It’s very easy for the bedroom to become a clutter zone. Maybe it’s because clothes are put on and taken off here, contents of pockets are removed here, make-up is put on here and jewellery is stored here. There are lots of bits and pieces. It’s why the rule of ‘a place for everything’ is paramount. Jennifer’s father delights in telling the story of when she was about three years old, he’d come home from a long day at the office, collapsed into a chair and taken his shoes off. She firmly pronounced that ‘your shoes should be either on your feet or in the cupboard, not on the floor’. Intuitive speedcleaning!
If you think your cleaning is slow …
THE MAGIC ANNIHILATOR FROM LEE’S PRICELESS RECIPES, 1817
To make one gross of 8 ounce bottles, use 1 gallon of aqua ammonia, 8 gallons of soft water, 3 pounds of white Castile soap and 6 ounces of salt petre. Shave soap, add water, boil until soap has dissolved. Allow to go cold, then add the salt petre slowly stirring thoroughly until dissolved. Now strain. Let the suds settle, skim off the dry suds, add ammonia. Bottle and cork it at once. It will remove all kinds of grease and oil spots from every variety of wearing apparel without injury to the finest silks or laces. It will shampoo like a charm, raising a lather in proportion to the amount of dandruff and grease in your hair. It will clean doorknobs. It will strip paint from a board. It can’t be beaten!
Clutter bucket—to transport displaced items; clothes’ basket—to transport dirty clothes to the laundry; spray bottle—to hold either vinegar or water; vacuum cleaner—to vacuum floors and window sills; damp cloth—to wipe over surfaces; dry cloth—to wipe over surfaces; furniture polish cloth—to wipe over wooden furniture; detergent—cleaning agent; beeswax—to polish; lemon peel—to apply beeswax and deter spiders; methylated spirits—to clean mirrors and windows; lavender oil—fragrance; elastic bands—to secure old T-shirts to broom heads; broom—to clean floors and walls; paper towel—to wipe over surfaces; old T-shirt—to use as a cleaning cloth; rags—to use as cleaning cloths.
With your clutter bucket, clear anything from the room that doesn’t belong there. Then strip the sheets from the bed, collect dirty clothes and leave them in a basket outside the door of the bedroom—you’ll sort them later in the laundry. Dust the ceiling and light fittings with a soft broom or long-handled duster, then dust the walls and paintings, especially along the tops of frames or wall art. Wipe light switches and power points with white vinegar on a cloth. Wipe door jambs with either white vinegar or detergent and water on a cloth adding lavender oil for fragrance. Don’t forget window sills because these are a dust-collecting zone. If a window sill is really grimy, use a small amount of detergent on a damp cloth.
DID YOU KNOW? To remove spider webs, attach an old T-shirt or rag to the wand of your vacuum tube and secure it with an elastic band. Then vacuum the spider webs. Using the rag means the sticky webs will land there rather than get stuck inside the vacuum tube.
How to remove a spider without using insecticide
Find an old ice-cream or takeaway container with a lid. Put the container over the top of the spider then slide the lid underneath so you capture the spider. Then either take the spider outside or flush it down the toilet. If the spider is out of reach, use the bristles of a broom to reach the spider. If the spider’s eyes are facing the bristles, it will climb onto them. If not, it will run away. Allow the spider to climb onto the bristles, then bring the broom down to the floor and put the container over the top of the spider. Slide the lid underneath so that the spider is contained. Release the spider outside or flush it down the toilet.
Remove items, such as the clock radio, tissue boxes and lamps, from bedside tables and chests of drawers. Wipe all surfaces with a cloth tightly wrung out in water, working from the top of the room down. I prefer this to dusting with a dry cloth because it cleans better and traps the dust rather than fluffing it around the room. Polish furniture according to the type of finish it has. For timber surfaces, use a good non-silicone furniture polish with a drop of lavender oil for scent. For laminate finishes, just use a cloth tightly wrung out in water. Then replace items, cleaning them with a damp cloth as you return them.
If you’ve left a glass of water on the timber bedside table and it’s made a water mark, use beeswax applied with lemon peel. To prevent the problem, use a drink coaster.
Don’t forget to wipe a damp cloth over the tops of wardrobes. The dust that gathers here eventually makes its way around the room so it’s important to clean here too. If you have a fan in the room, clean it as part of the speedclean (see page 75).
If paper becomes stuck to a surface, remove it with a little sweet almond oil or any other soft oil. Wipe over it with a rolled-up stocking.
Clean mirrors with methylated spirits and a lint-free cloth, such as an old T-shirt. Dip the cloth in methylated spirits, wring it out tightly, then wipe it over the mirror. It shouldn’t smear, but if it does, rub it with a paper towel. Don’t use paper towel to clean because methylated spirits will break the paper down and leave furry bits on your mirror.
Dust the top and front surface of standing photo frames. Clear jewellery away and wipe dishes.
Vacuum and mop the floor if you have an uncarpeted bedroom. Shake rugs outside, return them to their position and vacuum them. Remake the bed with nice fresh sheets, which is like a full stop for the room. The last thing to do is fluff your pillows before putting on clean pillowcases.
DAILY: If you have a rubbish bin, clean it out each day.
Empty out the clutter bucket and take the washing to the laundry. Add fragrance if you like. I mix my own using 2 drops of detergent and 5 drops of lavender oil in a spray pack of water. You can also use tea tree oil or any of the floral essential oils. Many people like what I call froufrou, or frilly bits, such as doilies. Add to your taste. Make any additions to the master list.
Bedrooms become untidy for three main reasons: clothes, shoes and papers. It’s easy to create a system to deal with these.
DAILY: As soon as you remove your dirty clothes, put them straight into a clothes’ hamper. For clothes you’ll wear again, get into the habit of putting them away in the wardrobe, not leaving them on the floor or letting them pile up on a chair. In fact, if you hang clothes while they’re still warm, they won’t need ironing because the heat will iron out the creases. If there are any stains, deal with them as soon as you can. They’re harder to clean once they’ve set.
If there’s mending to do, such as sewing a hem or replacing a button, do this before you wash. If you don’t, the job will become larger. I have a dedicated sewing basket and mend during the evening while watching TV. If you don’t mend garments yourself, create a pile to take to a professional. Mending services are often available at Laundromats and dry cleaners and can sometimes be found right next door to shops that sell suits.
HINTS FOR BLOKES: Men often drop their clothes on the floor. The way my husband manages to avoid this is to use a very contemporary and stylish valet stand. It’s got a small shelf for socks, a rack for suits and places to keep keys and bits and pieces. It doesn’t take up a lot of room and there’s a place for everything, even a hamper at the bottom for dirty socks.
Deal with shoes in a similar way to clothes: as soon as you take them off, put them away in their designated spot in the wardrobe. If they need to be cleaned put them in the laundry.
For strategies on how to deal with papers, see Study on page 66.
You’ll also save on cleaning time If the bedroom is arranged to maximise airflow. To achieve this, put the bed either between the window and door or between two windows. This allows air to flow across the bed and stops mould growing and that dank, mildewy smell. It helps keeps the air dry. Dust sticks to damp surfaces more easily than dry ones. If you have room under your bed, use it for storage. To cut back on cleaning, use storage containers with lids to prevent dust getting in under the bed. It means less vacuuming and is another way of saving on cleaning time.
Stand wardrobes at least 10 centimetres from the wall so that air can circulate. If you have more than one wardrobe, stand them as far apart as possible to maximise air circulation. If this isn’t possible, stand them right next to each other so you don’t create difficult-to-access dust corridors. Make sure wardrobe doors can be opened completely so you can easily reach inside.
Save time in your bedroom by organising your wardrobe with a system so that clothes are easier to find. You might organise your clothes by size, style, colour, how heavy they are or season. Hang your wardrobe in sections putting similar types of clothes together. All your shirts should be together, for example. Then order the sections by size, putting the longest garments at one end and the shortest at the other end. You can further sort your clothes by colour. One suggestion is to do this by the colours of the rainbow. Then order by sleeve length and seasonal weight. If your item of clothing isn’t in its spot, it’s in the wash. Coat hangers should face away from you because they’re easier to remove, and if the hangers are all facing in the same direction, you can remove more than one item at a time. Store spare hangers at the end of the rod so you don’t waste time searching for them.
DID YOU KNOW? To deter moths, silverfish, dust mites and other insects, place 1 camphor ball, 4 cloves, a head of lavender, a couple of drops of eucalyptus oil and 2 bay leaves in a small muslin bag, tie it, then hang it on the rod in your wardrobe. It will also make your clothes smell fresh and lovely!
There is a perception that drawer liners are very last century, but I think they’re a great protection for clothes. Not only do they deter silverfish and mould, they also keep your clothes smelling fresh. Modern drawers generally aren’t finished well and clothes can catch on splinters or rough plastic lugs. Use liners and you’ll cut back on time spent mending! All you have to do is place them on the bottom of each shelf in your chest of drawers. You can either buy them or make your own.
How to make drawer liners
Buy some acid-free paper from the newsagent. Acid-free paper will prevent yellowing in clothes. Fill a spray bottle with warm water, add 1 tea bag and leave for 3 minutes. Remove the tea bag and add a couple of drops of oil of cloves and some of your favourite perfume, then spray over the paper.
This mixture is particularly good for winter woollens and the tannins from the tea help prevent dust mites. Allow the paper to dry then cut it to size and place it in your drawers. Replace them once a year. You could even match your draw liners to your bedroom’s decoration scheme, as my mother does!
Q: INCIDENT: “My husband is allergic to dust mites,” says Jodi. “Is there any way of getting rid of them?”
SOLUTION: Dust mites hate tannins so the best way to get rid of them is with tea. Place 2 tea bags in a spray pack of water and leave for 5 mintues. Remove the tea bags and then lightly spray the mixture over your mattress and pillows. Do this weekly. Another suggestion is to suck a damp tea bag into the vacuum cleaner before vacuuming. I always keep a damp tea bag nearby and sniff it when allergies hit. It’s a life saver!
DID YOU KNOW? It doesn’t matter how clean you are, you can get bed bugs. They’ve become more of a problem because fewer people like using cockroach bombs plus the formula in insecticide sprays has changed to an attractant. It’s become such a problem that the tourism industry is holding summits on what to do about these tiny creatures that have taken up residence in hostel and hotel beds across the world! Bed bugs are about 3 millimetres long and look like flat leaves. The best way to get rid of them is with a cockroach bomb. If you don’t like chemicals, wipe the bottom of furniture with tea tree oil or oil of pennyroyal. Don’t use oil of pennyroyal if anyone in the house is pregnant.
Wipe it along all the skirting boards and window frames. Wash all your bedding and dry it in the sun. The sun is a great antibacterial, anti-fungal and insecticide. You can also have a mattress commercially sanitised and debugged if needed. The procedure I’ve heard about uses a tea and UV formula. If you’ve been bitten by a bed bug, stop the itching by applying mint tea to the bite. To make mint tea, add 2 teaspoons of dried mint or 3 teaspoons of fresh mint to 1 cup of hot water. Allow the tea to steep for 2 minutes, then strain it. If desperate, you can apply mint sauce, which is made of vinegar, sugar and mint, directly to the itch. But don’t use mint jelly because it’s full of protein and will make the itchiness worse! You could even add mint to your bath water for relief. To stop the bites, rub lavender oil over your entire body before going to bed.
Kill dust mites by putting a tea bag into a spray bottle filled with cold water, let it sit for 3 minutes and then lightly spray it over the mattress. The tannins in tea kill dust mites.
Mosquitoes in the middle of the night
You’re lying in bed, half asleep, when a high-pitched buzzing begins somewhere near your ear. The dreaded mozzie! You start whacking your face in the vain hope of killing it. But if the noise stops, it generally means one thing: you’re being bitten. The best solution is lavender oil. Keep a bottle beside your bed. When you hear buzzing, put a drop on your pillowcase and another drop on your hands, then rub it all over your body and face. A couple of drops is enough for one person. You could even put a couple of drops in a spray bottle of water and spray it over you and the bed before going to sleep. Lavender oil has the triple purpose of keeping mosquitoes away, soothing the bite and assisting with sleep. I’ve even used a novelty spray fan to help deal with the problem.
Another way to save cleaning time in the bedroom is to use pillow protectors. These quilt-like covers equalise the pressure of your head on the pillow and help keep the pillow aerated. They allow more air to flow so your head sweats less and produces less oil, so you’re less likely to get acne because everything stays cleaner. They’ll even keep you warmer in winter, acting like a thermos. The same applies with mattress protectors. More air is able to flow, so there’s less sweat. A mattress is a difficult thing to wash or remove stains from, which is another reason why a mattress protector is a time saver. If you can’t afford a mattress protector or don’t like them, use a pure woollen blanket which can be bought very cheaply and already sanitised from charity stores.
This may seem excessive but it’s a good habit to get into. Strip your bed every day, let it air for at least 2 minutes, then remake the bed with the same sheets. Air pillows once a week either outside in the sun or over a chair near the window. UV is great at killing bacteria. Fluff the pillows up before returning them to the bed. Your bed will feel drier and fresher everyday, not just when you change the sheets. If you can easily fold a pillow in half, it’s time for a new one!
If your child is a constant vomiter, keep a bucket or bowl in their bedroom with fresh towels for instant mop ups. If you catch vomit in a bucket and with a towel, it makes cleaning much easier. You could also use a wastepaper bin with a solid bottom. Do whatever you can to stop vomit getting into the mattress. Rinse the soiled towel first then put it through the washing machine.
Sheets should be washed once a week. Cotton sheets can be washed with washing powder or liquid in hot water. If they have blood or other protein stains, remove the stain with cold water and soap before you wash. Polyester/cotton-blend sheets can also be washed with washing powder or liquid in hot water. If they have blood or other protein stains, remove with cold water and soap before you wash. Flannelette sheets can be washed with washing powder/liquid in hot water. If they have blood or other protein stains, remove with cold water and soap before you wash. Egyptian cotton sheets have a larger thread count so the weave is stronger, finer and smoother. Wash them with washing powder or liquid in hot water. If they have blood or other protein stains, remove stains with cold water and soap before you wash. Linen sheets should be washed with washing powder or liquid in hot water. Satin sheets should be washed in cool water. Hang the sheets over the clothesline so the satin sides rest against each other. Remove the sheets from the line before they’re completely dry and partially fold them. That way you won’t have to iron them. Wash silk sheets with shampoo in blood-heat water and add a little hair conditioner to blood-heat rinse water.
To make your sheets lovely and smooth, use rice-water starch. The next time you boil rice, drain and reserve the water (this obviously doesn’t work if you cook rice by the absorption method!). Then mix 1 cup of the rice-water starch with 2 cups of plain water. Add ½ cup of this mixture to the rinse cycle of the washing machine. Don’t use rice-water starch on satin sheets because it will affect their texture and smoothness. Sleeping on a plastic bag would be more comfortable!
Nail polish
Put a cotton ball behind the stain then soak another cotton ball in acetone (not nail polish remover) and rub it in a circular motion on the front of the stain. Use the dry cotton ball as backing. Work from the outside to the inside of the stain. Keep on doing this until all the colour is removed, replacing the cotton balls as you go. With some nail polish, this process will need to be repeated up to five times.
Coffee
For a new stain, use soap and cold water and rub the stain vigorously, then wash normally. For an old stain, apply glycerine and leave for 10–15 minutes, then put the sheets through the washing machine.
Chocolate
Because chocolate contains protein, you must use cold water. Dampen some soap in cold water, rub over the stain then soak the sheets in cold water. Wash the sheets in the washing machine on a warm or hot cycle. If the fabric is polyester satin, use dry cleaning fluid applied with a cotton ball against the stain and another cotton ball at the back of the stain. Rub in a circular motion working from the outside to the inside of the stain, then wash normally
Blood
Dampen some soap in cold water and rub over the stain. Rub the stain against itself vigorously until it’s removed. You may need to do this a few times. Put the sheets through the washing machine on the cold cycle. An alternative it to soak the stained item in Napisan. If the stain has set, apply glycerine with a cotton ball to either side of the stain, rub in circles from the outside to the inside of the stain until it starts to shift at the edge then wash in Napisan and cold water.
Vomit
Rinse the sheet with water and put it through the washing machine. If the staining is particularly bad, soak in Napisan first then put through the washing machine.
Doonas can be made of goose feathers, wool or synthetics. Wash them twice a year or even more if you sweat a lot. You can tell it’s time for a wash when the fibres are packed down and lumpy or the doona is smelly. Some doonas can be put through the washing machine. Just check the manufacturer’s instructions first. Others, regardless of the filling, can be washed in a bath or a large washing sink. If you don’t have one, try to borrow a friend’s.
As outlined in Spotless, this is my technique for washing a doona. Fill the bath with warm water and half a cap of Woolwash or shampoo for a double bed-sized doona. Lay the doona in the bath then get in yourself and stomp up and down on the doona until you get rid of all the dirt and grime. Empty the bath, fill it again with clean blood-heat water, stomp over it again, then let the water out. For the final rinse, fill the bath again with clean blood-heat water and allow it to soak into the doona.
After you’ve rinsed it, drain the water from the bath and tread on the doona to squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Then take the doona outside and put it on an old sheet. If you don’t have a lawn, place it flat over the top of the clothesline. Leave it to dry for quite some time, then shake it and turn it. You need to do this about three times until it’s almost dry. Then hang it on the clothesline using lots of pegs so you don’t have the stress on any one spot. Unless you already have a stitched ridge, don’t fold it over the line. Instead, peg it by the two outside edges on separate lines so the doona forms a U-shape. This allows air to circulate. When it’s almost completely dry, give it a whack with your hand or an old tennis racquet. This fluffs up the fibres or loosens the feathers and is great for stress relief. Put it inside a clean doona cover to protect it against spills and grime.
If you can’t be bothered washing your doona, at least hang it on the clothesline in the sun to allow the UV rays to kill bacteria.
Blankets
There are several kinds of blankets available these days.
Wash them every six months or when they become dirty. Air and shake them weekly. Wool blankets and mink blankets should be washed with cheap shampoo in blood-heat water and rinsed with cheap hair conditioner and blood-heat water. Polar fleece blankets are made from recycled plastic bags and are best cleaned with washing powder or liquid. Acrylic and cotton blankets can be cleaned with washing powder or liquid. Dry them on the washing line.
Help your children get into good cleaning habits. Keep a dirty clothes’ basket in their room and show them how to use it. Place beds away from the wall so they can tuck the sheets in. Attach labels to drawers with pictures of what’s inside to help them sort their clothes. Use plastic tubs to store toys. Create a specific area to do homework and creative pursuits. Have simple shelving units and lots of them. Keep a big wastepaper bin.
DID YOU KNOW? If you’re having trouble sleeping:
Have a glass of warm milk before you go to bed.
Wash your feet in cold water, dry them, then go to bed.
Put lavender and thyme under your pillow. Lavender rubbed across your forehead will ease a migraine.
Play soothing music very softly.
Add turkey to your diet.
Make sure you’ve got a good pillow. If it’s very old and compacted, it will be full of dust mites and skin cells so get a new one.