Juliet Davenport, founder and CEO of Good Energy, recently said in an article by the Independant that “Simple, cheap ingredients like lemons and vinegar can be used to get homes in tip-top condition” and that “Not only are these top tips kinder on the pocket – they don’t require any electricity either!”

Some of the top tips mentioned in the article include…

Using a hairdryer to remove water rings from wooden surfaces and refresh them with olive oil.

Cleaning your blinds with a 50:50 vinegar and water mixture and an old sock.

Getting scratches and scuffs out of a leather sofa using shoe polish.

Using Coca Cola to clean oil stains off your garage floor.

Using a razor to remove paint from clothes.

Rubbing half a grapefruit over surfaces, sprinkling some salt and washing off with a sponge and hot water to help you achieve a gleaming sink”.

Sprinkling carpets and rugs with a small amount of bicarbonate of soda and after 15 minutes sweep away the dirt and any fustiness will evaporate too!

To read more cleaning tips you can read the full article here

How often do you get your gutters cleaned?

Regular gutter cleaning should be considered an important part of the regular maintenance of your home or business premises. Making sure the gutters are kept clear is an important part of weatherproofing your property from water damage caused by penetration due to broken or clogged gutters. Waiting until there’s a problem with your gutters before getting them cleaned can sometimes be false economy if your property has already suffered water penetration.

A regular routine cleaning of your gutters can easily prevent problems. Ideally cleaning should be carried out once or twice a year depending on how vulnerable your property is to harsh weather conditions that can cause leaves and debris to accumulate in your gutters.

Gutter cleaning no longer needs to be a dirty, risky job, climbing ladders and digging out the dirt. Professional companies who offer this service now use more hi tech equipment such as the Sky Vac system as seen in the video above. These can be used safely and effectively from the ground.

Improving the external appearance of your home can often increase it’s value at relatively little cost. If your doors and windows have already been replaced with new upvc double glazed units, what else can you do to spruce things up?

Even new windows and doors can look grubby if they are not regularly cleaned, but whilst most people ask to have their windows cleaned by their local window cleaner, the gutters, fascias and soffits are often overlooked and this can detract from it’s appearance. Although it’s not necessary to have them cleaned as often as your windows, it pays to have them cleaned at least once a year to keep them looking like new.

Usually, your window cleaner can carry out this task for you using a high reach water fed pole system. Ladders are generally not required for cleaning unless some areas are particularly dirty and a hard scrub or a jet wash is needed using more powerful cleaning materials. However, once clean, a regular maintenance cleaning schedule using purified water is all that is needed.