with lemon sliced in it, microwave on high for five minutes and wipe everything away. Wash the glass turntable in hot soapy water then dry. Job done."
Getting stains out of carpets
When you've got a house full, it's only a matter of time until somebody spills red wine on your crisp, clean carpet - but thankfully, there's an easy way to get it out in under half an hour.
A cleaning expert has shared an inexpensive £1.50 product that can clean any stain out of carpets in as little as 20 minutes.
Sharing the nifty item that will remove any stain, carpet cleaning expert Stan Tomov from Fantastic Cleaners also shared how to rid of foul unpleasant smells.
Explaining how to get the smell of alcohol out of carpets, Stan said: "Spilling your drink during festive celebrations can lead to visible stains on your carpet and a lingering smell of alcohol in the carpet fibres.
"However, there is one simple product that only costs £1.50 and is a food cupboard staple, that can eradicate all unpleasant odours from stains – white vinegar."
He explained: "Simply pour white vinegar into a spray bottle and spray it onto your carpet. Even though the vinegar smell may be strong, it will disappear and absorb the smell of any spilled alcohol.
"Allow time for the vinegar to dry and then repeat the process if the smell hasn't quite cleared up until it's completely gone!"
The expert recommended another method for removing stubborn food stains out of carpets that's equally cheap and only uses two products - warm water and bicarbonate of soda.
However, he explains that there's a crucial step that must be carried out for the tip to work efficiently.
Stan explained: "Snacks are essential for entertaining during the festive period, with cheese, nuts and cold meats all being staples of our Christmas diets, but what happens when food falls onto the carpet?
"Firstly, pick up any excess food. Then, all you need to do is create a simple solution of warm water and bicarbonate of soda and pour it directly onto the food stain. Leave it for about twenty minutes and rinse the area with a damp cloth.
"Use a vacuum cleaner to hoover up any smaller bits of food as a final step to make sure the patch is completely clear.
Freshen up the loo for £1
Keeping a clean and tidy bathroom is vital in reducing the risk of infection and illness.
But one woman has admitted that her battle with limescale in her toilet bowl has been so hard fought that she's been "trying for years" to scrub the bowl clean with little to no results - until now.
She has now revealed that she's found a miracle product that has given her a "clean looking toilet at last", and she only had to spend £1 for a bottle.
In a post on the Mrs Hinch Cleaning Tips group on Facebook, the woman thanked posters before her who had recommended using Harpic Black - also known as Harpic Power Plus - as she said she left the product in her toilet overnight and woke up to a sparkling.
She wrote: "I've been trying for years to get limescale off the bottom of the bowl. I'd tried coke, scrubbing and a ton of bleach. Nothing worked!
"I saw on here to try Harpic Black, I poured the whole bottle down and it left overnight (I scooped as much water as possible out first) and well wow it worked. So happy to have a clean-looking toilet at last! Thanks to all who suggested it!"
Bottles of Harpic Power Plus are available at Poundland for just £1, although local supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda also stock the product for £1.65 and £1.75 respectively.
Taking down the tree
If you opted for a real Christmas tree, then you're going to have to clean up the needles it leaves behind when you take it down.
While there's no escape from them, there is a way to easily clear them up without clogging your vacuum cleaner, causing even more problems when they inevitably get stuck in its hose, bag and filters.
Cleaning expert Emily Barron told The Mirror that one of the easiest ways to clean up fallen pine needles is with the help of one kitchen item that many of us may have at home already - especially if you've been doing any festive baking.
All you need to do is sprinkle baking soda, or bicarbonate of soda, on the floor to cover the pine needles and make them easier to pick up, and then use a broom or a lint roller to pick the pesky needles up.
Once collected, the needles should then be thrown away in the garden bin, and the remaining baking soda can then be vacuumed up, leaving your floors clean once again.
Bicarb is a common ingredient in cooking, but if you need to dash out to buy some, Tesco stocks it for just 59p.
Do you have any cleaning hacks to share? Email paige.freshwater@reachplc.com.
