14 quick tips on how to beautify your home for Christmas while Queen AGGIE MacKENZIE is cleaning
- Aggie MacKenzie is best known for How Clean Is Your Home? From channel 4.
- The cleaning expert gives her best tips to stay healthy this Christmas
- She says that when you have guests, everyone should have their own towels.
With guests on the horizon, every guest feels the pressure to keep the house clean and tidy, especially before Christmas .
Now annual preparations take on a new meaning as cleanliness plays a role in limiting the transmission of Covid-19 , the official council says.
If you join three households for Christmas Day amnesty, some risks are difficult to avoid, but the cleaner the house, the better. In the Covid era, a dirty looking home feels even worse than usual.
However, what exactly do we need to disinfect and how? Is it acceptable to share towels and what about hot water bottles? Why are light switches a potential problem? And does the turkey really need to be quarantined?
Aggie MacKenzie (pictured), known for How Clean Is Your Home? From Channel 4, he shares his best tips to keep you and your loved ones safe this Christmas.
Here the cleaning expert Aggie MacKenzie, former presenter of How Clean Is Your House? On Channel 4, share everything you need to know to keep yourself and your loved ones healthy this Christmas without breaking the holiday spirit. . .
NO NEED TO BE WILD WITH CHEMICALS
Fortunately, even in the days of Covid, you don't have to go crazy with fancy products. Fairy Liquid is ideal for cleaning surfaces. And the coronavirus responds to good old-fashioned soap and water. So this is your most effective option. I've heard of people mixing bleach with other household chemicals, which is not recommended unless you want to greet guests with a bang. In addition, the fumes can be harmful to anyone with asthma.
DO NOT QUARANTIZE YOUR STORE
The food delivered has been stored in a more or less sterile environment, but of course there is human contact during packaging. Some people spend years cleaning everything. The virus is invisible, so we have to assume it is hiding, but not to the point of paranoia. Be sensible and take the necessary precautions.
Avoid hand-to-mouth contact or ingestion of cough spurs. You may prefer to remove some packaging (I always remove cellophane from grapes), but the main thing is to wash your hands thoroughly after handling and dry them with a clean towel.
WASH KITCHEN FABRICS EVERY DAY
I am not a fan of single-use wipes. I recommend a good microfiber cloth. In fact, get a bunch of them. Look for a large amount of plastic fiber per square inch. These fibers cause friction, break down dirt and push it away from the surface.
It is a very ecological cleaning method. They can be washed hundreds of times in the washing machine at 40, 50 or 60 ° C or in the dishwasher. But change your clothes every day.
I put my bedding in a bowl with hot water and a few dashes of bleach and soak it overnight to keep it clean in the morning. Bleach is bad for the environment, but a little goes a long way.
Aggie recommends a microfiber mop if you are expecting young children to crawl on the floor for Christmas as the old-fashioned bucket and pug can get creepy quickly (file image)
DRY THE CHOPBOARDS
To clean a wooden board, glue it under a very hot faucet, pour concentrated dish detergent, and work the grain with a washer. Pat it dry instead of letting it air dry, otherwise it can warp and even cause germs to multiply.
Just a modern mop
If you expect young children to crawl on the floor for Christmas, or even if you aren't, you can't mop the floor with a dirty mop. So forget about the old fashioned bucket and mop because they get creepy quickly.
I promise I don't have microfiber pieces, but you'd better buy a microfiber mop. It has a rectangular head with a microfiber strip on the end. All you do to wash your floor is get it wet. You don't need any products as the microfiber removes dirt. Then tear off the tape and put it in the laundry.
This means you always have a clean pump head and you don't have to worry about a bucket of water leaking out. You can get replacement heads if you wash your floors every day, but you don't want to keep washing.
REPLACEMENT TOWELS FROM ROLLERS
Some of us will have vulnerable loved ones who come into our homes on Christmas Day, so we need to be vigilant.
Aggie says everyone should have their own towels, but if that's a problem, put some paper towels in the bathroom and kitchen (file picture)
For example, if your in-laws visit you, each should have their own towels and towels. If that's a problem, put some paper towels in bathrooms and kitchens. It's a bit of a waste, but hopefully a unique and interesting move in the short term.
It's also better to have a foot-operated trash can than one that you have to open with your fingers.
If you're going for a Christmas walk, wash your hands every time you step in and pat them dry with your own towel or paper towel.
FOCUS ON POPULAR CONTACT POINTS
Door handles, doors, flush handles, faucets, light switches, remote controls, handrails, game console controllers - clean all surfaces and objects that people frequently touch before guests arrive and while they are with you. And it wouldn't hurt to have hand sanitizer around the house just to remind everyone to do their part.
If you use cleaning sprays, spray their surfaces and let them sit for a few minutes for the product to work. That way, you need less effort. Aggie Bathroom Surface Cleaner (£ 1.99, Poundstretcher.co.uk) is also safe for disinfecting food preparation surfaces and is fragrance free (best when guests are sensitive to chemical odors).
SHOWER YOUR SHOWER
Aggie recommends lining the shower wall with paper towels soaked in clear vinegar overnight to remove limescale (archive image)
If the shower wall is dirty, soak paper towels in clear vinegar, cover with paper, and let sit overnight. Most of the lime has dissolved by morning. Then wash the screen and dry it with microfiber towels, perfect for mirrors and glass.
Vinegar will also help if your drain has a dark ring. Put the lid on, put a little water and a cup of vinegar in the sink, leave it overnight and by the next day this ring will likely be gone. A nylon washer will do the rest. Guests with a blocked bath or shower cannot be accommodated either. Put a handful of soda crystals (79p, tesco.com) in there. You can also add a dose of vinegar. Then use a kettle filled with boiling water to remove grease and foam.
I like the piston too. Try the Oxo drain cap (£ 8, johnlewis.com) to avoid clogging again.
Go up and across the bathroom
You don't want a guest to see an exhaust fan that appears to have a beard growing through its slits. Unplug the power source and use a soft shovel brush to remove dust and lint. It also helps to work efficiently.
To clean the seal, mix equal amounts of bleach and warm water, and scrub it with an old toothbrush to whiten it. Unfortunately, if the sealant is somewhat soiled with black spots, it is because it is no longer a tight seal. Then you have to delete it and start over. Use a sealant that contains a fungicide.
IMPRESS YOUR CUSTOMER WITH YOUR REFRIGERATOR
Aggie recommends removing all refrigerator shelves for a thorough cleaning before entering her Christmas shop (file image).
Before entering a large Christmas shop, take out the salad drawer and make sure everything is alive. Clean up spills immediately. Take all the shelves, including the door, and wash them. Also go into the grooves they fit in. If you have a full size refrigerator make sure you haven't left anything behind. Use a damp microfiber cloth to clean it once a week. You can use a solution of vinegar and water.
Most refrigerators are a mess after a few days, especially if there are a lot of people around the house. If you don't wrap the cheese, the pieces will fall off and the next thing you know is a little bit of mold.
The door seal is particularly prone to mold. So clean them with an old toothbrush. Crumbs also tend to fall on it, so wipe it off thoroughly with a rag.
A dirty refrigerator is not comfortable for visitors. They think, "If it's the fridge, what about my food? The handle and door of the refrigerator need to be cleaned regularly, regardless of whether your guests open them to use or not.
Get your coverage
I like napkins that are suitable for holiday meals, but if you don't want to wash cloth napkins after each meal, use disposable napkins. Make sure everyone has washed their hands before sitting at the table.
Most cutlery goes in the dishwasher, and you should always remove it by the handle, not the grill. If children help unload, remind them to do so.
I heard the suggestion that guests bring their own cutlery, but as far as I'm concerned I might as well ask them to bring their own food!
Aggie (pictured) says sofas and armchairs are often used at Christmas. Cover them with blankets that can be washed as often as needed.
CREATE THE CHRISTMAS PUMP
If you like a certain scent, rosemary and cloves are especially nice this time of year, but you don't want to burn expensive candles, put a few drops of essential oil on a piece of cotton wool and place -el around the back of the radiator or a little on top showing a lightbulb. When heated, the aroma fills the room.
SAVE YOUR SOFA IN ONE START
Sofas and armchairs are of course often used at Christmas, but whether you want to prepare them for guests or wash them afterwards, removing all covers from the sofas is an operation. You will also fear that they will shrink when you wash, and the material is also easily used in every wash. Instead, cover them with blankets that you can wash as often as needed.
If you are concerned about germs on soft surfaces like upholstery and carpets, a steam cleaner is great for freshening up and removing dirt. And to remove dust (yes, they do need dust, too), use slightly damp rags. A duster simply moves the dust somewhere else.
Most of the dust is made up of human skin cells and animals also deposit a large amount. A friend who didn't know a vacuum cleaner didn't know why moths ate its beautiful carpet. Of course there is a connection: moths like dust. This is another reason to clean and vacuum fabrics regularly.
BUT MAKE SURE YOU RELAX TOO
Everyone should help. With Covid, nobody should be responsible for Christmas safety. Most guests will appreciate that you take care of it without being over the top. But talk about what it means. Instead of being a silent martyr, explain what you need and ask everyone to join in so you can relax. The most important thing is to enjoy the comfort.
Find the new range of Aggie surface cleaners at Poundstretcher (aggiestips.com)
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