Saturday 30 April 2022 The Guardian •
Money^59
Money hacks How to spring
clean your home for less
Raid your cupboards ...
Instead of rushing out to buy
new cleaning products, check for
almost-empty bottles hidden away
at the back of sink cupboard s.
You may have other supplies
that can be repurposed. Cleaners’
favourites bicarbonate of soda and
vinegar can be used to freshen
up drains or clean windows or a
mattress, among other tasks.
Steve Payne of the bed retailer
Sleep and Snooze says if you are
looking to clean a mattress, fi rst
vacuum it, then spritz it with
products, but they would not work
if they didn’t.
Abigail Yearley, a spokesperson
for the TopCashback website , says
you can clean a microwave or oven
more easily “by popping some
lemon rinds or juice into a bowl (or
baking tray, if cleaning the oven)
of water. Heat your appliances and
then leave the receptacle to cool.
This will help to remove stains .”
Lemons can be used elsewhere,
but “their citric acid can corrode
metal – so use with care”, she adds.
Other cleaning alternatives
also come with a similar warning.
While some suggest vinegar can be
used to deep-clean a dishwasher,
it is acidic and can damage rubber
seals and other parts. Which? has
a guide to things you should not
clean with vinegar , which includes
dishwashers along with mirrors and
granite or stone kitchen worktops.
Do some research if you are
unsure, rather than risking an
expensive mistake.Use natural forces
Throwing open the windows can
get rid of musty smells and make
your home feel fresher. If you have
outdoor space, dry your laundry
there – the sun will help bleach your
whites, at no cost. Airing duvets
and pillows outside can refresh
them without the need for a wash.Create your own storage
“People always jump to thinking
‘I must buy storage solutions,’
because that’s the fun part, but you
don’t need to,” says Lizzie Grant, a
decluttering expert at the website
Vinted. She suggests you can use
“a shoe box, a [mobile] phone box,
tins – anything where you can
group things together so you know
everything has a home”. Don’t
buy a label-maker, she says, as any
stickers will do. You could make
boxes more attractive by decorating
with scraps of paper or fabric.Buy gear at the best price
Shop around before you buy big-
ticket items such as a vacuum
cleaner or power washer. According
to the cost comparison website
PriceSpy, prices for cleaning
equipment tend to be competitivebetween now and June, so you
may get a good deal. If you are an
Amazon user, CamelCamelCamel
shows you the price history of
items on the site, so you can see
how today’s off er compares. It also
lets you sign up for an alert if an
item is cut.Borrow equipment
Products such as carpet cleaners
are unlikely to be worth the money
or space to buy outright – but
are commonly available for hire.
RugDoctor cleaners cost from
£24.99 a day, while HSS is charging
from just under £21 for the same
period. If you don’t have many
carpets to clean, maybe team up
with a friend.
A Library of Things will usually
carry this kind of item – there
are several around the country.
In London, a steam cleaner is
available to hire for £9.50 a day,
plus a small membership fee.
Or you could see whether a
friend or neighbour has a machine
you can borrow.Clean your cleaners
You will get more effi cient use from
appliances, and they will last for
longer, if you look after them.
With your vacuum cleaner, look
after the fi lter. If it is washable, give
it a clean and you should fi nd there
is more suction power when you
put it back. If the machine has a
bag, do not let it get completely full
before you change it.
Clean out the dishwasher fi lter- again, it just needs washing in
hot water and a bit of washing-up
liquid. If the machine smells, give
it a hot wash empty with a bought
cleaner, or when doing the dishes.
If you live in a hard water area,
descaling your washing machine
will help it work for longer and
more effi ciently. For this you will
need to buy a specialist product.
A dd half a cup of vinegar to the
detergent drawer and commence a
fi nal rinse, before hanging back up
in your shower to dry.”
The bathroom retailer Drench
suggests shaving foam to clean
mirrors , leaving them streak -
free – and with no fogging later. It
can also be used on carpet stains
and glass hobs: “Try covering the
electric hob in shaving foam and
leave for 15 minutes. Wipe away
and the grime will be gone.”... but take care
When extolling the virtues of these
alternatives, people sometimes say
they don’t have “harsh chemicals”
like purpose-made cleaningHilary Osborne
ILLUSTRATION BY JAMIE WIGNALLwhite vinegar. “Don’t worry about
the slight vinegar smell – this will
disappear as it dries,” he says.
“Next, get a sieve and use it to
sprinkle a fi ne layer of baking soda.
You want the whole surface of the
mattress to be covered. Leave the
baking soda and vinegar to get to
work soaking up any musty odours
from the mattress. After an hour
or two, vacuum up all the baking
soda, making sure you get into all
the crevices of the mattress.”
Tina Simpson at Triton Showers
advises using the same two items to
give a shower curtain a deep clean :
“Add washing detergent and half
a cup of bicarbonate of soda to the
drawer and commence a 30 C wash,
stopping before the rinse cycle.‘Cover the electric hob
in shaving foam and
leave for 15 minutes‘Drench
Bathroom retailer