Top Tip Tuesday – Open the Windows

Spring is just around the corner and so is Spring cleaning but did you know that a lot of dust is stirred up when we clean?  Whether it is vacuuming, sweeping, moping or even dusting itself, lots of the pesky particles can become airborne by the very thing we are trying our best to remove it with.

Dust can have a detrimental effect on our health and is responsible for many allergies, breathing problems and asthma so minimising dust in our environment is always going to be a good thing.

The best advice I have read, when cleaning, is to open the windows in you home so that the air can pass through, not only does this allow you to rid your home of stale air but it will also help to carry out any airborne dust particles that have been stirred up by cleaning.

There are a few other ways to reduce dust, even before it gets into the air, misting surfaces with cleaner or even a soapy water mixture using a spray bottle and then using a damp cloth to wipe over any dusty surfaces is one.  The other is to check whether ornaments are safe to be washed, either in the dishwasher or by hand, and cleaning them that way rather than using traditional methods.

Do you have any favourite Spring Cleaning tips?  I’d love to know what they are in the comments!

Top Tip Tuesday

I have to hoover my home fairly frequently due to haveing a dog (Roxy!) but I have found that over time, although the suction on my machine remains strong, it starts to smell a bit.

I have a Dyson and take time to clean the container that collects the dust and dirt and use a brush to clean away debris from any visible parts but sometimes that isn’t enough to get rid of the smell.

Unfortunately, the way all vacuums are designed, air is sucked in along with any dirt, and air is blown out.  It is this air that is emitted that sometimes can smell a bit musty.

When I have performed a clean of the machine I like to add a few drops of essential oil*  (my favourites are lemon, lime or orange) to a cotton ball or tissue and place that into the container before replacing on the machine.  Another thing I like to do is to remove and clean the filters, thoroughly dry them and add a little bit of scent to the filter.  I try to steer clear of adding oils to the filter as they can capture dust and block up the filter really quickly, instead I like to spritz on some room spray or a body spray (my favourite scents for this is Charlie Sexy –  a vanilla orchid scent) which leave the room smelling lovely with a hint of scent rather than being too overpowering.

*If you have pets, please be careful when using any essential oil or any product that contains essential oils as some oils can be toxic or even fatal to pets.  Please do your research before using any essential oils.

Top Tip Tuesday

I am pretty lucky that I don’t mind cleaning, and dare I say it, I do enjoy it on the whole but one of the things I really dislike cleaning is the bath or shower, no matter how much cleaning they never seem to be totally clean.  My top tips for today are things I have learned to make the job easier.

• Clean the bath or shower after it has been used.  The heat and steam generated by having a bath or shower makes it easier for the dirt to come away from the surface, whether it is the bath or shower screen.
• Use a window squeegee to remove water from tiles and shower screens, this helps to leave a sparkling finish with no watermarks.
• Old toothbrushes are brilliant for hard to reach areas such as the shower door runners, around taps, the shower hose and showerhead.
• Remove the showerhead and soak it in a solution of white vinegar to remove limescale.
• Clean the plughole after every use of the shower or bath, this will stop any hair or other matter from building up and blocking the drain.

Do you have any tips for cleaning the bath or shower?  I’d love to hear about them in the comments!

 

Top Tip Tuesday – Backup Data Regularly

I’m still having connectivity issues with my internet which is making everything super hard at the moment.  My only source of internet is through my mobile phone and I have no idea why the signal keeps dropping and then coming back, after speaking with my phone provider and doing some settings changes and re-starting my phone and other things I have come to the conclusion that I may need to factory re-set my phone and wipe all data and settings, apps, images and all the other information my phone holds to resolve the issue.  The only problem with this is that I have not backed up any of my data in so long that it will take an age to go through it all and retrieve all of the data and information that is on it, which is really frustrating but it does bring me nicely into my Top Tip for Tuesday…. Backup Data Regularly.

It is crazy how much I rely on my phone, not just to make contact with people but for internet services, email, photos, notes, phone numbers and all sorts of other things that I need, maybe not daily but certainly on a week to week basis.  It really is important to make a backup copy of all that information stored on it, and for that matter, our computers too, and to make this part of a monthly routine.

I am lucky that my phone still, sort of, functions and I can access the data on it (and be able to use it, even if it is just its basic functions) and that I am able to perform a data backup but, if I wasn’t I am not sure what I would do.

So, please, whatever you do, go and backup your data and store it safely, you never know what may happen to any device you use, that is my Top Tip for the week!

Do you backup your data and if so how do you store it and how often do you do this?  I’d really like to hear your comments on this so let me know!