Content creator Lucy Kalice is one of Ideal Home's new Open House contributors, sharing her thoughts on cleaning, home decor and making the most of small spaces. See the rest of her articles here.
These are my tips and tricks to solve the latest real-life cleaning conundrums shared by my Instagram followers.
My house is always so dusty, how do I get rid of dust?
I’m just going to start by saying you are definitely not alone in this. Dust (aka public enemy number 1) is everywhere. Unfortunately there’s no escaping it but there are ways I’ve found you can make your home less dusty.
The first is by regularly dusting your home – shelves, fireplaces, coffee tables, windowsills. These areas collect dust the most so wiping them down keeps the dust at bay.
The second thing I like to do is vacuum my house every day (or at least every other day). Vacuuming is probably the best and easiest way to actually get rid of the dust so I’d recommend keeping on top of this to get maximum results.
I always struggle to keep our boucle headboard clean, what’s the best way to clean it?
Boucle is such a gorgeous fabric but it can be a nightmare to clean so I feel your pain here. I would recommend an upholstery cleaner. I haven’t tested them all, but the one I have is a Shark Stainstriker Hair Pet Pro and its really really good. You can use them to spot clean stains or you can give your headboard a full deep clean every so often, whichever suits you!
Help, my husbands gym clothes still smell of sweat even though I’ve washed them! How do I stop the smell?
I’ve been here before and I have just the thing! Add anti-bacterial laundry sanitiser to your washing machine when you put on a wash.
You can buy a bottle of it from most supermarkets and supermarkets do own brand versions which are cheaper but work just as well. I swear by the stuff and can’t do my washing without it now!
I’ve messed up – I’ve got red nail varnish on our bath and I need to get it off before my fiancé notices…HOW?!
Okay okay, DON’T PANIC! You’re in safe hands because the amount of places I’ve gotten red nail varnish around the house I’ve turned into an expert.
All you’re going to need is Bar Keepers Friend powder and you can get it in most supermarkets. Get a damp cloth and buff a small amount of powder into the nail varnish and it will disappear! Gone before your fiancé ever has to know…
How do I clean a shower screen to remove all the limescale marks?
This might be my favourite question because it’s a struggle I used to have when I moved into my first home and it led me to testing many many ways to removing limescale. So you’ll be pleased to know there’s actually a couple of ways you can successfully do this.
The cheapest and easiest is to use a mixture of water and white vinegar, spray that on the shower screen, and wipe with a cloth. You might have to do this a couple of times depending on how bad the limescale is but eventually the shower screen should be looking brand new.
Another way is with my new obsessed which is Whiterocks Cleaning paste. It comes in a big tub which will last forever but it leaves the glass streak free and practically melts the limescale away. I put a bit on a sponge and then wipe it over the limescale and in seconds its gone!
