I’m a cleaning whizz… 9 ingenious ways household staples will leave your home spotless including tanning mitt tip
CLEAN smarter not harder – that’s the motto TV presenter Hayley Leitch goes by.
And as she returns to our screens this week as host of new Channel 5 show Dirty Home Rescue, the cleaning expert will be putting her words into action.
With her team of cleaning professionals, Hayley heads to some of the messiest households across the nation to help them transform their properties.
From filthy limescale toilet stains to bugs in the kitchen, Hayley has pretty much seen it all throughout her decade-spanning career. But she’s still picking up new tips along the way.
Hayley, who previously starred on Channel 4’s Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners, tells us: “Every home I go into, there’s always something new to learn or tackle.
“It gives me a great satisfaction finding things that might be trickier than the last clean, or cleans that I’ve done in the past.”
Here, she tells us how you can keep your own home in tip top condition without breaking the bank.
Read her best hacks below…
Tea bags on windows
If you don’t have any glass cleaner around the house, Hayley says black tea “works really well” on windows.
“Add your tea bag to a bowl of boiling water. Let the teabag stew and wait for it to cool down slightly,” she explains.
“Grab an old cloth that you’re not worried about getting ruined, because it will stain, and then wipe the windows down before drying them with a clean microfibre cloth.
“It works a charm.”
Coffee for grubby pans
Grease-burned pans can be a nightmare to scrub clean, but Hayley has an easy – and free – hack. “Use coffee grounds,” she says.
“Most coffee shops will give you their coffee grounds in a bag for free. Make sure to call ahead to double check first, because you don’t want to waste a trip.
“They’re very good at cleaning a really stubborn mark on your pots and pans. Put some of the coffee grounds in the pan with the smallest amount of washing up liquid. Pop on some rubber gloves – you don’t even need a cloth – and rub it in with your hands.
“The abrasives from the coffee ground work very well at lifting any dirt.
“You can then keep the coffee grounds in the fridge and re-use them.”
Exfoliating gloves on tiles
Exfoliating gloves aren’t just handy for you skin, they work wonders on your tiles, too.
“You can buy some exfoliating gloves for about £1 and they’re slightly abrasive but not abrasive enough to scratch the tiles. But they’ll get rid of any soap scrum,” Hayley explains.
“Put a tiny bit of washing up liquid on the glove and rub away at the tiles. Rinse them down and buff them dry and you’re good to go. It works so well.”
She adds: “If you’re going to use a stronger cleaning product though, I advise putting rubber gloves on underneath the exfoliating gloves for protection.”
Baby shampoo instead of detergent
When it comes to washing your delicate clothing, laundry detergent can be pricey.
A cheaper alternative is baby shampoo, says Hayley, and she reckons it does exactly the same job.
“Baby shampoo is really good because it’s PH neutral – you don’t want to use anything too harsh on silk or wool because they’re both a natural protein.
“Don’t use it in your washing machine but it’s great if you’re hand washing in the sink with cool water.”
She adds: “To keep the silk sheen and softness, add a cup full of white vinegar into the water after you’ve washed it.”
Hair conditioner on the sink
There’s nothing more satisfying than a spotless sink – and some simple beauty staples can work a treat.
“If you have a stainless steel sink with streaks, you can use a pea size amount of hair conditioner and rub it in,” Hayley says.
“It’s the same for stainless fridges too. It’s really good at shining it up.”
To get rid of any bad odours, she advises: “Add about seven drops of tea tree oil down the sink and a tablespoon of washing up liquid, and then pour some hot water down. Tea tree oil is anti-bacterial and it smells so nice.
“But if you have pets, you do need to be careful with tea tree oil as it can be toxic. So just be mindful of that.”
Clean your blinds with winter gloves
Hayley has the perfect trick for cleaning your blinds from top to bottom.
“Use a pair of winter gloves,” she says. “Dampen them with some washing up liquid or a multi surface spray, and using your index finger and your thumb, run your hands across each blind.
“If you don’t have winter gloves, you can also use an old sock.”
Farewell to fur
Finding fur around your home can be a real pet peeve if you have a four-legged friend, but Hayley has a simple solution.
“Get a rubber glove and make that your dedicated pet fur glove – because you don’t want to be using it for washing your dishes!” she says.
“Dampen it with water, shake the excess water off and run it over your sofas, curtains and carpets.
“The rubber glove will pick up all the fur with ease.”
Dishwasher powder for floors
“If you’ve got hard floors and they’re caked in grease and grime, you can use dishwasher powder with some boiling water,” Hayley says. “It will cut through really stubborn marks.”
For carpeted floors, Hayley insists you don’t need an expensive carpet cleaner to keep them fresh.
“You can successfully clean your carpet via hand by attaching a large microfibre cloth to a big saucepan lid. Or instead of a cloth, you can also use an old pillowcase you don’t use,” she says.
“Wrap it around the saucepan lid and tie it with an elastic band, and then dip it into a solution. I like to use biological laundry detergent because it has enzymes in it that are designed to cut through protein stains.
“Give it a scrub, and then use clean, cold water to go over it again. Finally, get an old towel and soak down the area you’ve cleaned to absorb any moisture in the carpet.”
Essential oil in the vacuum
Instead of splashing the cash on fancy candles and diffusers, Hayley has a simple tip to keep your home smelling fresh.
“Choose your favourite essential oil and put a few drops on a cotton ball, and then put it in your vacuum canister. It makes the whole house smell incredible,” she says.
“Lemon essential oil works really well.
“Or, get some ground cinnamon and sprinkle it onto the floor and just vacuum it up. It makes the house smell like Christmas!”
Dirty Home Rescue airs Thursday 12 October at 7pm on Channel 5. Follow Hayley on Instagram @hayleyshelp.