Clean it, Fix it…

I do like the fact that this show uses basic cleaning ingredients. However, whereas, it is obvious that most things can be 'fixed' given highly knowledgeable and experienced builders, etc, tpractical use.he 'look; at the end than well as all appropriate tools - sometimes they seem more concerned with final look than practicability.

Few days ago, a small chest of drawers had its top replaced to make it also serve as a desk. Top top off and replaced it with one overlapping front by a good few inches. Great as a desk area, however, it made the top drawer of this furniture totally and competely inaccessible and unusable. Had they made that overlapping area hinged would have solved that problem.

I noticed that about the desk, too. I’ve always used vinegar and bicarbonate of soda but often had to resort to heavy duty cleaners as I never thought to add washing up liquid or tea tree oil to the mixture. I made the rice and rosemary oil room freshener yesterday and it really works! Unfortunately I’ve started to use Microfibre cloths as advised by Lorraine: I’ve had some for years but never used them because I thought they were bad for the environment but they really work. Annoyingly there was only one episode of series one on utube. I sat down to watch some of the others and they weren’t available.I don’t see how they can possibly do that work in a day. I reckon they do it in 24 hours but don’t include the time spent waiting for paint to dry. At least they’re honest and say they move the clutter into another room and expect the home owner to sort it out at leisure.

Ye, Maybee70, and I think they have some unseen helpers as well.

Maybee - I want to try that rice and essential oil room freshener. Something new to me. Also, I had never thought of adding washing up liquid to my cleaning mixes. Have used bicarb of soda and vinegar for a very long time. My days from stripping wallpaper are long past, but that was interesting also.

Memories of removing wood chip from this house when we first moved in! Fabric conditioner got rid of dried on sap on my car so it stands to reason it will dissolve wallpaper paste. There would still be a lot of preparation to get the wall ready to paint though, surely? I need to find some wallpaper to practice on. I’m not a wallpaper person but I didn’t dislike that wallpaper. What happened to the green paint?I hadn’t got any nice fabric for the room freshener but I did have some cotton knickers with a nice floral pattern. I’ve never worn them…went up a size or two before I got round to opening the packet so I cut them up using pinking shears. I need to make a note of what combination of baking soda/washing up liquid/tea tree/vinegar to use for which jobs.

….just cleaned and sorted out the cupboard under the sink. Lorraine would be proud of me….

It is one of the programmes I have got ready to watch.
Have watched a few episodes but plan to watch more.

I love everything about it. I’m someone that has a junk filled cluttered house but I’ve always been obsessed with keeping the parts that other people don’t see clean and organised! The living room can be a mess but I’ll go and clean my cutlery drawer or put my cd’s or dvd’s in order! I like the dynamic between the three presenters as well: it wasn’t as good when Tommy wasn’t on the programme last week. I’ve always saved spray bottles that have contained anti bacterial etc and I’m going to use them for Lorraine’s tips eg using peppermint oil to deter spiders. I had a house fly on my compost caddy the other day and realised it was laying eggs which was a bit gross (it was because I’d had the back door open): the contents were in a green bag but the fly didn’t realise that because she could smell what was in it, but I’ve realised I can put some rosemary or peppermint oil on the carbon filter.

When I was in my house I always used conkers, freshly collected each year and liberally scattered around window cills and door entrances, and these definitely deterred most spiders from the house. Think Lakeland doe a chestnut anti-spider spray

Since I have lived in this flat (three and half years now), only ever seen two spiders. Perhaps it is because I am onthe first floor.

I’ve just realised that I thought Maxine was called Lorraine. Where did I get that name from?

Where do you buy the essential oils?
Do you buy white vinegar in bulk? If so, where from please?

Franbern

When I was in my house I always used conkers, freshly collected each year and liberally scattered around window cills and door entrances, and these definitely deterred most spiders from the house. Think Lakeland doe a chestnut anti-spider spray

Since I have lived in this flat (three and half years now), only ever seen two spiders. Perhaps it is because I am onthe first floor.

I find that if I get rid of all spiders, I get more flies. Actually prefer spiders to flys in the fly season.

I once saw Maxine pressure wash a rug, something I'd also seen on YouTube but by someone in California. I didn't do it because our weather just wasn't hot enough to quickly dry the rug but I might give it a try now while it's hot - if I can get my pressure washer to work 🙄

I’ve got lots of essential oils that I’ve bought from Holland and Barrett over the years ( there was a recipe for something to help my hair from which, I think included rosemary, peppermint and something else and I use lavender in my bath). I just buy white vinegar from the supermarket but I’d buy it in bulk if I could. I can’t use conkers because they’re poisonous to dogs and my dog eats everything, the more dangerous the better! I washed a Hug Rug the other day, They’re supposed to be machine washable but this one was too big to put in the machine so I washed it in a tub and it was so hot it dried in the garden!

I buy white vinegar in bulk from Amazon - it really is bulk, 4 x 5lt plastic containers. We buy 8 x 5lt and it lasts us most of the year for cleaning and a few other things.

MayBee70
I can’t be the only one who’s wondering how a toilet can get so dirty that it takes 2 hours to get clean.
If you clean a toilet every day there’s nothing to clean, if you see what I mean.

It may seem trivial, but my disabled daughter has a drink bottle with a long, bendy plastic drinking tube, how do I clean the tube? Bottle brushes only go so far, so it`s clean for about 8" at each end, but the rest looks disgusting, despite me soaking it twice a day. I`ve written to the suppliers, NRS Medical supplies, but no reply.

MerylStreep

MayBee70
I can’t be the only one who’s wondering how a toilet can get so dirty that it takes 2 hours to get clean.
If you clean a toilet every day there’s nothing to clean, if you see what I mean.

That was gross wasn’t it! I’m pleased with my new clean toilet, though. I don’t know why it’s always been smelly other than the fact that it was a nasty cheap one. I even tried shaving foam on it which I’d read about but that didn’t work. I didn’t realise about upvc windows having to be cleaned with something non abrasive though. I’ve made note of that because I’m having one fitted soon.

Hellogirl1

It may seem trivial, but my disabled daughter has a drink bottle with a long, bendy plastic drinking tube, how do I clean the tube? Bottle brushes only go so far, so it`s clean for about 8" at each end, but the rest looks disgusting, despite me soaking it twice a day. I`ve written to the suppliers, NRS Medical supplies, but no reply.

Could you put a photo of it up? I’ve always wondered about things like that.

My camera isn`t co-operating right now. The item is on the NRS website, it`s called the Hydrant bottle. It`s just the thing for Lynne, but I worry about the hygiene aspect.

I’ll look it up. I’m just about to watch todays episode which I missed because I was watching Parliament….

Hellogirl1, would a fizzy Steradent tablet or Milton whoosh through the straw to clean it ? Or maybe a wire wrapped in thread like a homemade giant pipe cleaner then pulled through or maybe a bootlace threaded through ?

Gosh , I looked online , the tube is very long for my home spun ideas - sorry .x

Purely by chance, I watched an episode of this programme this morning. I had never seen it before. It was the one with the single dad in a flat in London.

I liked the way the lady cleaning used mainly natural ingredients rather than bought products

I used to like Tommy Walsh when he was on TV years ago. He looks quite a bit thinner now.

I intend to watch more programmes as they give sensible, practical advice

My father was really good at DIY. My DH is rubbish at it, even though he has every tool going. I find this very frustrating. I do as much as I can myself but don't have confidence with a drill or with electrical stuff.

It is so hard to find a tradesman who is prepared to come out to do small jobs.