Spring clean your living room - revamp your lounge!

Cleaning your living room can breathe new life into your home!Of all the rooms in the house that seem to get dirty quickly, none gets filthier than the living room. Everyone dumps their stuff in there, people walk through and before you know it the focal point of your home is an absolute mess!

Spring cleaning your living room really will turn it back into a room that you and your family can enjoy. But it's not an easy task, and can take a good few hours to do properly.

If you're keen and ready, here's how to do it:

STAGE 1: DECLUTTER

• Place all items that don't belong in the living room in a large crate and put aside.
• Purge living room belongings - what do you actually use? Donate the rest to charity.
• If your dining table is in the living room, place the chairs elsewhere - this will give you more room.
• Remove cushions and place elsewhere.
• Take down paintings and photos.

STAGE 2: DRAPERIES, CURTAINS AND WINDOWS

• Take down curtains and draperies and dry clean or wash at home, as per manufacturer's instructions.
• Clean around curtain poles and blinds to ensure all dirt has been removed.
• Clean windows both inside and out. An old toothbrush can be used to clean gaps and crevices.

STAGE 3: CLEAN THE CEILING FAN

• If you've got one, you probably know how much dust it attracts. Give it a good dust, followed by a clean with bactericidal products, to ensure it's germ-free.

STAGE 4: CLEAN OUT CHAIRS AND SOFAS

• Check down the arms of sofas to ensure you don't lose any money (or keys!) in the hoover.
• Use hoover attachments to get in the nooks and crannies of your sofa.
• If you've rented a carpet cleaner, use the upholstery attachment to make your sofas look like new.
• If there are individual stubborn marks, use an upholstery spot cleaner, although as with all products test on an inconspicuous area first.

STAGE 5: CLEAN FURNITURE

• This can be a mammoth task so start early.
• Remove all items from furniture, dust down and store in a separate room.
• Clean out furniture using your bactericidal cleaner and allow to dry.
• Replace items.

STAGE 6: CLEAN LAMPS, BOOKS AND ORNAMENTS

• Books get especially dusty - you may want to clean them outside.
• Be careful with sentimental or fragile ornaments.
• Lamps can be cleaned easily with a small hoover attachment, although open the vent to decrease the flow if the lamp is made of fabric.

STAGE 7: CLEAN ELECTRONICS

• If you haven't cleaned your electronic equipment for a while, such as TVs or HI-FIs, they're likely to be very dusty and dirty.
• Unplug all cables and check for wear and tear.
• Using a soft cloth and cleaner, wipe down all equipment including the inside of TV cabinets.
• Use a gentle cleaner on screens and LCD displays as these can be sensitive.

STAGE 8: CLEAN CARPETS AND FLOORS

• Vacuum carpets and floors thoroughly. Do it again to make sure you've picked everything up.
• Shampoo carpets: you can hire a professional firm to do this or rent a unit yourself.
• Mop down hard floors with a dedicated product to remove marks and kill germs.

STAGE 9: DUST PAINTINGS AND PHOTOS AND REPLACE

• Be careful with original paintings or those on canvas.
• Now is a good time to re-tighten screws and fixtures.

HANDY TIPS:

• Spring cleaning gives you a great excuse to change stuff around a bit and give your living room a bit of a makeover. Research shows that regular changes help keep us happy, so why not move your sofa to the other side of the room?
• Enlist the help of a friend, put on some music and arrange some bubbly for after - who said cleaning couldn't be fun?

If you'd like any more tips on spring cleaning your living room, just post in the comments and we'll respond!

Minimise the spread of germs

Reduce the impact of dangerous germs in your home with our handy guideWith all the press coverage on swine flu, you'd think we'd all be experts at minimising germs being spread around. But sometimes it's easy to forget, in the bustle of modern life, to take the simple steps that protect you and your family from germs that cause disease and illness.

Follow our handy tips and your home will be as germ-free as it can possibly be:

• Wash your hands - after going to the toilet, before preparing or eating food, after touching an animal, after covering a sneeze or cough, after touching unbroken skin or blood, after blowing your nose. Hands must be washed properly with plenty of soap and water. Children who wash their hands hastily can be told to sing 'Happy Birthday' twice in their heads to ensure they do the job properly! You may also wish to use a hand sanitiser.
• Avoid contact with ill people - This can be difficult when a child or partner is ill. Wash hands after coming into contact with an ill person and ensure sheets are washed and windows open to minimise germs being harboured.
• Separate personal hygiene products - Never share toothbrushes or combs, and make sure items of clothing - particularly hats - are worn by one person only.
• Ventilate the house - Germs thrive in stuffy, warm environments. Make sure your house benefits from open windows to allow air to circulate.
• Clean computer keyboards - Keyboards often carry more germs that toilets. Learn how to clean a keyboard and then make sure yours is cleaned regularly to avoid family members becoming infected.
• Clean surfaces with bactericidal products - If you want to kill germs you need a cleaner that will actually kill germs. Bactericidal products can kill up to 99% of bacteria to ensure you eliminate germs from your home and don't just spread them about.

Good luck on your way to a germ-free home! If you'd like more advice, please post in the comments below or give Click Cleaning a call on 0845 680 1955.

HG Hagesan - full cleaning functionality at affordable prices

HG Hagesan Grout Cleaner - power and persistance to ensure your grout shinesHG Hagesan produce a range of cleaning products that aim to tackle all household cleaning tasks effectively and quickly. From bespoke leather cleaners to daily ceramic hob cleaner you'll find a unique blend of powerful products that won't fail to stand up to your own scrutiny.

HG Hagesan products are a smart choice for all houshold owners for several reasons:

• Range - You'll find a specialist and dedicated cleaning product for just about any task
• Power - Developed specifically to take on even the toughest cleaning tasks
• Affordability - Cost-effective prices that won't break the bank

If you're looking to regain control over your household cleaning, consider checking the full HG Hagesan range on Click Cleaning. It may be that in the past you've found it difficult to find a specialist cleaner with the resilience needed to tackle your tough cleaning jobs, so you've left them to mount up. If so HG Hagesan can give you the answer to your problems in a powerful product that'll make light work of even the most persistant problem.

Some of the most popular HG Hagesan products include:

• Ceramic Hob Cleaner - Lifts burnt on food and gives hobs a sparkling finish
• Grout Cleaner - Get your dirty grout looking shiny white again
• Oven, Grill and Barbecue Cleaner - Remove even the toughest baked on residu

For more information on HG Hagesan products, give Click Cleaning a call on 0845 680 1955.

Karcher pressure washers - ultimate power and ruggedness!

Karcher pressure washers - professional results around your home and gardenPressure washers are incredibly versatile devices, with an endless list of uses:

• Remove years of grime from driveways
• Hose down and disinfect patio furniture
• Make your patio sparkle like new
• Disinfect your wheelie bin
• Remove ground in dirt from your car wheels

If you're looking to buy a pressure washer, consider buying a Karcher model. Karcher pressure washers are world renowned for their durability, quality, power and sheer ability to get the job done.

In addition they are available in a variety of models, from occasional devices to everyday powerhouses for tackling the most extreme jobs. Click Cleaning offers a full range of Karcher pressure washers to suit everyone's needs:

• Karcher K3.65 - A complete, well-built kit for the home and garden, the K3.65 is a versatile tool for the family who want to ensure their home remains clean and tidy.
• Karcher HD 6/13 C Plus - A little more power and a very long-lasting motor allow this model to work continuously away in the garden for many years. Its powerful punch allows it to handle tougher jobs too, such as cleaning garden decking.
• Karcher HD 6/13 CX Plus - The CX Plus offers maximum cleaning capacity, providing owners with a rugged standalone solution that can handle anything and everything. This is a great model if you need to clean farm machinery or boats.

Read our guide on how to choose a pressure washer to ensure you buy the model that perfectly suits your needs. For more information on why Karcher pressure washers really are the best choice, give Click Cleaning a call on 0845 680 1955.

Affordable and practical - the Kentucky Bucket

Kentucky Bucket: one of the most advanced cleaning buckets on the market todayFloor cleaning can be backbreaking without the right tools. Weak cleaners, old mops - these can all make your job far harder than it has to be. But possibly the most limiting piece of equipment is a dysfunctional bucket, one where everything seems to work against you rather than with you!

In fact, a particularly agile bucket can help you make light work of even the toughest floor cleaning task. The industry-standard Kentucky Bucket has a range of functions making it one of the sturdiest options on the market today.

Impressive features include:

• Very easy to maneuvre due to heavy duty castor wheels
• Large extended handle makes draining easy
• Extra large capacity means you don't have to refill as often
• Colour coded gear press
• Minimal bending due to upright design

If you'd like more information on the benefits of the Kentucky bucket and how it can benefit your business, please call Click Cleaning on 0845 680 1955