Your tried and tested cleaning tips

I put practically everything (other than fabric) in the dishwasher to clean them rather than spend ages scrubbing- dirty toys from the garden, bits out of the shower tray drain away, plastic combs-anything plastic really, the rings off the cooker, cans/bottles for recycling and so on.

For those of us who live in hard water areas where limescale in and around taps and kettles is a problem, ordinary household vinegar can resolve problems.

Brushed around taps and then "dabbed in" for a few minutes will resolve the limescale, while in kettles a 50/50 dilution and then boil will produce a shinning lime-free interior.

Soda crystals will also clear the pipes and interiors of washing machines leaving a lovely "sweet-smelling appliance after a few applications.

Cheap and. Cheerful solutions that I have applied for many years. ?

I use one of those too, it’s made by Flash and is called a “magic eraser” sponge.

GrandmaMoira I would think once the dishwasher heated up they may well crack because they would still be very cold- I have not tried it.

What are these white sponges please?

I love those white sponges that literally rub out marks on practically any surface. I have even got grubby marks off wallpaper round light switches - you just damp them and squeeze out really well, then gently rub. They do not actually remove dirt, just loosen it, e. g. on plastic or glass. You have to clean those surfaces afterwards in the usual way, but the marks and stains have been dealt with and the rest is a doddle.

Charleygirl - why do we need to get the fridge shelves up to room temperature? Will they crack in the dishwasher if too cold?

To clean the base of an oven- maybe try this out on an inconspicuous spot first but I have a plain electric oven so I wet a dishwasher tablet- but not too wet and rub the base of the cooker with that and any dried on "stuff" will loosen and it will be easy to wipe away.

Top tip Charleygirl. Thanks

You need a dishwasher for this one.

Take shelves out of the fridge and leave them in the kitchen for a couple of hours or however long it takes to get them to room temperature.

Pop as many as will fit into the dishwasher and I usually set my machine on the fastest cycle which is 30 minutes. Pop in relevant tablets etc. The end result is sparkling clean shelving with little input by the owner. I normally do two washes because not all fit in at the same time.