Why Bother

10 cleaning facts of the day

fingo — Sat, 05 May 2012 05:12:12 +0000

The first ever motorised vacuum cleaner was called the ‘Puffing Billy’; invented in 1901 by Hubert Cecil Booth, it was so large it needed to be horse-drawn.
A survey by Spontex shows that 59% of men say they pretend not to hear when their partner asks them for help with the housework, and 39% say they ‘try to hide’.
The kitchen sponge harbours the greatest amount of household bacteria in the entire home, with an astounding 134,630 bacteria found per square inch, but blitzing Mr Sponge in the microwave for 1 minute each day will keep those germs at bay.
The earliest recorded evidence of the production of soap-like materials dates back to around 2800 BC in Ancient Babylon.
The average Briton will spend six years of their adult life keeping their house clean and tidy, and a quarter of the population who are slightly more clean-obsessed will spend a full decade cleaning up!
The British sport of ‘Extreme Ironing’ saw its first world championships held in September 2002 in a small village near Munich, hosting competitors from 10 nations (three of which were British), and involved categories such as ‘Urban’, where competitors had to iron in/on/around a broken down car, and ‘Forest’: ironing at the top of a tree.
Numbering amongst some of the weirdest things plumbers have found when cleaning drains are a piranha, a whole bedspread, a six-pack of beer, and a live badger, found by plumbers in Scotland who managed to rescue the little guy who reportedly went on to make a full recovery.
In 2006 Australian men were called upon to do more housework, not by their women, but by their government, in a bid to make it easier for women to have children and so boost birth rates, to combat the problem of an ageing population.
In Minnesota, USA, it is illegal to hang male and female underwear together on the same washing line.
It took 400 litres of degreaser to clean the royal wedding procession route prior to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s big day last year, and 140 tonnes of waste were cleaned up by teams of over 130 street sweepers after the event; equivalent to the weight of 50 Rolls Royce.

Mopping Tips for Kitchens, Bathrooms & Hard Floors

admin — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 21:19:20 +0000

Mopping needn’t be a chore. In our grandmothers’ time the only way to clean a floor was to get down on your hands and knees with a scrubbing brush and a bucket of hot water. Murder for your back. Some purists would say (myself included) that this is the best way to get a floor clean. However, realistically most people use mops these days.

Here are some tips on how to get the best result from mopping your floor:

Firstly always vacuum your floor thoroughly, leaving no hairs or detritus behind. Unless this is done, all you’re going to do is push dirty water and muck around, not cleaning it up. Firstly use your vacuum to do the large areas of the floor (moving tables, bins, etc. out of the way first). Then, using the brush attachment, get right into the corners and underneath things. (Under the front of the fridge is a place where dirt and dust gathers.)

Then consider the type of flooring that you’re mopping: is it natural stone, is it lino, is it tile (ceramic or porcelain)? Be sure that you use the right cleaning products on the right surface.

Fill your mop bucket with hot water and detergent. Whilst you mop, always ensure that the water in the mop bucket is still clean. If the water is dirty that means your flooring is not going to get the best finish possible.

Give the flooring a quick once over and then change the water. Then really go to town (working towards the door) and using a figure of eight motion to mop. Keep rinsing your mop as you go. Any stubborn sticky or dirty marks may require you to clean with a cloth and a squirt of detergent. Any horrible nasties like chewing gym can be removed using a plastic scraper – with care!

There is a huge choice of mops out there, Vileda do a great range. Some people prefer sponge headed or flat head mops. Decide what works best for you. Whatever type of mop you choose, make sure you change the mop head regularly.

If you ensure that you wring out the mop thoroughly, you can leave the floor to air dry which will only take a couple of minutes. Failing that, wipe down with either an old, dry cloth or some kitchen roll.

Job done.

Q. I have wooden venetian blinds in my dining room that are very dusty, what’s the best way to clean them?

fingo — Fri, 02 Mar 2012 14:21:36 +0000

A. Care must be taken when cleaning real wood blinds. Washing the blind is not recommended because, although the wood is sealed, water or even excessive dampness may cause warping or discoloration of the slats.

Since the surface of the slats is smooth, dust may be easily brushed off at regular intervals using a clean soft dust cloth or a vacuum cleaner brush attachment. Vacuum often to prevent dirt from taking control and ensure you clean the bristles of your vacuum attachment before you vacuum. If necessary, use a microfibre cloth that is ever so slightly damp to clean off any remaining dirt or dust. Store the shades in a closed position whenever possible to keep the dust from collecting on the slats.

Taken from: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/cleaningblindsshades#ixzz1jMGV6ddO

Q. How do I clean the LCD monitor of my desktop computer without damaging it?

fingo — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:20:53 +0000

A. The TFT or LCD screen is one of the most expensive components of your notebook or desktop computer and they’re very tricky to dust, since the sensitive display is likely to get scratches from dust particles.

Never use glass cleaner to clean LCD screens and do not use tap water or mineral water as this could leave white marks on the screen due to the dissolved salts. Turn the monitor off to help identify the dirty areas of the screen. A soft, dry and clean cloth can be used to gently dust the screen, but for cleaning heavier dirt, screen cleaning wipes designed specifically for LCD screens should be used (the same should apply to HDTVs and plasma TVs as well). Taken from http://labnol.blogspot.com/2006/11/wipe-clean-lcd-screen-laptop-monitor.html

Q. I have a stainless steel sink that is showing tea stains around the plughole that are hard to remove, what can I use to get rid of them?

fingo — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:20:00 +0000

A. Shiny Sinks is a good cream cleaner for removing stains such as these.

Apply to the affected area and wipe gently with a clean damp cloth, rinse, then buff dry with kitchen paper for a stain-free shiny finish!

Q. What is the best way to get rid of stubborn soap scum marks in my bath tub?

fingo — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 14:19:31 +0000

A. The best way to keep soap scum marks at bay is to wipe the bath every time you use it using a sponge and warm water; however, for more heavily soiled areas, use a good bathroom cleaning product.

Cillit Bang Grime and Lime is good for removing tough soap scum marks, but always check the usage instructions before use and test in a small area before proceeding, particularly if you have an enamel bath tub, as many cleaning products may not be suitable.

Housework really is bad for your health

fingo — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:19:28 +0000

Had a hard day at work? Step away from that kitchen sink!

A recent study published in the Journal of Family Psychology has given us all the proof we needed that housework is bad for our health, for both wives and husbands, being linked to a reduced ability to unwind and de-stress after work.

The participants in this study were couples where both partners worked full-time and had at least one child between the age of eight and ten years old; a group likely to be experiencing considerable demands on their time after work. Experimenters sampled levels of the stress hormone cortisol throughout the day, alongside taking observations of daily activities at 10 minute intervals, to understand how parents’ activities affect end-of-the day physiological recovery from work.

Effective recovery from everyday stress is shown to be important to physical health, and cortisol has been found to peak shortly after waking and drop steadily throughout the day, with the steepness of this drop being linked to many measures of health and well-being, whilst higher levels of cortisol are linked to depression, chronic stress, and even a shorter life span.

This study looked at after-work recovery and the drop in cortisol levels from afternoon to evening, as a function of engagement in housework or leisure activities, and found that both wives and husbands who spent more time doing housework had higher levels of evening cortisol and weaker afternoon-to-evening recovery. So, both spouses now have a better excuse than ever to shun the vacuum and shirk the cleaning duties with the valid excuse of it being bad for their long-term health.

This study also suggested that fair division of housework can be important for regulating stress levels for women, with evidence that husbands’ increased housework time predicted stronger evening cortisol recovery for wives. However, husbands who apportioned more time to leisure, and whose partners apportioned less time to leisure showed stronger after-work recovery, suggesting that it is more restful to pursue leisure activities while someone else is taking care of the household duties.

These findings suggest that both men and women are happier when their spouse is taking responsibility for the housework, but with housework being bad for the stress levels for both spouses, what is the solution?
Time to call Why Bother?

Q. I have a build up of limescale inside my toilet bowl, which is not going away with the use of regular toilet cleaners, how can it be removed?

fingo — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:18:16 +0000

A. You can buy some tablets to put in your toilet that should do the trick, such as Harpic Power Plus tablets. For heavy limescale build up, drop two tablets into the bowl of the toilet and leave overnight.

In the morning, scrub with a toilet brush and flush. You can also buy toilet cleaning products with limescale remover in them, such as Domestos Zero Limescale, which should prevent limescale building up with regular use.

Q. I have a lot of limescale build up on my shower door, how can this be removed?

fingo — Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:17:26 +0000

A. There are several products on the market that are very effective at removing limescale, such as Viakal or Limelight, but ensure you buy one with a spray function to allow easy application to large vertical surfaces, and always follow user instructions and wear rubber gloves.

Once applied to surface of shower door, leave to work for a few minutes, then remove with a sponge. Heavily soiled areas may need gently scrubbing with the coarse side of a scouring sponge, taking care not to scratch the glass. Check the usage instructions on any product before use, and be particularly careful with limescale removers if you have chrome fixtures on your shower.

Q. How do I remove cat hair from my sofa?

fingo — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:16:42 +0000

A. Start by using the vacuum cleaner. Buy an upholstery attachment for your vacuum if it doesn’t come equipped with one, and turn the setting on your vacuum down to a suitable level before vacuuming your upholstery.

If the hair is still not easily removed, wear a damp rubber glove and rub your hand across the sofa cushion; the hair will clump together for easy removal.