There’s no good reason why you should trip over a pile of dirty clothes in the middle of the night or breathe in musty fumes from a damp bath towel: the solution is obvious. But what should you do if you accidentally spill your morning cup of tea all over the doona or mark your sheets with biro after writing a report in bed? A clean and stain-free bedroom isn’t hard to achieve and you’ll sleep so much more sweetly.
INCIDENT:‘My granddaughter is devastated. I didn’t notice a small hole in a hot-water bottle and during the night, it slowly leaked. The problem wasn’t so much the watermark but the rubber which transferred to her brand new white quilt cover. What can I do?’
SOLUTION:Stretch the stained part of the quilt cover over the edge of a table or ironing board until it’s taut. Sprinkle a little non-iodised salt over the rubber, roll a pair of damp pantyhose into a ball and vigorously rub over the salt. The salt will stick to the rubber and remove it without damaging the quilt. As for the hot-water bottle, you could patch the hole but it’s only worth it if the rest of the bottle isn’t perishing.
A bed has many functions. In addition to sleep, it’s somewhere to recuperate when you’re ill, a snuggly place to read a good book or, when the kids pile into it, an adventure land of mountains and valleys. As we described in Spotless, your bed will last longer if you use a mattress protector, air your mattress regularly and deal with stains as quickly as possible as they become more difficult to remove once they set. For a quick clean, sprinkle bicarb on the mattress, leave for 20 minutes and vacuum using the brush attachment.
Q: ‘My cream valance has a rust stain from an old wire bed base’, says Ian. ‘How can I get it off?’
| Problem: | Rust on cotton. |
| What to use: | Disposable rubber gloves, CLR/Ranex, cloth, cold water; or non-iodised salt, lemon juice, sunshine or ultraviolet light. |
| How to apply: | Put on rubber gloves, place a little CLR or Ranex on a cloth and wipe over the rust. As soon as the rust starts to bleed into the rest of the fabric, rinse in cold water. If needed, repeat. If you don’t want to use harsh chemicals, put a little mountain of salt over each rust spot and squeeze drops of lemon juice on top – enough to moisten the salt but not collapse it. Leave in the sunshine or under ultraviolet light. Repeat if needed. Dense rust stains can take quite a while to fade. |
Q: ‘I’ve got a 30-year-old cherry-stained bed head’, reports Joan. ‘Is there an easy way to remove scratches from it?’
Q: ‘My parents are about to visit and I wanted to freshen up a mattress used by my teenage son’, says Helen. ‘Any ideas?’
| Problem: | Freshening up a mattress. |
| What to use: | Damp cake of bathroom soap, stiff scrubbing brush, damp cloth, bicarb, tennis racquet/cricket bat, vacuum cleaner. |
| How to apply: | This method has been updated since Spotless. You’ll need to start preparing at least 2 days before you want to use the mattress. Most mattress stains can be removed by rubbing with a damp cake of bathroom soap and scrubbing with a brush. Once the stains are removed, wipe with a damp cloth and then the fun part begins! Sprinkle the mattress with a light dusting of bicarb and use a tennis racquet or cricket bat to whack the mattress—Shannon points out this is a good way for you to release any pent-up anger you may be feeling. Leave the bicarb on the mattress overnight and vacuum using the brush attachment. Flip the mattress and repeat on the other side. |
Q: ‘I’ve got mould in a futon mattress’, reports Bronwyn. ‘How can I get it out?’
| Problem: | Mould in mattress. |
| What to use: | Salt, water, 9 litre bucket, water, old sheet, sunshine, stiff broom. |
| How to apply: | Add 1 kg of salt to a 9 litre bucket of water and stir until the salt dissolves. On a sunny day, take the mattress outside and rest it on an old sheet. Dip a clean broom in the salt solution and scrub into both sides of the mattress. Allow to dry and a salt crust to form. Brush away the salt crust with a broom and the mould will come away as well. |
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If there’s lots of clutter in your bedroom, get a ‘clutter bucket’. Place anything that doesn’t belong in the room in the bucket and sort through it when you have finished cleaning.
Wash sheets each week and dry in sunshine. Spotless and Speedcleaning give instructions on how to remove many common stains on sheets and the chapter on Clothing and Shoes offers further guidance. If you don’t know what a stain is, do a stain diagnosis (use the search feature of your ebook reader to search for ‘stain diagnosis’).
Q: ‘How can I whiten sheets that have yellowed?’ asks Dave.
| Problem: | Yellowed sheets (poly-cotton and cotton). |
| What to use: | Methylated spirits; or NapiSan Plus, water. |
| How to apply: | If the sheets are poly-cotton, dip in methylated spirits and wring out tightly. Wash normally in the washing machine. For 100 per cent cotton sheets, soak overnight in NapiSan Plus and warm to hot water. Wash normally and dry in sunshine. |
It’s easy to spill a cuppa in bed. Fortunately, it’s also easy to whip off the sheets and remove the stain. If you get to the spill right away, wipe with a little glycerine on a cotton ball and wash the sheets on a cold setting in the washing machine. For an old stain, wipe with a little glycerine on a cotton ball followed by a little white spirits on a cotton ball and leave for 10–15 minutes. Wash on a cold setting in the washing machine and dry in sunshine.
Q: ‘What’s the best way to remove bore water stains on sheets?’ asks Jean.
| Problem: | Bore water stains on sheets. |
| What to use: | White vinegar, warm to hot water. |
| How to apply: | Soak the stained areas in white vinegar overnight. Wash normally and dry in sunshine. |
Q: ‘Help me!’ pleads Sheree. ‘I’ve got ointment stains on my sheets. How do I get them out?’
| Problem: | Ointment on sheets. |
| What to use: | Dishwashing liquid, warm water; or tea tree oil, cloth. |
| How to apply: | Most ointments are made with 80 per cent oil and 20 per cent water. To remove oil, put a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid onto your fingers and rub into the stain until it feels like jelly. Rinse in warm water. If this doesn’t work, rub the stain with tea tree oil on a cloth. Wash normally and dry in sunshine. |
Doonas and bedcovers play a big role in a bedroom’s decoration and there are many varieties and styles to choose from. Don’t forget to wash your doona cover and bedcovers regularly and while you’re washing them, hang the doona on the clothesline or out the window to air. (For details on how to wash a doona, see Spotless.)
Q: ‘My 2 year old has put a large amount of liquid foundation on my 100 per cent cotton quilt’, says Erica. ‘I’ve washed it in NapiSan and that didn’t work. What can I do?’
| Problem: | Liquid foundation and NapiSan on cotton. |
| What to use: | Water, white spirits, cloth, dishwashing liquid. |
| How to apply: | NapiSan isn’t the correct solvent and you’ll need to remove that first by rinsing the entire quilt in water before tackling the stain. To remove the colour, wipe over the stained areas with a little white spirits on a cloth until the colour is removed. To remove the oil, put a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid on your fingers and massage into the stain until it feels like jelly. Wash normally and dry in sunshine. |
Q: ‘Our silk doona cover was accidentally washed in the washing machine and has lost its nice feel and softness’, reports Julie. ‘Can we do anything about it?’
Q: ‘I’ve managed to get red Tiger Balm on my new cotton bedspread’, says Sue. ‘Help!’
| Problem: | Red Tiger Balm on cotton. |
| What to use: | Cake of bathroom soap, warm water, tea tree oil, cotton ball. |
| How to apply: | Red Tiger Balm contains beeswax and chilli oil. Dip a cake of bathroom soap in warm water and scrub over the stain. Rinse in water. Wipe with a little tea tree oil on a cotton ball and wash normally. |
Q: ‘My husband has sleep apnoea and uses a special machine to help him sleep’, reports Lucy. ‘What’s the best way to clean the respirator mask and the straps?’
It’s a good idea to use pillow protectors for your pillows. In Spotless we go into detail on how to wash pillows by hand; however, if you have a top loading washing machine, this is another option. Place two pillows in the washing machine so they sit flat around the drum and meet end to end. Allow water to fill the washing machine and rinse right away. Add 1 tablespoon of cheap shampoo and repeat. Rinse again with clean water. Dry pillows flat on a drying rack or on top of the clothesline. If using the clothesline, spread a towel over the top of the clothesline, peg in place and put the pillow on top. To prevent the pillow fibres matting, turn every 2 hours until the centre of the pillow is completely dry.
Q: ‘What’s the easiest way to remove mascara from pillowcases?’ asks Thelma.
Blankets and throws are handy because they’re light, portable and cosy. It’s a good idea to have a variety on hand to choose from, including woollens for the cooler months and cottons the warmer. Wash in cheap shampoo and blood-heat water. If you’re cleaning several at once, fill a bath (if you have one) with 1 teaspoon of cheap shampoo and blood-heat water and stomp up and down over the blankets with your feet. After draining the wash water, rinse in clean blood-heat water. Don’t wring the water from the blankets but press on them with your feet. To prevent wear marks and to help them dry faster, hang them in a U shape across two lines on the clothesline. To prevent water dripping on the floor when going to the clothesline, line a clothes basket with a big plastic garbage bag before adding your just-washed blankets. Once they’re dry, your blankets will be lovely, clean and soft.
Q: ‘Do you have any advice on how to remove cat hair from woollen blankets?’ asks Joan. ‘Mine are covered.’
Q: ‘In winter, I have sheepskin under my sheets’, reports Andy. ‘How should I wash it?’
| Problem: | Washing sheepskin underlay. |
| What to use: | Cheap shampoo, blood-heat water, hairbrush. |
| How to apply: | Place 1 teaspoon of shampoo in a tub of blood-heat water and immerse the sheepskin. Gently massage the sheepskin with your hands as though you were washing your hair. Rinse in blood-heat water. To prevent stiffening, dry slowly in the shade and brush regularly with a hairbrush. |
Chests of drawers and wardrobes come in a range of finishes including french polish, beeswax, polyurethane, laminate, veneer and varnish. Consult Spotless for the best way to clean and care for the different surfaces. Protect the surfaces on chests of drawers with drink coasters. And don’t forget to regularly vacuum inside drawers. To keep moths, silverfish and other nasties away, make a wardrobe sachet (see page 364).
Q: ‘I’ve just bought a second-hand chest of drawers made of oak’, says Susan. ‘But there’s a really strong smell of incense. Can I get rid of it?
| Problem: | Incense smell in drawers. |
| What to use: | Bicarb, tea leaves. |
| How to apply: | Leave 1 opened packet of bicarb and 1 opened packet of regular black tea leaves in each closed drawer for 1 week (you can reuse the same packets for each drawer). The bicarb absorbs smells and the tea releases smells. The smell should take about 1 week to clear. If it doesn’t, repeat. |
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If there’s damp in your wardrobe, tie 6 sticks of white chalk together with string or ribbon and leave inside the wardrobe to absorb moisture. When the chalk sticks are wet, place them in the sun until they dry out. You can use them over and over again. For serious continuous damp, seek professional advice.
Q: ‘A glass of water spilled on my bedside table’, reports Veronica. ‘The water dripped down to the felt pads under the feet of the table and stained the carpet. What do you suggest?’
| Problem: | Felt pad staining on carpet. |
| What to use: | Colour Run Remover: Coloursafe, water, cloth, damp cloth, white vinegar, steamer. |
| How to apply: | This is a dye stain. Mix 1 part Colour Run Remover: Coloursafe with 5 parts water. Wring out a cloth in the mixture and wipe this cloth and a damp cloth hand over hand until the stain is removed. To remove the Colour Run Remover, wipe with a cloth wrung out in white vinegar. Repeat until removed. Remove felt pads from the bedside table with a steamer and replace with new neutral-coloured felt pads. |
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Clean the vents on your clock radio with the vacuum cleaner using the brush attachment. Dust regularly with damp pantyhose. Improve the reception by wiping the end of your aerial with a little white vinegar.
If there’s space in your bedroom, keep a hamper to store dirty clothes. If clothes are really smelly, take them to the laundry right away because a nasty odour in the corner of your bedroom is not conducive to a good night’s sleep. If you don’t have space in your bedroom, nominate a place in the laundry for dirty clothes. Although tempting for some, never leave them in a pile on the floor.
Q: ‘My cedar mirror frame has this white stuff on it’, says Hayden. ‘How do I remove it?’
| Problem: | White markings on timber. |
| What to use: | Damp pantyhose, fine grade sandpaper. |
| How to apply: | This is a bloom caused by salt and timber oil mixing together. If the mirror frame is sealed, remove the marks by scrubbing with a pair of damp pantyhose. Reseal if needed. If it’s not sealed, rub fine grade sandpaper for timber along the grain until the bloom is removed. |
Jewellery that has become dull can be brightened by adding ½ teaspoon of dishwashing liquid to a bucket of warm water. Scrub with an old toothbrush and dry each piece with a clean tea towel or cotton cloth. Don’t wash items in a sink in case the plug comes loose: you don’t want your precious jewellery going down the drain!
Q: ‘I’d like some advice on a safe home-cleaning solution for my platinum, gold and diamond engagement ring’, says Michelle. ‘What do you suggest?’
| Problem: | Dirty platinum, gold and diamond jewellery. |
| What to use: | Bowl, warm water, white vinegar, sable paintbrush. |
| How to apply: | Platinum, gold and diamond jewellery is easy to clean. Fill a bowl with 1 cup of warm water and 1 teaspoon of white vinegar. Dip a sable paintbrush in the solution and gently wipe over the jewellery. |
Q: ‘My wife has a cameo brooch made of ivory’, reports Roy. ‘It’s gone a deep yellow colour. Can it be restored to the original white?’
| Problem: | Yellowed ivory. |
| What to use: | Sweet almond oil, talcum powder, cotton bud, damp cotton bud. |
| How to apply: | Ivory yellows with age and you can’t make it white again. Clean by mixing sweet almond oil and talcum powder to form a paste the consistency of runny cream and apply with a cotton bud. Polish off immediately with a damp cotton bud. |
Q: ‘My antique silver chain is tarnished’, says Pat. ‘What can I do?’
| Problem: | Tarnished silver. |
| What to use: | Bicarb, white vinegar, cloth. |
| How to apply: | Sprinkle a little bicarb over the tarnished area followed by a little white vinegar over the top. As it fizzes, rub with a cloth and the tarnish will come away. Buff with a cloth. |
