Home tips with Colin and Justin

Wednesday, 25 April 2012 10:22 AM

Before any renovation or DIY project the first step is always to clean and tidy the space.

Home experts Colin McAlister and Justin Ryan from popular program Home Heist decided to share their tips for a clean and tidy home with housefixer.co.uk

1. Start working from the top down, moving from the inside to the outside. That way you’ll avoid dirtying what you just cleaned.

2. Keep things close to hand – pop all your cleaning materials into a handy basket or carrier to transport easily from room to room.

3. For sparkling-clean windows, use a smear free cleaner then buff to a perfect shine. Or try your granny’s tip; newspaper and vinegar – sure its smells like a chip shop, but boy does it shine.

4. Don’t let the bedbugs bite. Steam-clean or vigorously vacuum your mattress, keeping your bedroom windows open to let everything properly air. Flip over your mattress every time you make the bed with fresh linen.

5. Light a scented candle or pop in an air freshener to remove odours in the air and replace with a fresh scent.

6. Clear your closet - swap your summer and winter wardrobes over and vacuum pack your unseasonal clothes away for next year. Be ruthless - if you didn’t wear it this year and will never fit into it again, give it to charity and free up valuable storage space.

7. Multi task - do two things at once. While bed linen is washing in the machine, for example, clean the bathroom.

8. Steam-clean carpets if possible, or vacuum, paying attention to corners and under furnishings as well as open traffic areas. Make sure your vacuum is clean before you start to avoid that dirty vacuum smell.

9. Sort your drawers. Empty, wipe with a damp cloth and examine the contents – throw away odd socks etc and use drawer organisers for underwear.

10. Become a handyman, or woman and make small ongoing repairs around the house so things don‘t get worse – stick down peeling paper and paint out ceiling stains etc. If you're not the handy type then don’t just let your home fall into disarray – get someone in and keep your home well maintained.

 

Colin & Justin are working with Febreze to help the nation to freshen up their homes. You can visit facebook.com/FebrezeUK for a chance to win a freshness makeover for your home.

 

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