10 Cleaning Hacks to Have Your Kitchen and Bathroom Sparkling

Did you know that having a clean, tidy, and decluttered living space contributes to good mental health?

A recent study found that those with more mess are actually more likely to be depressed, fatigued, and have higher levels of cortisol than those who kept a tidy and clean environment.

At All About The Move, we’re in the business of selling homes at their absolute highest value, and a big part of that includes arranging deep cleans. We do it to entice more viewers, pull in higher offers and provide the best possible service for our clients, but we’ve found that it actually goes much further than that. Many people go on to adopt these habits in their new homes, reporting higher productivity, happiness, and improved overall wellbeing.

This makes us happy, so we’ve decided to to put together a list of cleaning hacks that you can use going forward. And because we know you don’t want to spend hours and hours cleaning every weekend, we’ve chosen methods that don’t take long, don’t cost much, and don’t require a full day of work!!

Today we’re looking at the kitchen and bathroom but watch this space for upcoming posts on the rest of the house – there’s plenty more to come!

Kitchen Hacks

1. When it comes to cleaning the kitchen, you’re going to need a few sponges. Did you know that after just a few uses, these sponges become little transmitters of bacteria all over the rest of the kitchen? Not ideal! Now, you can either go out and keep buying new sponges all the time, which takes time, costs money and isn’t great for the environment, or you can start adopting cheaper, more sustainable habits like this: pop your damp sponge into the microwave for 90 seconds on full power. This will reduce the bacteria by up to 99%, and once it’s cooled down, you can start using it to get to work!
   
2. Talking of microwaves, how do you clean yours? Do you scrub away at those tough spots on the roof until you run out of energy and give up? Well, we have a better way. Put a large bowl of hot water into the microwave for five minutes to steam the inside so that it loosens the grime first, and then get scrubbing. You’ll find it much easier this way, and you’ll see how a microwave looks when it’s actually clean! Best of all, it should only take a few minutes to get all the dirt removed.
   
3. Let’s move on to the oven. Before getting inside there and toiling away, start with the oven pans. These can get caked in grease and oil, and a quick wash in the sink doesn’t always leave it feeling or looking clean. In fact, so many people tend to give up and throw them away eventually, when they don’t really have to! Instead, put your pans (one at a time) in the sink with hot, soapy water and a dryer sheet. You can get Lenor dryer sheets for around £8 online, and these work really well. Leave for about two hours, then rinse with clean water. You should notice a significant improvement. Alternatively, you can use the coin trick if you have one. Using a two pence coin, scrub the pan in circular motions after soaking it for 30 minutes in hot, soapy water. This is a little more work with the scrubbing, but you avoid a longer wait – so it’s great if you’re in a hurry. Try them both out and see what gives you the best results!
   
4. Now it’s time to clean inside the oven. One of the most effective ways to clean an oven is to use a dishwasher tablet dipped in a cup of warm water and then, wearing gloves to protect your hands, scrubbing the inside of the oven with the tablet using small, circular motions. Keep dipping it in the water to keep it moist. Once you’ve scrubbed away most of the grime, use a clean, wet cloth to rinse it all off. After that, take a clean towel and dry off the area. No need to spend hours on your hands and knees – this takes less than 30 minutes if you’re doing it properly!
   
5. More and more people are buying blenders these days. They’re great for making smoothies and soups and are a fantastic addition to a healthy lifestyle. However, they can be annoying to clean! Thankfully, we have a shortcut for you. You’ll need three quarters of a cup of white vinegar, a quarter of a cup of baking soda, and a quarter cup of water. Pour the vinegar, water and baking soda into your blender and put on high speed for around 30 seconds. Then empty out the now dirty concoction, and rinse with a soft sponge to remove any remaining debris. This does involve going out and buying vinegar and baking soda – but you’re going to need these two essentials for other parts of the house, so it’s worth a few pennies!
   

Bathroom Hacks

1. On to the bathroom! One item you’re going to find really handy is an empty spray bottle that you can fill with anything you want, so instead of throwing them into recycling after you run out of cleaning product, rinse, and save one to use in the future. The first thing to tackle with this spray bottle is mildew. An amazingly effective way to do this is to fill the bottle 50/50 with vodka and water. Spray the affected areas and leave it on for around 15 minutes, then wipe clean with a damp cloth. Just make sure your cloth is new or has been zapped in the microwave to cleanse it of any bacteria (as above with the sponges). The alcohol in the vodka not only cleans the area but also kills the mildew. If you’re worried about any lingering smells of alcohol, simply rinse again with water and open the window for five minutes. That’s all it takes!
   
2. Bathtubs and shower doors are notorious for scum and mineral build up, and most of us try to remedy this with shop-bought cleaning products. The trouble here is that most cleaning products have a high degree of chemicals which erode any organic material, and this isn’t what you want for a long lasting bathroom. A cheaper and more effective method involves a trip to the fruit bowl! Take a lemon or a grapefruit (the ideal fruits for acidity) and cut in half. Dip one half in salt and use that to scrub at the scum that’s built up in the bathtub and on the shower door. Not only will you see better results, but it’s also less harmful than using all those chemicals!
   
3. Once your bathtub and shower door look sparkling, it’s time to tackle the shower head. This can be become brown and gunky with limescale. The best product to get rid of this is actually white vinegar. Remove your shower head from the hose and place it into a bucket of white vinegar, leaving it to soak for around one hour (or longer if you have time). After that, rinse it with water, and replace it. It should come out looking completely new, but if there are still some stubborn stains there, try adding a little baking powder to your vinegar for an even thorough clean. Told you that baking powder would come in handy!
   
4. Time for the taps! A good anti-bacterial cleanser is what you need here, and Method Anti-Bac All Purpose Cleaner in Wild Rhubarb is one that many professional cleaners use. It isn’t expensive, contains a natural lactic acid formula meaning it’s free from harsh chemicals, and it smells great. Once you’ve washed the taps using the all purpose cleaner, use some wax paper to add extra sparkle. The added effect of the wax paper is to form a barrier too, which stops water marks being made quite so easily, so you’ll find that sparkle lasts a little longer. You can get wax paper for around £7 online.
   
5. Last up is your toilet, a particularly troublesome area that requires a bit more hands and knees-style hard work. Before you do anything, pop a denture tablet into the toilet bowl. You can get denture tablets for around £6 online. The effervescent action will do a little mini-clean of the inside of the bowl, so it’s handy to use when you don’t have time to clean the whole bathroom but just want it a little fresher between cleans! Using your wild rhubarb cleaner, start from the highest point (as it will drip down anyway) and generously spray the toilet, the seat, and the tank. Make sure you get behind the toilet too, and around the base of the bowl where it connects to the floor. Use a toothbrush to clean the area where the toilet seat is connected to the porcelain bowl, and then pour a cup of warm water over the area once you’ve loosened any grime or dirt. Using an old towel, dry the area, and don’t forget to use toilet bleach up inside the rim of the bowl, leaving it there for around 30 minutes before flushing.

And there you have it! Ten low cost, highly effective and EASY hacks for tackling your kitchen and bathroom properly! Don’t forget to use your all purpose cleaner to mop the floors and thoroughly clean any work tops, and finally – remember to remove as much clutter as possible so that buyers can actually see the results of all your hard work.

If you liked these tips, then we have more on the way on how to tackle the rest of the house. Watch this space!

Need help getting your home ready to wow the market? Give us a visit at www.allaboutthemove.co.uk or call us on 0141 374 0373 to see what we can do for you 😊