Your living room should be an area of your home where you can relax and unwind.

In order for you to do this, it help’s if it is clean and tidy. Here are my tips on how to achieve a sparkling living room clean.

This is the time for me to rave on about one of my favourite topics – yes! Miele Vacuum cleaners. The ‘creme de la creme’ of vacuum cleaners, consistently number one in most Which? trials, and more importantly for us, most widely recommended by our Helpers. Miele cylinder vacuums come into their own when cleaning your carpeted rooms, and rooms where other fabric surfaces need attention such as your sofa, curtains, and pet beds.

It is really important to invest in a vacuum cleaner that has at least 3 attachments: The Corner crevice/Extension wand (long with a tapering thin end), the Upholstery tool; great for vacuuming sofas and curtains and your Dusting brush – great for leather sofas, and other dusty surfaces that your arms can’t easily reach with a cloth.

Most Miele models helpfully store the three main tools in it’s body so you need never have to scrabble at the bottom of your cleaning cupboard again.  With it’s helpful variable suction feature you can use your machine to vacuum a large variety of surfaces.  That said, your hand, a good cloth and some elbow grease are still the very best tools for most things.

Things that are commonly forgotten

Don’t forget to dust skirting boards using either the crevice tool, or a cloth. A great tip from my good friend Clair is to put a pair of fluffy socks on and use the edge of your foot to dust the skirting boards.  Genius! Lamps can be vacuumed with the vacuum dusting tool and the lightbulbs dusted by hand with a cloth. Blinds can get a quick dust with the long handled duster, or a more thorough clean with a cloth and one finger. We usually recommend this happens as a ‘Helpful Extra’ twice per year.

Other things to consider

Special items such as brass door knobs, silver ornaments and photo frames all need special polish and cloths. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. It is best to remove the items to the dining room or kitchen counter, covering the surface with newspaper to protect it.

Final touches
Mop your way out of the room, moving furniture back into place as you go.
Clean another room in the house and come back to replace the rugs and dustbins.

That’s it! I hope you find this useful for your living rooms. Now you can sit back, relax and enjoy ‘Strictly’ in a dust-free and sane environment!

We all have a responsibility to protect our environment and at Just Helpers we are aware of the impact that cleaning products can have on the planet.

We strive to just do the right thing in all areas of our agency; from paying the London Living Wage to our Helpers, to providing some reviews on products that are kinder to our planet. We aim to make a difference and help you make the choice that is right for your home.

6 reasons why I love Ecover products.

1. In my opinion it has a gentler less obtrusive smell – and it leaves a fresh and subtle perfume. My mum was the first person to introduce me to Ecover, and the smell takes me back to fond memories of her.
2. I love its extensive range. From dishwasher tablets, toilet cleaner, hand wash, laundry detergent, floor cleaner to multipurpose sprays.  Ecover cover everything you could need.
3. They were the first person to champion green, plant based cleaning products: In 1993, UNEP awarded Ecover for “outstanding achievements in the protection and improvement of the environment”.  ^]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecover
4. Refill centres can be found in many areas, usually in health food shops. This reinforces their authenticity in terms of decreasing harmful packing in the environment. You simply take your current container and refill it or bulk order from Ecover to refill at home. I felt a great sense of achievement being able to do this when I lived in Finsbury Park
5. Their packaging for dishwasher tablets for example, is made from 95 per cent recycled cardboard, and even the plastic wrappers, which are necessary to protect the tablets from moisture, are completely biodegradable.
6. Finally the last thing I love is that Ecover is certified a cruelty-free company. That means that caring philosophy is integral to all areas of their company. Be that humans involved in every level of their business, animals and plants.

The Decision

So, my question to you is this: Are you ready to ditch the bleach for a more environmentally friendly option such as Ecover? Our Colleagues and their clients are divided!  A few clients comment that greener products are not as effective at removing tough stains or stubborn limescale. Whereas other clients swear by  Ecover’s limescale remover.

So the vote is out

Might I suggest that next time you need to stock up on your products why not try Ecover or a similar brand. Please let us know your views at @JustHelpers1 on Twitter or on our Facebook page Just Helpers. We would love to hear from you.

One thing that is undeniable is that humans are having a significant effect on our planet. If we can move to more environmentally friendly products then our marine, animal and plant life would all say thank you.
Antoinette and the Just Helpers Team x

Ecover also give discounts if you sign up to their newsletter or open an account. Click here for more information.
References – http://www.independent.co.uk/extras/indybest/house-garden/kitchen-accessories/10-best-natural-cleaning-products-biodegradable-washing-up-liquid-dishwasher-toilet-cleaner-soap-a7833311.html

I remember when I lived in Kenya for a stint how wonderful it was to have heat all year round.

It wasn’t until I returned home, that I realised how dearly I missed the change of seasons. The crisp cold winters with the potential for snow, the hope that blooms with the first spring flower, the long lazy summer evenings spent with friends around a BBQ with a glass of wine, the breath-taking colours as summer gives way to autumn.

I love that Easter coincides with spring in full bloom. Many of you may see a posy of daffodils or tulips as we carry out encouragement visits to your Helper in your homes. Another little gift from us to you are our new fridge magnets designed for you and your Helper to communicate about products which are running low. Of course if you want to leave a little love note that’s fine too 🙂

We will be rolling out our revised contracts during March and April This helps us get in line with the new GDPR (data protection guidelines) and is a chance for us to review, along with our lawyers, all terms and conditions. Look out for our new e-sign contracts.

Your Helper’s pay rise also happens in March. I know that they have been eagerly waiting this one as it takes them over the £10ph mark.

As many of you know, I am a committed Christian, and Easter – the highlight of my year – is a great opportunity for me to remember the time in history when Jesus lived, died and was resurrected. This impacts my life both now and in the future, it influences the decisions I make on a day to day basis and informs what kind of cleaning agency we run. ‘Just doing the right thing’ is something that I know Jesus would subscribe to.

If you live locally I would love to invite you to our Easter Sunday service at 3:30pm at The Well Centre, Wellfield Road, Streatham. Hope to see you there!

Finally, I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for allowing us to represent your Helpers, for trusting them with your homes and to wish you a Happy Easter, and good times with friends and family.

Warmest wishes,
Antoinette

We are often asking our Helper’s clients for feedback.

This helps us to improve our services and the services of our Helpers as well as offer any new clients the chance to find out what we are really like! The best way to find honest feedback straight from the clients themselves is to go to our Facebook review page. We’ve also decided now and again to publish a more thorough case study of a client journey with Just Helpers to give our readers a bigger picture, this time we’ve interviewed Charlotte, thanks Charlotte!

How long have you had a Helper with Just Helpers?

1 year exactly!

What made you decide to get a cleaner?

I’ve always thought a cleaner was a luxury we didn’t need. However, when I was pregnant I just couldn’t use any cleaning product without it making me sick so the flat was descending into chaos! I knew of Just Helpers and that they use experienced cleaners and pay the London living wage. So decided to go straight to them for a quote. I’m no longer pregnant, but the flat is so much nicer than when the cleaning was left to us… so we are still with them!

Describe your experience of the first home assessment and how it made you feel about Just Helpers

When Antoinette looked around our home I felt she quickly had a good idea of what we needed help with. She suggested that we needed a Helper in for 2.5hrs every fortnight for our space and needs. Initially I thought that was too much. Antoinette explained that she wanted to make sure we had a genuinely clean home after each visit and that things were kept on top of. After a year with regular fortnightly cleans I can say that Antoinette was completely right. If we ever miss a clean it makes a huge difference. I’m glad Antoinette helped us see what was best rather than just going with what I initially wanted.

How do you feel about using a cleaning agency as opposed to a private cleaner?

Very pleased. I wanted the accountability that an agency gives to check and train the cleaner coming into our home. I also like the fact that you can trust the agencies reputation to know that any replacement cleaners will be of the same standard.

Describe some of the experiences you have had with your helper directly

I often work from home or I am looking after my son so I’ve had lots of interactions with both of the Helpers I have had. They have both been friendly and diligent and always let me know if there is something particular they need. In particular, I find my helper is kind and patient even when we come back into our newly cleaned flat and she sees my 7 month old son throw his lunch over her beautifully mopped floor and she recently set up a selection of toys in his cot to play with when he got in, which he loved!

We had a misunderstanding with our first helper when we gave her a back door key but the following week she came in through the front door! We realised that she had picked up a set of spare keys and we hadn’t realised or wanted her to have them. But management were really helpful and sorted the misunderstanding out the same day and returned the keys. Our change in helper came about when our initial cleaner had to leave Just Helpers, one more reason that it is great to use an agency rather than a private individual!

You mentioned the London Living Wage. What does it mean to you that your Helper is paid the London Living Wage?

It’s so important that everyone in London is paid fairly. It seems quite common that those especially from overseas come to London to find work and are underpaid and exploited, which is dehumanising. So I’m happy to pay a bit more to value the excellent work that is done in my home and hopefully support someone working hard to provide for their family.

Your kitchen needs cleaning more regularly than any other room in the house; it is used 2-3 times a day and sometimes much more in shared accommodation.

They can also be the biggest bone of contention for households of any size: “Are you gonna wring that cloth out or just leave it dripping on the side?”… “I don’t think it’s ok to leave your toast crumbs on the worktop”… “How big does this washing up pile have to get for you to start doing it?!”… “Next to the dishwasher is not in the dishwasher, is it?”. I’m afraid we can’t offer any advice for those niggling day to day issues but if you are ever in need of a full top-down clean we are here to help.

Again, as with the bathroom clean, I can’t stress enough how important it is to get a good set of clean microfibre cloths in your arsenal. Here’s what you’ll need for the kitchen, in addition to a white-topped scourer (less harsh than their dark green counterparts):

• Cloth 1: This one may start dry but will get progressively wetter as you go along
• Cloth 2: This one should be done dry and lint-free and used for drying all cleaned surfaces
• Cloth 3: This one is a specialist polishing cloth, best-kept bone dry
• Cloth 4: This is for the dusting

Also, always remember to work from high to low so that you are not leaving spray residue on areas you’ve just done and centre all your cleaning on the sink being the final battle, moving towards it from the left and then the right so you can keep using it to rinse your dirty cloths in hot soapy water right until the last moment.

Step 1: Tackle the lime scale & grease first

Pre-emptively spray the taps and hard lime scale areas around the sink with lime scale remover before moving on to your first job. Also spray the hob with degreaser. Soak any tough looking stains with a splash of water. For Induction or electric hobs: a product called Hobrite works well for stubborn burnt on stains; make sure that the instructions are carefully followed otherwise it is not as effective as it could be. Just leave things soaking for the moment but keep an eye on the time, some of these products have a limit on how long they should lay on the surface.

Step 2: Bins

Empty all bins and spray with anti bac cleaner, leaving it to soak.

Step 3: Clear out the sink

This will probably involve emptying or refilling the dishwasher and switching it on if it is full. Once the sink has been emptied, fill it with hot soapy water ready for your top to bottom wipe down of all surfaces, doors, countertop items and applicances. Think HOT so get your gloves on.

Step 4: Don’t forget the washing

If you need to get the washing machine on now is the time to do it.

Step 5: Doors and handles

Wipe down all the fronts of the cupboard doors with your wet cloth soaked in your hot soapy water, then move on to the handles, not forgetting the rooms doors, light switches, oven buttons and glass oven door – giving an extra squirt of Anti-bac spray for those high ‘finger-fall’ areas. Go over the surfaces with your dry cloth and finish any glass surfaces with the polishing cloth.

Step 6: Counter and Countertop items

Now let’s be logical about this, move items to areas you’ve not yet cleaned in sequence, wipe counter, wipe item, dry counter, return item. Think about some of those special countertop items that attract all the daily use grime too: toasters, kettles, microwaves, coffee machines, bread bins, oil and spices racks…make sure they get a little bit of extra hot soapy love.

Step 7: Hob & Extractor fan

Put any rings and frames into the sink. This is where the pre-soaking will have come in handy. Avoid using the scourer, unless it is a ceramic hob because you won’t realise until after how nasty that scratched patch will look and how much it will catch your eye after every clean. Use the wet cloth to wipe down the hob, rinsing regularly in the sink. The final touch could be to use a metal cleaner, we recommend Cif stainless steel cleaner, then polish with the dry cloth once the final wash has been done. Don’t forget to wipe down the top of the extractor fan too – it can get very greasy up there, even though it is out of your eye line: use a cloth rinsed in warm soapy water and have the polishing cloth on hand to immediately polish once wiped down.

Step 8: Sink and taps

Rinse and clean your wet cloth one more time and drain away the dirty water, not forgetting to wipe down the anti-bac off the bin before your final rinse. Go over the taps and the sink one last time with the kitchen spray and wipe round, polishing as you go afterwards to avoid streaks.

Step 9: Wash the floor

Poor hot water and your floor cleaning solution into the bucket and, working towards the door, wipe the floor with your rung out mop, rinsing as you go.

That’s it! I hope you find this useful for your kitchen.

Following the long running theme of reviewing household appliances to minimise the disturbances to your already busy lives I am moving on to Dishwashers.

It won’t be a surprise to those who know me that I highly recommend a Miele Dishwasher, but I’ve also reviewed a few others below using a mixture of hands-on experience in clients homes and Which? reviews.

No.1 rated Best Buy by Which?: The Miele G6620 SC

It comes as no surprise to us that a Miele appliance is first in the Which? rankings. Highly rated for its energy efficiency as well as its capacity and excellent cleaning and drying. Main issue is that, due to its energy efficiency and ability to get your dishes bone dry at the end the cycle takes 3 hours, also with the handy extra cutlery drawer in the top it also reduces the 2^nd drawer capacity meaning you may struggle to put some larger items up there like a big mug. Overall, Which? rates it as ‘Practically Perfect’. The icing on the cake for me is that at the end of the wash, the door pops open (secured by a nifty child safety catch) allowing the steam to escape and your dishes to complete their drying cycle. Genius!

A good buy under £550: The Integrated Bosch SMV69M01GB

The energy and water efficiency of this dishwasher is excellent when used on the slightly longer Eco program. It is very good at avoiding water marks even on glass and leaves everything very dry. The one down side it that the cutlery drawer is a bit fiddly to load and unload.

Best slim line under £350: The Integrated Belling BELIDW45

With several programs to choose from this dishwasher can be flexible with your washing needs ranging from a long Eco program to a short wash. It is, however, quite noisy compared to other dishwashers and the slim line layout sometimes makes it difficult to cram everything in without unknowingly restricting the wash of items adjacent or underneath – I guess this is often a problem for slim line dishwashers.

One thing that you always need to compliment your dishwasher is an effective dishwasher tablet.  In our experience Lidl does very well with it’s own brand, and the highly recommended Finish tablets also produce a great, dirt free, tea stain busting, glass sparkling clean.

As part of our regular cleaning service we will always unstack a clean dishwasher or load an empty or half empty dishwasher.

You often hear us saying at Just Helpers how much we love our clients and love our colleagues. And it’s true.

Our team take great pride in treating your homes as they would their own. We want to take this opportunity to say thank-you for trusting us with your home and office spaces over this past year, and to some of you, for embracing us as an additional member of your household.  We’ve loved being your Helpers and look forward to journeying with you next year.

Many of you ask me about potential gifts for your Helper.  For all of the team, the very best thing for them is a monetary tip as they are often trying to support family still located in their countries of origin. I will leave this between you and your cleaner, but please do be mindful of your last cleaning day before Christmas with your regular Helper. I would suggest just leaving a card etc, in a prominent place where she is likely to find it.

Christmas and New Year often provide a time and space for us to reboot, rethink and in some cases change direction. I pray for safety and well-being for each and every one of you as you pause, reflect, spend time with family and friends and enter into a new year.

For those of you who live in and around my neighbourhood, Streatham, I’d love to invite you to a Christian carols service at the Hideaway on 10th December at 3.30pm for families and 7.30pm for adults find out more here. It would be great to welcome you there for what I know will be a fab evening.

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas!

Warmest wishes,
Antoinette, and the Just Helpers team

P.S. Our Christmas Charity appeal is underway with bobble hats galore! As a team we have already raised £800, and hope you can join us too. For every £1 raised through Facebook, they will match our donations. Our team voted for two charities: Battersea Dogs & Cats Home and Great Ormond Street Hospital. Because we couldn’t access our chosen charity, Great Ormond Street Hospital through this giving site, we would love you to partner with us and UNICEF too.

Bathrooms are notorious for having the most sparkly things in them: tiles, enamel, porcelain, glass, mirrors, and stainless steel.

They also deal with the biggest enemies of shine on a daily basis: lime scale and soap scum. No wonder our clients find this the toughest room in their house to clean and subsequently the one with the biggest ‘wow’ when we come in and make it sparkle again. So here’s my basic step by step guide on how to clean your bathroom top to toe:

Before we get started let me go on a small rant about cloths, you’ll find I do this a lot. Using a good set of cloths will halve your cleaning time and leave a sparkling finish with minimal effort. I recommend having 4 Mircofibre cloths on hand at the beginning for all you bathroom cleaning needs:

• Cloth 1: This is the duster, which will then end up being the wet one once rinsed
• Cloth 2: This one is dry but will get progressively wetter and dirtier as you go along
• Cloth 3: This one should be done dry and lint free and kept that way
• Cloth 4: This one is a specialist polishing cloth, also left bone dry and lint free

Step 1: Get things going!

Some things take a bit of time to get going so let’s get the first things soaking before we launch ourselves into the scrubbing: Soak toilet with cleaning solution, preferably one that will deal with lime scale like popping in a toilet cleaning tablet into the bowl.  Leave the toilet brush soaking in the toilet pan while cleaning the rest of the bathroom so it too is getting a bit of a clean.

Then it’s all about clutter and dust riddance: Remove dustbins and any other portable items and place them outside the bathroom door. Dust all the surfaces with Cloth 1 like the shelves and window sills and as well as anything on them like ornaments and products. Hoover the floor, before any water activity to ensure that none of the dust starts sticking to things.

Spray glass and chrome with lime scale remover so that can be left doing its work while you start dealing with all the other items. Lime scale can be a huge problem in London homes and other hard water areas, hear my tips about this here.

Step 2: The shower and/or bath

Lay a healthy sheen of surface cleaner on all grimy surfaces. Use your scourer for getting rid of all the grime, or for really lime scale infested areas you might want to get out a toothbrush or grout scrubber, ensuring the surface is tough enough to take it. After this you can scrub round with wet Cloth 1, focusing on all the chrome fittings, rinsing off as you go. Use the squeegee to scrape the excess water from the glass. The final touch is the 2 part Mircofibre rub down – let the shine begin:  Cloth 2 to remove any excess liquid and then Cloth 3 to polish the glass and chrome fittings. Lastly return all the bath/shower paraphernalia to where it came from, having wiped it all down with Cloth 1.

Step 3: The toilet

This is the last job cloth 1 will need to do: Rinse the cloth out well so there’s no excess water dripping everywhere, use your antibacterial spray and clean the top of the toilet pedestal, being sure to give the flush mechanism a good wipe.  Fold the cloth in half and use a fresh side to wipe down the top of the toilet lid. Fold the cloth in half again and set aside. Now use 3 sheets of folded toilet paper and anti-bacterial spray to wipe down the space behind the toilet seat, the toilet side of the toilet lid, the upper and lower side of the toilet seat, the chrome fittings of the toilet seat and the top lip of the toilet basin. The order is important: moving from the cleanest to the dirtiest parts of your loo to avoid cross contamination.

With the seat the the lid lifted, use the toilet brush to thoroughly scrub the inside of the toilet basin being sure to get underneath the rim and also as far into the u-bend as you can. Flush the toilet, rinsing the toilet brush under the stream.

Finally use trusty Cloth 2 and anti-bac spray to wipe the wall or tiles behind the toilet and outside of the pedestal.

Step 4: Mirror, mirror on the wall…

Even at this late stage Cloth 3 should look like it’s barely left the drawer so can be on the mirror with a small squirt of glass cleaner to limit the streaks.

Use the pristine Cloth 4 glass polisher to get that sparkly streak free finish and use the same cloth to finish the shower screen glass and all of the tabs and other chrome fittings. Step back and admire the dazzle.

Step 5: The sink

You’ve probably been using your sink to rinse your cloths and sponge and store all the wet things as you’ve been going along so now is the time to start clearing up the mess and give the sink a squirt with your all-purpose spray, scrub round with the scourer, Cloth 2 and 3, not forgetting the splash back tiles and pedestal.

Step 6: The towel rail

Use Cloth 2 to remove dust and dirt from the towel rail and give it a polish with Cloth 3 to finish. Fold towels beautifully for the that Just Helpers Finish!

Step 7: The floor

Assuming you have a tiled bathroom floor you can now crack on with the final task, get some extra hot water, mop, bucket & floor cleaner making sure you work into all the easily neglected areas like round the toilet and in the corners where the grime usually gathers. Open a window and leave to dry.

Step 8: Return everything to normality

Empty the dustbin and spray and wipe the inside and outside, polishing where necessary and then wipe down any other portable fittings that were removed at the beginning. Wait for the floor to dry, replace all items and pat yourself on the back for a good job done!

Step 9: Reflect

Sit down and have a cup of tea, think to yourself, ‘I’m never going through all that again’ and get in touch to book your Helper to do it for you!

You may have heard of fish spa’s, who use Garra rufa, also known as doctor fish to eat the dead skin from feet..

But did you know it’s now possible to employ another kind of water dwelling creature, to clean your toilet?

The Malaysian Trumpet Snail or MTS, is being touted by eco-nomists as the next best green alternative to toilet bleaches and cleaners that are currently polluting our waterways and threatening fish populations across Britain. Currently only being tested in medium-soft water areas, the snail, which breaks down limescale into calcium to build its shell, also eats any leftover unwanted streaks left in the bowl, leaving your toilet sparkling like new.

So how does it work? Tests were initially done by leaving the snails in a tank installed in the bathroom during the day and moving them to the toilet bowl each night but concerns about disturbing the snails so regularly led to studies to find a species of snail that could survive, and even thrive, undisturbed in the toilet bowl permanently. The unique streamlined shape of the MTS allows it to stick rigidly to the side of the bowl during flushes and movements whilst managing to catch enough ‘food’ to live on happily without needing any dietary supplements. A recommended maximum of 3 snails per bowl should get your toilet bowl sparkling in under 3 weeks.

So it’s bye-bye to water damaging cleaning products and hello to happy toilet cleaning snails! Who knows what will catch on next – toenail clipping lizards?

Expel from your mind images of dark cellars and creeping damp patches and you’ll be left with the reasonably modern problem of mould caused by condensation.

Condensation is caused when warm moist air hits cold surfaces it is largely attributed to the addition of airtight double glazing to homes that are poorly insulated. Home builders have started to cotton on to this and now install double glazing with air vents to allow the moist air to circulate with air outside, as well as improving insulation in walls and roofs.

For those of us not blessed with a new build or a large air circulating wood burner, it can feel like a constant battle when the temperature outside starts to drop every year. Here are a few tips for combatting the looming black speckles:

Prevention is better than cure:

The centre for sustainable energy gives some great tips for trying to prevent mould growing in your home:

1. Produce less moisture: keep lids on boiling pans, dry clothes outdoors etc.
2. Let moist air out and fresh air in: install extractor fans, open windows after cooking or showering, make gaps between walls and furniture to allow air to circulate.
3. Get rid of moisture: wipe down windows and wring out the cloth, get a dehumidifier if it is really bad, but they can often be costly to run. If you are in the market for a dehumidifier the top scoring best buy on Which.co.uk is the Meaco 20L Platinum. Their DD8L is also high scoring and £100 cheaper.
4. Paint your walls with mould resistant paint, here’s a good additive you could use if you’ve already bought the paint.

Getting rid of existing mould:

Firstly kill the mould with a decent mould spray. In the past I’ve used Domestos, Ultra white & sparkle bleach and HG mould spray, these offer good results but they are basically 99% bleach so very harsh on surfaces and difficult to use without passing out or staining clothes. There are a couple of less harsh ones, but results are not satisfactory – Dettol Mould and Mildew remover being one of them.

Secondly, if you haven’t opted to repaint your wall with mould resistant paint then give it a good wash with a fungicide, here’s a well rated one on amazon.

How can we help?

We can tackle some of your bathroom based mould over the course of 3-4 weekly cleans, but unfortunately we are not fully insured to use wide spread bleach based mould killers or fungicide in your homes, even for deep cleaning. They carry health risks for our helpers using them regularly and pose quite serious damage dangers on your furnishings. This means any large patches of damp on walls and windows need to be dealt with by a local specialist.