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Back to school - cleaning tips for after the school holidays
Back to school - cleaning tips for after the school holidays

It’s that time again – the kids are going back to school! And after the past few weeks of holidays, we are sure your house is looking pretty messy. But keeping your house clean and the kids out of trouble shouldn’t be a chore in itself, so here are some simple tips for removing those everyday stains quickly and easily.

1. Wall Marks

Encouraging the kids to be creative is great, but did they take it a bit too far and decide to redecorate the living room wall with crayons and permanent markers? A very effective stain remover is car-part lubricant. Spray it onto the stained area and then wipe clean with a soft cloth. If the stain still persists, wash the surface using a sponge soaked in a solution of dishwashing detergent and warm water – move the sponge in a circular motion and then rinse well.

2. Tile Floor Stains

Tile flooring is a durable choice for kitchens, bathrooms, and other areas of the home but it can easily get wet and dirty from everyday use. With proper care, tiled flooring can look like new for years. For regular cleaning of tiles, first sweep or vacuum as this removes loose dirt, food crumbs and other pieces of debris that have accumulated. Once all the loose dirt has been cleaned, mop the floor using a steam mop to ensure a spotless and sanitised, germ free floor that is safe for kids. Or for even quicker cleaning, try the BISSELL Vac & Steam - this hard floor cleaner will vacuum and steam clean your floors at the same time!

 3. Carpet Stains

Carpet spills and stains can be a nightmare especially when you have kids or pets. And, with stains such as crayons, pencils, markers, juice and dirt, it is almost an inevitable fact of life. But not to worry – there are a couple of simple methods you can use to successfully clean your carpets without having to call in expensive cleaners. The first thing to do is try and immediately dab the stain lifting as much excess liquid as possible, using a kitchen towel. Next, try soaking a cloth in warm water and dab the stain, rinsing the cloth frequently and changing the water as soon as it becomes coloured.  Avoid using soap or detergent, but you can either add one or two drops of vinegar or ammonia to help shift the stain.

If the stain persists, the next step would be to use a carpet cleaner with a cleaning solution. Using a carpet cleaner with powerful scrubbing brushes and vacuum suction to clean deep down into carpets is ideal. The deep cleaners inject a mixture of cleaning solution and water deep into your carpet fibres. The brushes then mix up, scrub and loosen the dirt and/or stain while powerful vacuum suction lifts it all away.

4. Upholstery Stains

Sofas and chairs are vulnerable to surface stains, dust and dirt that become deeply embedded into the fibres. Even if you can’t see the dirt, it is still there, so cleaning your upholstery on a regular basis is very important and it doesn’t have to be that difficult.  White vinegar, baby wipes and BISSELL stain removing sprays are ideal for removing surface stains. After using the vinegar it’s best to use a soapy solution to give the area an intensive clean and help remove the vinegar smell. Your sofa will then need to air dry so open windows or use a fan.

If the stain doesn’t want to lift, it would be best to use a vacuum or spot cleaner combined with cleaning solutions to quickly remove those stains. The powerful suction removes embedded dirt and stains from the bottom up.