If you’re not spilling stuff on your floors or walls then you’re not living. Kids running around, friends over for coffee or a Sunday barbecue, pets traipsing muck over the house … this is the stuff of life and, like life, it’s messy. Wine will be spilled, greasy sausages will be dropped and wax will drip. However, you can fix all these problems and never have to cry over spilt milk again.
| Incident: | ‘I was cooking some chips in the oven and thought I’d been very clever putting some baking paper down first to collect the fat. After we’d eaten, I bunched the baking paper up and transported it to the bin. But I obviously didn’t close off all the corners because when I turned around, I discovered a trail of oil drips right across my carpet. I’ve tried to clean it with bicarb, commercial cleaners, a hot iron and dry-cleaning fluid. Nothing has worked!’ |
| Solution: | Fill a bucket with cold water and enough detergent to generate a sudsy mix. Then apply the suds to the stain and scrub with an old toothbrush. Use as little water as possible. Then dry the spot with a paper towel or Slurpex, a chamois-like sponge block. Allow it to dry out and repeat the process until the stain has cleared. Detergent helps break down fats and brings them to the surface. |
Floors are probably the most susceptible part of the house to dirt, spills and stains. One of my tricks if someone’s about to visit and my hard floors are looking a bit dirty is to damp an old T-shirt in water, wrap it around a broom head and run it over the floor. For regular cleaning, always vacuum or sweep before you mop.
Before you throw your old tea leaves out, lightly scatter them over your sealed timber floors! Yes, tea is a great way to clean them. Just make sure the tea leaves are damp, not wet. Then vacuum them up immediately. It’s a tip I learned from my grandmother who loved drinking tea as well. You can use tea bags instead by tying them behind your broom and then sweeping. After vacuuming, add a couple of drops of your favourite essential oil (I use lavender) to a bucket of water and wipe the floor with a mop. If you don’t want to use tea leaves or bags, clean with ½ cup of vinegar per bucket of water. If the timber is unsealed, sprinkle bicarb then splash vinegar over the top. Scrub, then rinse with water.
To clean old urine stains on wood, use sugar soap. You may also need to repaint the wood or top up the varnish.
| Problem: | Squeaky floorboards. |
| What to use: | Talcum powder, wax. |
| How to apply: | The squeakiness is usually caused by the boards rubbing together. Dust the floor with talcum powder, which will work its way between the boards and create a barrier. Then wax normally. I discovered this living in a house where all the floorboards were squeaky except the ones in the bathroom where talcum powder was scattered. I scattered talcum powder in the other rooms and they stopped squeaking, great discovery! |
Q: ‘I’ve got double-sided carpet tape on my floorboards,’ says Diana. ‘When I try to remove it, it lifts the varnish as well. What can I do?’
One house I lived in had Spanish tiles with dark-coloured cement grout. Every time I cleaned, the edge of the tiles used to smear with dirt. That’s because the previous owners never cleaned the grout and it had collected layers of dirt and grime. I recommend using a plastic scourer (not a steel one) for this task. Simply stand on it and rub the scourer backwards and forwards over the grout.
To clean tiles, sprinkle with bicarb then splash vinegar and mop the floor. Then rinse with hot water. The vinegar may cause the room to smell a bit like a salad but this will dissipate and has the added benefit of making the floor non-slip.
To seal terracotta tiles or unglazed Spanish quarry tiles, mix 1 part Aquadhere to 20 parts water, mop it over the surface and leave it to dry completely. It should take between one and four hours to dry, depending on the weather. The seal will last for about three months.
Q: ‘I’ve got a mop with a metal head and it’s darkened my tiles,’ reports Bill. ‘Is there a solution?’
Q: Kerry’s family had big plans to build their dream home. ‘We bought a block of land in a valley and built a makeshift shed to live in while we constructed the main house. Time went by and we didn’t end up building the house but decided to stay in the shed and do it up instead. But we’ve been living in it for eleven years and the concrete slab has become really dirty. How can we clean the slab before we put some tiles down?’
| Problem: | Dirty concrete floor. |
| What to use: | Bicarb, vinegar, stiff brush or stiff broom, mop. |
| How to apply: | Sprinkle bicarb over the surface, splash vinegar over the bicarb, then scrub with a stiff brush or stiff broom. Rinse with warm water and a mop. If it’s really dirty you may need to do this a few times. |
Buy the best quality carpet you can afford because the better the quality, the less wear and tear you’ll get. One of my sisters bought cheap carpet and she had to replace it after five years. It’s just not worth it. Vacuum once a week, although this will vary depending on the amount of traffic and dirt the carpet gets. I’d suggest using a carpet cleaner every three months. After spraying the foam over the carpet, scrub it with a broom head wrapped in an old clean white T-shirt. Leave it to dry for about an hour, then vacuum. Doing this fairly regularly means your carpet never gets dirty enough to need a steam clean.
I like to clean woven carpet by scattering bran across the top of it and scrubbing with a dry broom. Then vacuum. If the carpet is particularly grimy, damp bran with vinegar to form a clumpy, but not wet, mix and scatter it over the carpet. Then scrub with a broom before vacuuming.
To freshen up dingy carpets, make up a spray bottle containing 1 part bicarb to 3 parts vinegar and 5 parts water. Spray the carpet then sponge it, but don’t go overboard and soak it. Sprinkling bicarb on the carpet before vacuuming is a good general carpet freshener, but won’t necessarily clean stains. These will have to be spot cleaned.
Never put an iron on carpet. It will leave scorch marks on natural carpets and melt nylon or polyester ones. I discovered this when my ironing board broke and I put some sheets on the carpet to iron. The iron penetrated all those layers and left a nasty singe mark.
I get a great sense of satisfaction from vacuuming. I love it. But to do it properly, you need to know about your machine. Did you know there are other attachments for the vacuum cleaner? Find them inside the cover of the vacuum cleaner or in a separate bag. These other brushes and nozzles will change the way you vacuum. It’ll be as though you had one hand tied behind your back all that time. These are the components of the vacuum cleaner and what they do.
Work from the top of the room to the bottom of the room. Begin vacuuming with the brush head and remove cobwebs from the ceiling. Then clean the tops of things such as wardrobes, picture rails, dado rails, skirting boards, light fittings, window frames and sills, and so on. Then change to the corner nozzle. Go around the skirting boards and floors vacuuming corners and edges. Then attach the main head and clean under furniture first then the main areas. Start in one corner of the room and move diagonally across. Vacuuming diagonally puts less stress on the carpet fibres and leaves fewer marks. Just before you finish vacuuming, spray and suck up some insecticide into the cleaner to kill anything that might have landed in the bag. You could also apply no more than 2 drops of oil of pennyroyal on a tissue and suck it into the bag – but not if you are pregnant!
If you’re allergic to dust mites, suck a couple of damp tea bags into the vacuum cleaner bag before you start cleaning.
To find something small on the carpet, use your vacuum cleaner! Put a T-shirt between the head and the pole, vacuum the area and the item will stick to the T-shirt rather than going through to the bag. If you’ve dropped a packet of pins, needles or paper clips on the floor, attach a plastic magnetic strip across your broom or vacuum cleaner head with sticky tape. It’ll pick them all up.
To clean the vacuum cleaner, vacuum inside the barrel and all the attachments, and clean the outside with a damp cloth. Wash the head in a mild detergent solution but make sure to dry it well so it doesn’t rust.
Q: ‘We have an elderly dog,’ says Annie, ‘and he’s losing it a little bit. The other day he did a big poop in the hallway and walked it up and down the wool Berber carpet. What can we do?’
Q: ‘We’ve got some lilies sitting on a table in the lounge room,’ says Mike, ‘and the stamens have fallen off onto our white Berber carpet leaving a yellow stain. Can we get it out?’
| Problem: | Pollen stain on carpet/fabrics. |
| What to use: | Kerosene, cotton balls, methylated spirits, paper towel; plastic bag. |
| How to apply: | If the stain has set, damp it with kerosene applied with a cotton ball. Then damp the stain with methylated spirits applied with a cotton ball. Dry with a paper towel before repeating. Do this until the colour is removed. Some pollens will be easy to remove, others will need several attempts. To avoid the problem, I suggest you remove the stamens before putting your flowers on display. The best way to do this is by putting a plastic bag over your hand and pulling the stamens off into the plastic bag. Then wrap the bag over itself and throw it in the bin. That way your hands won’t come into contact with the stamens. |
Q: ‘Our five-year-old was playing with nail polish and got a massive blob on the carpet,’ reports Craig. ‘Of course, it’s right in the middle of the room. Is there a solution?’
| Problem: | Glue or nail polish stain on carpet. |
| What to use: | Fine-toothed metal nit comb, tissue, cotton balls, acetone, hairdryer, cloth, methylated spirits; or superglue-removing liquids. |
| How to apply: | This is a time-consuming and difficult task. Wrap a fine-toothed metal nit comb in a tissue so the teeth come through the tissue. Don’t use a plastic comb because the acetone will melt it. Place the comb at an angle to the base of the carpet and wedge it underneath the stain. Dip a cotton ball in acetone and rub it over the top of the stain with the comb underneath. Work the stain row by row, using a clean cotton ball for each row. Acetone can affect carpet so make sure it doesn’t penetrate the base. Replace the tissue if it’s wet. This process is slow and may need to be repeated a few times. If it’s an epoxy resin stain, warm it first with a hairdryer. Then dip a cloth in boiling water, wring it and lay it over the stain until the cloth starts to cool. Then pinch and pull the cloth to remove as much of the resin as possible. Repeat this a few times before using the acetone. To get rid of the smell of acetone, use methylated spirits and water. You can use acetone to remove superglue from carpet but it takes a long time. Try superglue-removing liquids for a quicker result. |
Q: ‘The other day, my son decided to help with the vacuuming,’ says Rick, ‘and he managed to suck up some lipstick which got stuck in the bristle of the cleaner head. Now there’s lipstick all over the carpet. What can we do?’
| Problem: | Lipstick stain on carpet. |
| What to use: | Dry-cleaning fluid, cotton ball, bicarb, vacuum cleaner. |
| How to apply: | Use dry-cleaning fluid applied with a cotton ball to soften the colour of the lipstick stain. Then sprinkle bicarb over the stain. Then vacuum. |
| Problem: | Fruit stain on carpet. |
| What to use: | White cloth, vinegar, glycerine, cotton ball or old toothbrush, talcum powder, vacuum cleaner, carpet cleaner or Napisan Oxygen, paper towel. |
| How to apply: | Make sure the carpet is colourfast*. For stains from fruits that go brown such as apricots, kiwifruit, apples, bananas and so on, put glycerine on the stain with a cotton ball or old toothbrush and sprinkle talcum powder over the top of it. Vacuum. Then use a carpet cleaner. Vacuum again. An alternative to carpet cleaner is a paste of water and Napisan Oxygen on the stain for a few minutes. Wipe it off, rinse and dry with a paper towel, leave the carpet to dry, then vacuum. * To test for colourfastness, soak a white cloth in vinegar and apply to part of the carpet not on display. If any colour comes off, it’s not colourfast and you may have to patch the carpet. How to do this is explained in ‘How to patch carpet’ . To locate this tip, please use the search feature of your ebook reader. |
Q: ‘The kids spilled orange juice all over the carpet,’ says Tina. ‘How can I get it out?’
| Problem: | Orange juice stain on carpet. |
| What to use: | Carpet cleaner, cloth, lemon juice, ultraviolet light, cardboard. |
| How to apply: | For fresh orange juice stains apply carpet cleaner. If the stain has set, wipe a cloth dipped in lemon juice over the stain before applying carpet cleaner. Then bleach it with sunlight. If you can’t get the stain into the sun, hire an ultraviolet lamp. Protect the unstained part of the carpet with cardboard, cutting a hole around the stain. If you don’t, the unstained carpet will bleach as well. Leave the lamp on the stain for up to 24 hours, checking every two hours. Don’t look into the ultraviolet light because it could damage your eyes. |
Q: ‘I tried to get an orange juice spill out of the carpet with washing detergent and warm water,’ reports Lynn, ‘and now the stain has set and gone rusty. I need help!’
Q: ‘One of the kids spilled lemonade on our dark-pink carpet some time ago and we can’t shift it,’ complains Michael. ‘Do you have a suggestion?’
| Problem: | Old lemonade/sugar stain on carpet. |
| What to use: | Glycerine, cotton ball, sponge or cloth, bicarb, nylon brush, clean white cloth, vinegar; or detergent, water, nylon brush, paper towel. |
| How to apply: | A sugar stain is very difficult to remove because it seeps right into the back of the carpet. For old stains, apply some glycerine to the stain with a cotton ball, and leave for a few minutes. Then wipe it off with a sponge or cloth. Sprinkle bicarb over the stain and scrub it in with a nylon brush. Then soak a clean white cloth in vinegar, wring it out and place it over the bicarb. Stand on the cloth so it absorbs the bicarb and stain. You may need to repeat this a few times. If the stain still doesn’t shift, mix detergent and water to create a sudsy mix and scrub the suds into it with a nylon brush. Then place a paper towel over the spot to absorb the stain. You may need to repeat this a few times as well. |
Q: ‘Our house was broken into,’ says Robyn. ‘The police came and collected fingerprints, but they left all this black powder on the carpet and I don’t know how to get it off. I rang the police and they didn’t know either!’
| Problem: | Black ink stain on carpet. |
| What to use: | Milk, cloth, detergent, lemon juice; or dry-cleaning fluid, cotton ball, talcum powder, vacuum cleaner. |
| How to apply: | The black powder is ink-based. Rot some milk in the sun (the time it takes will vary) and rub the solids into the stain with a cloth. Leave for a few minutes then wash with a little detergent, lemon juice and water. An alternative is dry-cleaning fluid applied with a cotton ball. Then sprinkle some talcum powder to absorb the dry-cleaning fluid. Vacuum. |
Q: ‘Our puppy chewed a red biro pen and got ink all over our white carpet,’ says Bob. ‘What should we do?’
Q: ‘I dye my own hair,’ says Chrissie. ‘Usually I do it in the bathroom, but this time I was in the bedroom and I dropped some on the carpet. How do you get it out?’
| Problem: | Hair dye stain on carpet. |
| What to use: | Hairspray, carpet cleaner; or dry-cleaning fluid, cotton balls. |
| How to apply: | If you can get to the stain right away, use hairspray. Let it dry then treat with carpet cleaner. If you don’t get to it immediately, put dry-cleaning fluid onto a cotton ball and wipe it over the stain. Then wipe with a clean cotton ball. Repeat until it’s removed. |
Q: ‘I’m in big trouble,’ admits John. ‘I dropped a full plate of spaghetti bolognese on beige carpet and a white cotton sofa. It’s a part of the house where eating usually isn’t permitted. Can I be redeemed?’
Q: ‘I was enjoying a beer on a very hot day but spilled some on our white carpet,’ says Ross. ‘I did it yesterday and the added complication is it’s dark beer. What should I do?’
| Problem: | Dark beer stain on the carpet. |
| What to use: | Vinegar, paper towel, detergent, cold water, old toothbrush. |
| How to apply: | Because the stain is a day old, damp it with vinegar and blot it with paper towel. You’ll absorb even more of the stain if you roll the paper towel into a ball and stand on it. Then add detergent to cold water to generate a sudsy mix and spread the suds over the stain with an old toothbrush. Use as little water as possible. Let it dry and repeat the process until it’s clean. For a new stain, remove as much of the beer as possible with a paper towel then mix detergent with cold water and apply the suds to the stain. |
Q: ‘I had some friends over to watch a DVD and one of them dropped red wine on the carpet,’ says Steven. ‘What’s the best way to get it out?’
| Problem: | New red-wine stain on carpet. |
| What to use: | Bicarb, vacuum cleaner, vinegar, nylon brush. |
| How to apply: | Cover the stain with a good amount of bicarb and let dry for a few seconds. Then vacuum and re-apply a smaller amount of bicarb, add a little vinegar and scrub with a nylon brush. Leave it to dry, then vacuum. |
| Problem: | Old red-wine stain on carpet. |
| What to use: | Cloth, vinegar; or methylated spirits, cloth. |
| How to apply: | Damp the stain with a cloth dipped in vinegar. If the stain doesn’t come out, lightly damp it with methylated spirits on a cloth. |
| Problem: | Boot polish stains and scuff marks on carpet. |
| What to use: | Eucalyptus oil, cotton balls; or dry-cleaning fluid. |
| How to apply: | Rub eucalyptus oil over the spot with a cotton ball. An alternative is dry-cleaning fluid applied with a cotton ball. |
| Problem: | Candle wax stain on carpet. |
| What to use: | Ice, blunt knife, metal comb, paper towel, hairdryer. |
| How to apply: | Put ice on the wax to harden it then scrape as much away as possible with a blunt knife. Wedge a metal comb underneath the wax and put a paper towel on top of the wax. Then use a hairdryer over it. The paper towel will absorb the wax. Repeat until all the wax is removed. Never use an iron on carpet as it can char natural fibres or melt synthetic fibres. |
Q: ‘My two-year-old wanted to help me bring the shopping in,’ reports Megan. ‘So I gave her a carton of cream which she dropped on a green rug. It’s created a white shadow and really smells. What can I do?’
| Problem: | Cream stain on rug/carpet. |
| What to use: | Detergent, old toothbrush, paper towel; or dry-cleaning fluid, cotton ball, talcum powder, vacuum cleaner, carpet cleaner. |
| How to apply: | Attack the proteins first. Mix enough detergent in cold water to generate a sudsy mix and apply just the suds to the stain with an old toothbrush. Then dry with paper towel. Remove the fats with detergent suds mixed in hot water. Apply the suds only to the stain with an old toothbrush, then dry with a paper towel. An alternative is dry-cleaning fluid applied with a cotton ball. Sprinkle talcum powder over the dry-cleaning fluid to absorb it. Then vacuum. To get rid of the smell, use carpet cleaner. |
| Problem: | Old coffee and tea stains on the carpet |
| What to use: | Glycerine, cotton ball, sponge, white vinegar, bicarb, vacuum cleaner. |
| How to apply: | Apply glycerine to the stain with a cotton ball. Leave for 5 minutes then damp sponge the stain with white vinegar. Sprinkle with bicarb then vacuum when dry. |
Q: ‘What can you do about old vomit stains in the carpet?’ asks Maryann.
Q: ‘My wife opened a tube of foundation make-up and dropped it all over our white wool carpet,’ reports Brian. ‘Is there a way to get it out?’
| Problem: | Make-up on carpet. |
| What to use: | Detergent, old toothbrush, paper towel, carpet cleaner; or lemon juice or ultraviolet light, cardboard. |
| How to apply: | Work out if the make-up has oil in it first. If it contains oil, clean that out by mixing detergent in cold water and applying just the suds to the stain with an old toothbrush. Dry with a paper towel. Then clean the area with carpet cleaner. Sunlight will bleach the stain. If you can’t get the carpet into the sun, apply some lemon juice to the stain or hire an ultraviolet light. Protect the unstained part of the carpet by covering it with cardboard or it will bleach as well. Leave the ultraviolet light on the stain for up to 24 hours, checking it every two hours. Don’t look into the ultraviolet light because it could damage your eyes. |
Q: ‘I’ve got some ingrained chewing gum in my carpet,’ says Mary. ‘I’d love to get rid of the awful stuff. What do you suggest?’
| Problem: | Chewing gum on carpet. |
| What to use: | Ice, knife or scissors or ice-cream stick, cotton bud, dry-cleaning fluid, eucalyptus oil or tea-tree oil, tissues, vacuum cleaner. |
| How to apply: | Put ice on the chewing gum to harden it. Then cut out the hardened gum with a knife, scissors or an ice-cream stick. Once you’ve removed as much chewing gum as you can, dip a cotton bud in dry-cleaning fluid and slowly work over the chewing gum. Then apply eucalyptus oil or tea-tree oil to the gum and rub the area in circles with a tissue. Then vacuum. |
| Problem: | Singe/burn on carpet. |
| What to use: | White cloth, vinegar, 3 per cent hydrogen peroxide, damp cloth, scissors. |
| How to apply: | Test the carpet for colourfastness first. Do this by soaking a white cloth in vinegar and applying it to a part of the carpet not on display. If any colour comes off, it’s not colourfast. If it is colourfast, cut a cloth to the size of the burn and dip it in 3 per cent hydrogen peroxide. Then lay it over the mark for two minutes. Rinse with a damp cloth. If the burn is very bad or the carpet isn’t colourfast, clip the surface of the wool with scissors or patch it. How to do this is explained in ‘How to patch carpet’ on page 120. |
Q: ‘It’s a rather sad story,’ warns Bronwyn. ‘My husband and I went away for the weekend and left the three teenage boys at home. The dog had an accident on the carpet and one of the boys cleaned it with the first thing he found in the cupboard, which was tile cleaner. He sprayed it on the carpet and now there’s half an acre of brown on the carpet. What can I do?’
| Problem: | Tile cleaner sprayed on carpet. |
| What to do: | Patch the carpet. |
Cut around damaged part of the carpet into a manageable shape with a Stanley knife. Find a piece of the carpet (perhaps some leftover or cut from somewhere little seen, such as from inside a cupboard) a little larger than the stained area. Make sure the pattern is in the same direction. Then make a paper template of the stained area and transfer this to the piece of patch carpet. Cut the patch carpet around the template with a sharp knife. You’ll need some carpet tape, which is available from carpet manufacturers, dealers and some supermarkets. Attach the tape under the edges of the damaged carpet so that the adhesive side is facing upwards. Make sure that half of the tape is under the old carpet and the other half is exposed in the hole. Then press the patch carpet into the hole, sticking it to the exposed half of the tape. Brush the carpet in both directions until the fibres line up on the edges. Stand on the area for five minutes to make sure it sticks well. Then place a book on top of the patch for 24 hours.
Rugs are handy for high-traffic areas and if you have children. The less dirt a rug or mat accumulates, the longer it will last. And, unlike carpet, you can take it outside and give it a good whack.
To take care of an Oriental rug, give it a vacuum, then wrap a hair brush in an old T-shirt that’s been soaked in a small amount of hair conditioner and warm water. Brush the rug with this until it’s damp but not wet. This will keep the fibres soft. Once you’ve finished, use the hairbrush again, without the T-shirt, to fluff the fibres up. Then vacuum again. The number of times you’ll need to do this will depend on how much traffic the rug gets. If it has a lot of feet tramping over it, do this every two months. Your rugs are less likely to absorb stains if you scotchguard them after cleaning.
| Problem: | Rug/mat edge is lifting. |
| What to use: | Rubber mesh or wire claw. |
| How to apply: | One option is to place a rubber mesh on the back of the rug or mat. Another option is to attach a wire claw to the edge of the rug to help keep it flat. Both are available from carpet manufacturers. |
Sisal is best cleaned by sweeping. Never use wet cleaners on it. I find the best cleaning method is mixing bran and vinegar until clumpy but not wet. Scatter it over the sisal and sweep backwards and forwards, then vacuum. Bran acts as a scourer and absorbent.
This type of flooring attracts insects so vacuum regularly. To deter bugs, apply no more than 2 drops of oil of pennyroyal and suck it into the vacuum cleaner before cleaning. Never use oil of pennyroyal if you or your pets are pregnant. You can also leave mint bags in the corner of the room to deter bugs. Use a mixture of bran and vinegar to clean as described with sisal.
Linoleum, or lino, is formed by coating hessian or canvas with linseed oil. Developments with plastics mean there are now numerous variations on the lino theme. Clean by sprinkling bicarb over the surface, then splashing vinegar on top and mopping. Then rinse with hot water and leave to dry.
Q: ‘I’ve got large marks from a ballpoint pen on my lino floor,’ reports Julie. ‘How do I get it off?’
| Problem: | Ink/ballpoint pen stain on linoleum. |
| What to use: | Cotton bud, dry-cleaning fluid; or milk, old toothbrush; or kerosene, cotton ball. |
| How to apply: | Dip a cotton bud in dry-cleaning fluid and wipe it over the biro marks. You could also rot some milk in the sun. Scrub the solids into the stain with an old toothbrush, then wash out. If the ink is red, and the flooring is lino, apply kerosene with a cotton ball. Those with vinyl or self-levelling plastics will have to live with the red. It’s impossible to move! |
One of my tricks if the house is a bit untidy and visitors are about to arrive is to wipe the doorjambs with lavender oil. The smell creates an impression of cleanliness and also keeps insects away! Clean doors every couple of months or when they become grubby. If the door has a high polish or laminate finish, clean with detergent and water. If it has a French polish finish, use a good quality, non-silicone furniture polish. Wipe greasy hand marks with a damp cloth. Door handles made of chrome, brass or glass should be cleaned with bicarb and vinegar on one sponge.
If your door squeaks, rub the hinges with soap. If the door lock is jammed or stiff, use a graphite puffer either into the hole of the lock or in the slots around the edge of the lock tongue. If the door is sticking and you can’t work out where to sand it, rub chalk down the doorframe, shut the door and the chalk will transfer to the part of the jamb that needs sanding.
Have you ever broken a key in a lock? To repair it yourself, you need some superglue—which is hopefully on the same side of the locked door as you are! Put a very small amount of superglue on the broken edge of the key in your hand and line it up very carefully with the broken edge in the lock. Do not get glue on the lock itself. Connect the head and shaft of the key and hold it carefully for 3 minutes. Then gradually ease the broken piece out. Avoid twisting the key when pulling it out. Make sure you have a replacement key cut!
Lamps illuminate a room and are generally responsible for creating the mood as well. It’s a big ask! Light shades made of fabric should be dry cleaned or cleaned with carpet cleaner. Once the carpet cleaner has dried, use the brush head on your vacuum cleaner to remove it. Make sure the brush is clean first or you’ll create more mess. Glass light shades should be cleaned in warm water. Clean brass and metal arms with a good quality brass polish. And make sure you don’t get cleaning product in the electrical fittings. To cut down on bugs, spray the tops of light shades with surface insecticide spray.
Every time you change a light bulb, clean the other light bulbs with a cloth and they’ll shine brighter. To prevent halogen lights corroding, wipe the connection on the bulb with a cloth once a week.
| Problem: | Broken light bulb in the light socket. |
| What to use: | Rubber gloves, carrot. |
| How to apply: | Make sure the light is off and that you’re wearing some rubber gloves. Get a carrot, cut the top off and jam the carrot base into the light bulb socket. Then twist or turn and remove. Make sure you remove any small pieces of broken glass before putting in a new light bulb. |
They’re beautiful and decadent and difficult to clean. However, the task of cleaning is made a little easier with the product Crystal Clear. Turn the light off at the switch and put a sheet or towel underneath the chandelier of a size suitable to cover the entire drip line. Using a ladder so you can reach the chandelier comfortably, remove the light bulbs and put a small plastic bag over each of the fittings so you don’t get moisture in the electrics. Dust the tops of the chandelier with a soft brush then spray a generous amount of Crystal Clear until the chandelier is damp and starting to drip. The dirt and dust will run off. If it’s been a while since you last cleaned it, you may need to apply Crystal Clear again. When the chandelier is completely dry, clean and return the light bulbs.
It’s inevitable that you’ll get marks on the walls, especially in high-traffic areas or if you have little people with grubby hands who use the wall as a convenient support. Be careful using commercial products to clean marks because most have an alcohol base that can break down the paint surface and leave a bleached shiny spot. Clean your walls every couple of weeks either with a broom or vacuum cleaner. Put an old T-shirt over the top of the broom or vacuum to prevent bristle marks. Some dirty marks will come off with a good pencil eraser. You could also try rolling brown bread into a ball and rubbing it against the wall. If these don’t work, try a very diluted solution of sugar soap applied with a soft cloth. Wring the cloth tightly before applying. For build-up around switches, apply vinegar and water sparingly with a sponge. To avoid drip lines, start cleaning from the bottom and work your way up, drying as you go. To prevent spider webs on the ceiling and wall edges, put a small drop of lemon oil on your cobweb brush. Spiders don’t like lemons.
| Problem: | Crayon marks on the wall. |
| What to use: | Cotton ball, dry-cleaning fluid, soft brush, clean cloth. |
| How to apply: | Damp a cotton ball in dry-cleaning fluid and wipe over the mark. Then brush the mark gently with a soft brush. Blot the rest with a clean cloth. Always work from the outside to the inside of the mark. |
| Problem: | Double-sided tape on the wall. |
| What to use: | Detergent, clean fabric, clingwrap; or hairdryer, cloth, dry-cleaning fluid, cotton bud. |
| How to apply: | Add a little detergent to boiling water, wet some clean fabric in it, wring it out and place it over the tape. Then put clingwrap over the top of the fabric and leave until the heat penetrates the glue. You should be able to lift the edge of the tape with your fingers when it’s ready. Never use a knife because you can tear the paint on the wall. Alternatively, heat the adhesive with a hairdryer, then rub a piece of cloth over it and peel away. The remaining adhesive can be removed with dry-cleaning fluid on a cotton bud. |
You may be a sandwich short at lunch because of this. A slice of fresh bread rubbed over wallpaper is a great way to clean it. The kind of bread you use will depend on the colour of the wallpaper. Brown bread is more abrasive but may transfer colour to light walls.
Q: ‘I’ve got three boys under the age of ten and, one day, they decided to plaster the wallpaper with peanut butter, jam and margarine,’ says Jane. ‘It’s a disaster!’
| Problem: | Peanut butter, jam, margarine on wallpaper. |
| What to use: | Detergent, paper towel, damp cloth. |
| How to apply: | Do not use water. Put detergent onto a paper towel and wipe it over the wallpaper. The detergent will break down the fats in the food. You’ll need to do this several times. Then wipe with a damp cloth. |
Look after your paintings just in case the one you inherited from Uncle Harry is worth a fortune. Even if you don’t have a hidden treasure, care should still be taken looking after them.
Acrylic paintings can be cleaned with a damp cloth.
To remove residue and dust from oil paintings, clean with stale urine, salt and potato. Yes, you did read stale urine! Collect 1 litre of female urine and leave it in the sun for a week. It will reduce to ½ litre. Then add 1 tablespoon of salt and 2 tablespoons of raw grated potato to it. Allow the mixture to sit for half an hour. Damp a cloth in the mixture, wring it and then wipe over the painting. Then damp a clean cloth in water and wipe the painting gently. Pat it dry. You can also rub brown bread over the painting to clean it. For any serious cleaning problems, see a restorer.
Water colours should be cleaned by a professional.
Never use alcohol-based cleaners such as methylated spirits or turpentine on gilded frames. Most gilding is covered with a layer of shellac and alcohol-based cleaners will compromise it. Instead, dust the frame with a hairdryer on the cool setting. This should be enough to clean it, but if dirt remains, wipe a damp cloth over the frame and then dry it with a soft cloth.
Clean glass with methylated spirits and a cloth. But be careful not to get methylated spirits around the edges or it could seep into the print. Polycarbonate should only be cleaned with a damp cloth. Clean metal and timber as you would furniture. Clean plastic with glycerine
Protect paintings by spraying a cloth with surface insecticide spray and wiping it over the back of picture frames. Don’t touch the painting, just the frames.
Mirrors can be cleaned with methylated spirits but be careful of edges, particularly with gilded frames. Rather than buying a new mirror, which can be very expensive, find a lovely old second-hand frame and see a glazier who will supply, cut and fit a mirror to size very cheaply.
| Problem: | Flaked or chipped gilding. |
| What to use: | Soft cloth, Gilder’s Size and Gilder’s Gold Dust. |
| How to apply: | Clear any dust with a soft cloth then paint the bare section with a thin coat of Gilder’s Size. Allow it to dry until it’s tacky then dust with Gilder’s Gold Dust, which is very fine gold dust. Brush off any excess. |
The best way to clean glass windows is with methylated spirits and water in a spray pack. Spray the solution on the window then polish the glass with a paper towel. When cleaning windows, always use vertical stripes on the outside and horizontal stripes on the inside. That way you can tell which side a smudge is on. The vertical stripes should be on the outside because that’s the way rain falls, and any horizontal lines catch moisture and dust and leave grimy lines. Vertical lines allow the dirt to run away, leaving windows looking cleaner for longer. Don’t use newspaper to clean windows. They used to be good when the ink contained lamp black, but today’s newspapers use rubber-based ink, which leaves a smear. Use paper towels instead.
Every time you vacuum the floor, vacuum the windowsills as well. Then wipe them with a mixture of 1 cup of vinegar to 1 bucket of water. Keep putty in good condition by wiping a small amount of linseed oil over it twice a year if the putty is unpainted. If the putty is painted, make sure it’s painted all the way to the glass otherwise the putty will allow oil to smear out over the glass. To help prevent rubber seals perishing, wipe them with vinegar and water. Never poke at silicone because if you break the seal it becomes exposed and mildew can grow. Clean it with water.
Clean marble windowsills with bicarb and 1 part vinegar to 5 parts water. Then polish with cera wax. To inhibit mildew, add 1 drop of oil of cloves to half a cup of cera wax.
For sandstone windowsills, clean with bicarb and vinegar. Inhibit mildew by adding oil of cloves to hot rinse water.
Clean painted timber windowsills with vinegar and water. If they’re varnished, clean with a good quality, non-silicone furniture polish. Wipe unsealed cedar with a good quality furniture oil which will continue to feed the timber. If it’s gone grey, wipe it with a wet tea bag, then allow it to dry before oiling it.
Rubbing a cake of soap along the window frame and sashes will allow the window to move more smoothly.
Someone living on a busy road will have to clean their curtains more often than someone living in a sleepy hollow. Hand wash or dry clean curtains according to the instructions. After washing coloured curtains, hang them upside down so the colour doesn’t run. Don’t dry them in direct sunlight or they’ll bleach.
To clean chintz and cretonne curtains, place a cup of bran in a saucepan with 1 litre of water and slowly bring it to the boil. Let it simmer for a few minutes and then strain it. Combine the strained liquid with an equal amount of lukewarm water. Dip the curtains and then hang them straight. This will clean and stiffen the fabric. If you need to replace the sheen on chintz or cretonne, use a combination of 1 part glycerine, 1 part egg white and 20 parts water in a spray pack. Spray it on the front surface of the fabric then use a warm iron. Don’t use this on muslin, net or fine lace.
Velvet curtains should be cleaned with bran in either a muslin or silk bag. Rub the bag over the tufts.
When ironing curtains, always iron top to bottom. This will keep the top edges straight and the curtains will hang better. If you don’t want to iron the curtains rehang them slightly damp and allow them to dry in fresh air. Just make sure the windows are clean or you’ll have dirty curtains again.
| Problem: | Yellowed nylon curtains. |
| What to use: | Washing powder, methylated spirits. |
| How to apply: | Wash the curtains with washing powder in the washing machine and add ½ cup of methylated spirits to the rinse cycle. Then hang them on the washing line until they’re almost dry before hanging them back on the rod to fully dry. Never put nylon in the dryer. |
Q: ‘My cat sprayed on my new curtains,’ says Chris. ‘The smell is awful and there’s a slight stain.’
Don’t throw your old kitchen tongs out. They can be recycled and reinvented as venetian blind cleaners. Glue some sponge to both inside edges of the tongs and leave to set. Then place the tongs over the top and bottom of each blind, pinch the tongs together and run them along. The sponge can be wet or dry. To clean the cords, use a mixture of vinegar and water and apply with a sponge. Start from the top and wipe down so the liquid soaks into the cord. The second time you do this, squeeze the moisture from the cord. You may have to do this a few times to remove all the dirt.
To thoroughly clean venetian blinds, take them down and lie them outside. Fill a bucket with a mild detergent solution and then, with a broom, wash the venetians backwards and forwards, shutting one side and then the other. Hang them on the clothesline and wash them down with a hose. Leave to dry.
Wooden blinds and shutters can be dusted in the same way as venetian blinds—with those old tongs! You can also clean them by putting on some white gloves and running your fingers along the top and bottom of the slats. The only problem is your fingers may become sore if there are a lot of blinds to clean.
The hoisting mechanism of Roman blinds is complicated and delicate so have them cleaned professionally.
Q: ‘I had a bee swarm in my house,’ reports Sally. ‘The bees dumped their nectar load all over the Roman blinds. Can I clean them?’
| Problem: | Bee nectar on blinds. |
| What to use: | Napisan Oxygen, plate, cloth. |
| How to apply: | Mix Napisan Oxygen with water on a plate, damp a cloth in it, wring it out and spot clean the nectar spots. Leave to dry. |
| Problem: | Insect droppings on blinds. |
| What to use: | Bucket, detergent, cloth. |
| How to apply: | Fill a bucket with water and enough detergent to generate a sudsy mix. Apply the suds to the stains with a damp cloth. |
| Problem: | Food splattered on blinds. |
| What to use: | Bucket, detergent, cloth. |
| How to apply: | Fill a bucket with water and enough detergent to generate a sudsy mix. Apply the suds to the stains with a damp cloth. |
If you don’t look after leadlights they could become brittle and your window will rattle. Clean windows first with whiting and a bristle brush. Then pack blacking, which is a kind of linseed putty, underneath the edges of the leads or cames like glue. Use an old boot brush to rub the blacking in until there is an excess of blacking oozing out of the cames. Leave it to dry for two hours. Then clean by sprinkling whiting over each pane of glass and over the cames. Scrub with a brush until it’s all cleaned. Never use excessive force or you’ll stretch the leads. I recommend you have leadlights cleaned by a professional leadlighter every five years.
Don’t use this technique with Tiffany lamps because they are made of copper and are very fragile. These must be cleaned by a professional.
I moved into a house where the ceiling was drooping so much it looked like clouds. It had got that way because a couple of the tiles were loose and water had penetrated. But it was such a beautiful ceiling that I decided to salvage it. After asking around, I learned that hessian bags could do the trick. First, use a ceiling jack to lift and flatten the ceiling. Then soak the bags in resin. Climb into the ceiling cavity and place the bags over the wooden beams so that half the bag is resting on one side of the plaster and the other half on the other side. The resin in the hessian sticks to the ceiling plaster and, when it dries, draws up the plaster and stays hard. This is much cheaper than putting in a new ceiling!
To protect the wiring in your ceiling, paint it with creosote. Rats like to eat wiring and this will keep them away.
Q: ‘We got rid of some rats,’ reports Richard, ‘but they left urine stains in the ceiling. What should we do?’
Q: ‘I can’t stand the smell of naphthalene flakes,’ reports Rebecca. ‘I’ve put the flakes around to deter a rat at my place. Is there any way to get rid of the smell?’
| Problem: | Smell of naphthalene flakes. |
| What to use: | Lemon thyme. |
| How to apply: | Sprinkle some lemon thyme wherever the naphthalene was placed. The better way to deter rats is with snake poo, as explained below! |
When I lived in the bush, some mice took up residence in my house. After a while, I noticed they’d disappeared. A few months later, I saw a massive snake sliding from the ceiling, thankfully outside the house. Its length was the height of the building. Then the mice came back. I mentioned this to a neighbour who told me snakes deter mice. So the solution for mice is either to have a snake in the house or, more pleasantly, scatter some snake poo inside the ceiling or under the house. The poo is a small pellet, doesn’t smell and should last for about twelve months. Ask your local reptile park for some.
