Tips on keeping your home clean, safe and fresh

Cleaning, tidying and refreshing our homes has never been so important and not only for the obvious reason. Many of us are spending more time within our four walls and if indoors is messy and grubby, it has a negative effect on wellbeing. Keeping the air within our homes fresh is also important for health reasons.

I’ve always seen cleaning as a chore and generally do the minimum. It’s a trait I inherited from my 75-year-old mother who has surprised us all by preaching the gospel of housework as a satisfying way to wile away the hours of confinement. Her Damascene moment came after tackling the dark and crusty depths of her cooker with Lakeland’s “complete deep clean oven kit”, £19.99, and a £12.99 soaking tray for oven racks that don’t fit in most sinks. She was thrilled with the results so it was £32.98 worth of pure joy.

She has now planned a cleaning and tidying schedule that takes in all those places she rarely bothers with including the pantry shelves, the pan cupboard, the washing machine, under the beds, the wardrobes, the skirting boards and the mouldy grout holding together the bathroom tiles.

Here are some tips for cleaning, some of which have coronavirus in mind, along with advice on how to improve the air quality in your homes.

*You don’t have to spend a fortune on cleaning products to help combat coronavirus on surfaces. Clean with warm, soapy water and then disinfect them using diluted household bleach solutions or household disinfectants that can kill viruses, including flu and MRSA. Dettol says that some of its products have demonstrated effectiveness against coronavirus strains from the same family as Covid-19. They include Dettol antibacterial surface cleanser spray and wipes, Dettol all-In-one disinfectant spray, and Dettol disinfectant liquid.

*It’s still not completely clear how long coronavirus can remain on a surface so it is good practice to pay attention to areas that have high use and that are touched frequently. Door handles, light switches, the kettle, fridge, TV remote control, oven knobs, toilets, sinks, baths, taps and food preparation areas are just some of the places that you should clean more regularly.

*The NHS also advises that you dry surfaces, such as worktops and chopping boards, thoroughly after cleaning as dampness helps any remaining germs to survive and multiply.

Use disposable cloths or paper towels when possible or wash reusable cloths at 60 degrees or higher.

*Each person should have a designated towel each and, if you are living in a rented, shared house, then do not share a tea towel. Wash towels and tea towels regularly at 60 degrees or higher. Choose a biological powder for laundry as they have more bleaching agents than non-biological powders and wash your hands after handling dirty laundry.

*If you are really serious about cleaning, then the go-to guru du jour is Sophie HInchliffe, aka Mrs Hinch. There’s lots of hype surrounding her but she does have some great ideas and quite a few are rooted in the past. Her book, Hinch Yourself Happy – all the best cleaning tips to shine your sink and soothe your soul, is a best-seller. Eighty seven per cent of those who bought it and reviewed it via Amazon gave it five stars.

*As for tidying, good storage solutions are your best friends. I suggest looking at the Ikea website as it has some great ideas via its storage and organisation section.

*Clean, fresh air is vital, especially if you are sharing the house with many others so open windows regularly to blast fresh air in.

*Use oven extractors and change the filter regularly. Frying food produces toxic fumes and humidity caused by cooking can cause black mould.

*Check your candles as many are made from paraffin wax, which gives off carcinogenic benzene and toluene. Artificial fragrances and dyes also give off chemicals. Instead, opt for soy wax and natural scents. You should also ditch air fresheners.

*You can buy plug-in air purifiers. Dyson specialises in them and they claim to catch up to 99.95 per cent of particle pollutants using a HEPA filtration system. They cost from about £250. There are cheaper versions but do your homework on the reviews.

*Newly-painted rooms can continue to give off harmful pollutants for months after the paint has dried. Opt for chalk, clay and other eco-friendly paints. Lakeland Paints are specialists. One of their slogans is “So safe, a baby can eat it”. Its range starts at £57.91 for five litres.

*Black mould is dangerous to health and is caused by damp and poor ventilation. You can scrub it off but it is likely to return so look at ventilating the area and getting rid of condensation. Dehumidifiers can work wonders.

*Invest in houseplants. They look good, neutralise pollutants and are also oxygenators.