Christmas Cleaning Tips: Before the big day!

A clean house is a happy house over the Christmas periodWhen you welcome people into your home over the festive season, you have a lot to think about: whether the turkey is properly roasted, whether there's enough drink to go around and whether you'll have enough space for guests to sleep over should they have a little bit more than a glass and a half. The stress can really get you down, and you soon find yourself forgetting the important things.

One of the tasks that often gets neglected is ensuring the house has had a proper clean before people arrive. A clean house is always a happy house, and a happy house is particularly important over Christmas where you'll want to create the most enjoyable atmosphere possible.

So read our top cleaning tips and start looking forward to your best Christmas yet!

• Remove clutter and breakables.
  If you have children in the house over Christmas, the first thing you'll want to do is clear away breakables. After all, if your priceless china gets smashed it's going to put a damper on your festive celebrations. At the same time, clear away anything that won't get used. Mess creates more mess, and you won't want to be worrying about surfaces being clear when the celebrations begin.
• Clean whilst you decorate
  Over Christmas you visit spaces you hardly ever see! When you hang Christmas cards on string or put up tinsel, give the area a proper spring clean using disinfectant and polish. It's a great way to combine tasks and save time. Make sure you give the space under the tree a good clean as the presents will go there, and you don't want them to attract bacteria. If you have a wooden floor, use a specially designed cleaner to kill germs. We have a range of floor cleaning products for a variety of different surfaces.
• Clean surfaces at child-height
  If you do have young children in the house, make sure you clean surfaces that they may frequently come into contact with, such as skirting boards and corners of floors. These areas can often get neglected in your weekly household clean so it's a good idea to give them a thorough clean before December rolls around.
• Freshen the guest room
  As we mentioned above, someone inevitably has a little too much to drink and needs to stay the night. If you're like the rest of us, your 'guest bedroom' may be hiding under piles of junk and items you've needed to find a place for. Remove the rubbish and clean the room, making sure you open the window to bring some fresh air in. Place some flowers on the bedside table the day before they arrive, and free up some wardrobe space in case your guest brings clothes.
• Clean infrequently used kitchen items
  You've bought a massive turkey, and it's almost time to put it in the oven. But you can't find your basting tray! So you end up stuffing it in the microwave 'Mr Bean' style. That's not exactly a great start to your Christmas day, so make sure you find - and clean - your basting tray in good time. You may also want to clean cheeseboards, large plates and anything else you may use. Don't forget to buff your cutlery and make your wine glasses sparkle.

Before you get down to preparing your house for Christmas, check out our top ten tips to make your cleaning go further. We talk about the major mistakes that most people make and how to avoid them. That way when all your guests arrive, they'll be stepping into a happy and healthy home that's full of festive cheer. And that reflects very well on you, and your family. Good luck with your Christmas cleaning!

Washing Machine woes? Give it a new lease of life!

Washing machines can really attract dirt and grime, both inside and outWe recently posted about the top five items that really make your house look grubby. Top of the list was the frequently-used washing machine. Very few items attract dirt as quickly as the washing machine, and since it - along with your fridge - is the centrepiece of your kitchen, a dirty washing machine can seriously impact upon the overall feel of the room. Not only that, but internally your washing machine might be loaded with grime.

That's why giving your washing machine a spring clean can really make a difference. Here's how:

• Clean the outside: The top of your washing machine - where all the buttons are - can really get ingrained with dirt. Scrub it with a good bactericidal cleaner to kill germs and freshen it up. If dirt is stuck down the side of the buttons, use either a toothpick or an old toothbrush to get it out.
• Check the bottom to see if there's a removable segment: If there is, it's likely to be filthy! Take it off, disinfect it and scrub it to remove all traces of grime, then refit it.
• Clean the door: Open the door and clean it with your bactericidal cleaner. Remember that washing machines rely on a watertight seal to prevent your kitchen flooding, so check the rubber seal on the door and give it a wipe. There may be bits of dirt inside the lining - these can loosen the seal so make sure you remove these.
• Clean the detergent drawer: The drawer is likely to need cleaning, particularly if you use solid blocks rather than liquids. Open it up and wipe away the residue you can, then scrub the rest until it disappears. For hard to reach areas use a toothbrush.
• Clean the inside: Run your washing machine empty on a hot wash. Pour a capful of clear vinegar into the detergent drawer. This will disinfect and clean your washing machine. Repeat the process every six weeks or so to keep it in good condition.

Enjoy your newly-sparkling washing machine! If you'd like to view our comprehensive guide to how to clean a washing machine, go ahead - it contains a few more tips and tricks for achieving incredible results! For more advice and tips, please check out the rest of the blog, or give Click Cleaning a call on 0845 680 1955 for a free consultation!

Salmonella poisoning - 5 tips to avoid catching it!

Eggs can harbour the salmonella bacterium, as can raw poultryEveryone knows about the threat posed by salmonella. It's a serious foodborne illness that causes horrible symptoms such as diarrhea or constipation, headaches, stomach cramps, nausea and vomiting and fever. In rare cases it can also be fatal.

The bacterium that causes salmonella is present in many different commonly-prepared foods such as raw poultry and raw eggs. It's very important to follow simple hygiene guidelines to prevent you or your family from becoming infected. Here are the top 5 most important tips to avoid coming into contact with salmonella.

• Don't rinse chicken: This may seem logical, but the water splash can spread salmonella far and wide to parts of your kitchen that you may forget to clean. If you absolutely must rinse it, put it in the bottom of your sink, run the tap SLOWLY over it so it doesn't splash, then clean the sink thoroughly.
• Separate your chopping boards: Use a separate chopping board for meat and vegetables so you avoid cross-contaminating your produce. Also, buy flat chopping boards that do not have grooves or raised patterns: these can be breeding grounds for salmonella.
• Ensure poulty is throoughly cooked before serving: Pierce your chicken with a fork. If the juices run clear then it should be ok to eat. Never undercook chicken; a little while longer will reduce your risk of infection.
• Clean with a bacteridical cleaner: Many ordinary household products are simply ill-equipped to deal with the salmonella bacterium. Use commercial bactericidal products to ensure the germs don't simply get wiped around but properly killed.
• Wash your hands regularly: Regularly washing your hands with soap and water helps prevent infections being spread. This is particularly important when handling raw chicken: before you go on to handle other foods give your hands a good scrub.

Follow these tips for a safe, enjoyable experience cooking food for your family. For more advice on the best products available to properly disinfect your kitchen surfaces, give Click Cleaning a call on 0845 680 1955.

5 reasons why your room doesn't look as clean as you want it to be!

A dirty microwave can really detract from the cleanliness of your kitchenIf your floor is covered in dust, it's obviously going to detract from the overall cleanliness of your house. Fortunately, your floor is one of the first things you clean, and with a sparkling, disinfected floor you certainly feel more at home. But isn't it annoying when you've just finished cleaning, and look around, and just don't feel your room has that 'just cleaned' look that you were aiming for?

Here are 5 reasons why this may be the case:

• The room is insufficiently aired: Cleaning and airing go hand in hand. If you're cleaned away your dirt and think your room doesn't seem clean, it may be because you're still smelling the same foul air that's been circulating. This can be a particular problem in the winter when windows remain closed and the heating is always on. When you clean, open windows and doors to encourage maximum air flow.
• Dust has been moved around, not removed: If you use polish and a dry duster, all you're going to be doing is moving dust and dirt around, not actually removing it from the room. Use a wet duster and ensure you trap the dirt, shaking it out only when it's over a bin or you're outside.
• You hoover before you dust: If you vacuum the floors and then clean surfaces, dust will fall down onto your newly clean floor and remain there, meaning after you're done the room could be even dirtier than you started with! Always hoover last.
• You use dirty cloths: Dirty cloths are one of cleaning's worst enemies! It can be tempting to simply shake out and reuse a filthy cloth, but then you aren't really cleaning you're just wiping. Use a fresh cloth at all times (particularly if you've just covered a very dirty area) and then wash them in your washing machine to make them good as new. TIP: Don't put them in with your clothes, as the residue from cleaning products may remain and damage your garments.
• You habitually miss out certain areas: We all have them - the areas we just don't feel like cleaning. It may be that the microwave has so many months of encrusted gunge that you just pretend it's not there instead of dealing with it directly. Problems like these can severely limit the room's ability to look good.

Read on for the top five problem items that prevent a room from looking its best.

• Washing Machine: If you have a white washing machine, this is particularly true. Washing machines attract dirt like there's no tomorrow. Over years of use grime can get ingrained and remove the white shine that your machine had when it was new. Scrub it down with a good quality bactericidal cleaner (you'll kill all germs too!) and watch as your kitchen looks transformed.
• Microwave: Exploding custards, overflowing curry - your microwave can soon look a bit worse for wear. Scrub it out and clean the outside to return it to original pristine condition. Your food will look better when it comes out too! And here's a tip to ensure your microwave spells nice: zap a bowl of warm water filled with lemon slices for a couple of minutes.
• Oven: Everyone knows ovens get grimy, and that they are one of the hardest things to clean. Thankfully we've put together a comprehensive oven cleaning guide to remove baked on food, get rid of germs and ensure your oven is working and looking its best.
• Windows and door frames: These are often neglected because they aren't focal points of the room, but like washing machines they quickly show up neglect, particularly those made of white plastic. The trick is to clean them regularly, so you can stop mould and ingrained dirt setting in and proving stubborn to remove.
• Books and bookcases: When cleaning bookcases many of us just give the tiny bit of shelf that doesn't have books on a quick once over, but this is not cleaning it! Book jackets pick up a great deal of dust over time, so make sure you remove each one, wipe it down and disinfect the book case to ensure all traces of germs and grime are removed.

We hope these tips help you get the most out of your cleaning. If you've got any advice to add, please let us know in the comments below. If you need any commercial advice on which products suit your cleaning tasks the best, give us a call on 0845 680 1955 for a free consultation.

10 uses for Jeyes Fluid

Jeyes Fluid: Versatile and powerful outdoors cleaning at a great priceYou might think that only the inside of your house needs cleaning. After all, your garden is exposed to the elements, so it must be impossible to prevent bacteria growth. However, this is far from the truth. Water butts and wheelie bins may harbour germs that could potentially cause a lot of harm, and there are many other surfaces that may need disinfecting once you've started a family and your children are allowed to play outdoors.

In recent years, Jeyes Fluid has become the household name for outdoors disinfecting. You may even have bought a bottle, but aren't sure the huge number of uses it has. Keep reading to find out why that little bottle in your hand is invaluable to any homeowner.

• Odourise drains - We've all noticed a sharp, lingering, sewage-like smell emanating from our garden drain. Jeyes Fluid can be used neat to eliminate nasty odours and kill bacteria.
  
• Clean water butts - Over time water butts suffer from build up of germs that can have harmful effects on the quality of the collected water. Instead of buying a new one, Jeyes Fluid can disinfect your water butt and return it to its original condition.
• Disinfect patios - If you have a dog, you'll know how annoying it is when they foul your patio. But it's more than annoying, as faeces can harbour very harmful bacteria. This may become particularly dangerous if you have small children playing in your garden. Remove the risk by properly cleaning with Jeyes Fluid to ensure all pathogens are killed.
• Clean wheelie bins - Your wheelie bin gets a lot of use and years of storing your waste can take its toll. Bacteria is one concern, maggots are another. Every couple of months ensure your wheelie bin is bacteria-free by washing it out properly with diluted Jeyes Fluid.
• Clean greenhouses - Years in the sun leaves its mark on any greenhouse - from cobwebs and mould to algae and germs. If you've got some spare time, disinfect your green house and give it a new lease of life - your plants will certainly be happier!
• Clear paths - Weeds, algae and mould can soon make a path look its age. Jeyes Fluid revamps walkways, disinfecting them at the same time. For a really amazing result, combine the use of Jeyes fluid with effective pressure washing.
• Disinfect animal housing - If you've ever cleaned a hutch, you'll know how disgusting they can get over time, and how many germs they can harbour! Jeyes Fluid can kill all these germs, ensuring your rabbit or guinea pig continues to live in a clean, suitable environment.
• Disinfect stables - If you own horses you know what a horrific disease Strangles can be. Jeyes Fluid successfully kills streptococcus equi, the bacterium which causes Strangles, offering you and your horses invaluable peace of mind.
• Farm cleaning - Cattle stalls and piggeries will benefit greatly from a regular clean with Jeyes Fluid. Not only will it help you maintain comfortable and clean conditions but will reduce the chance of your produce becoming contaminated during storage or transfer.
• Killing avian flu - Jeyes Fluid is effective against strains of bird flu, so if you need to specifically protect against avian flu (due to the presence of immuno-suppressed people, for example), Jeyes Fluid is a great choice.

With so many uses, isn't it time you bought a bottle of Jeyes Fluid today? Or, if you'd like more information on outdoors disinfecting or any other cleaning task, please give us a call on 0845 680 1955 to discuss your needs with one of our experts.