Singapore's Favourite Spring Cleaning Tips

The annual Spring Cleaning season has begun. It is the time of the year where Singaporeans start to declutter and dispose of the deteriorated, all while getting ready to decorate their home with new delights.

With only two weeks left into the Lunar New Year, we have come up with a list of our favourite spring cleaning tips and effective cleaning products to help you navigate through the mess!

For those skipping the spring cleaning season this year, these tips are useful all year round so read on, and you might find something interesting along the way.

Here is a quick overview of our most popular spring cleaning tips:

1. How do you deep clean your washing machine?
2. How to clean the living room?
3. How do you clean your carpet or rug?
4. Deep cleaning your toilet and bathroom
5. How to clean your oven?
6. Top tips for cleaning tile floors
7. Remove rust stains
8. How to keep wooden floors like new?
9. How to clean windows?
10. How to keep your mattress clean?

How do you deep clean your washing machine?

We all have that hardworking washer at home that delivers fresh smelling laundry with every load spun. While our washing machine washes our clothes, who would have thought that the washer would require washing too?

Cleaning your washing machine on a regular base will help prevent the buildup of mould, limescale, dust, dirt, and soap deposits. All can be bad for your health. And since they stink, your clothes might not smell as fresh as you love them to be after washing.

In case you have a front loading washing machine, take extra care of rubber gasket around the door, which often remains wet.

A proven solution to get rid of the scale in your washing machine is the HG Quick Descaler. It's really effortless. Add HG Quick Descaler to the detergent tray. Next, run the shortest programme with a temperature of 60 °Celcius and switch the machine off halfway through the programme and wait 20 minutes to ensure the washing machine descaler works properly. After 20 minutes leave the machine to finish the programme. Now your washing machine is ready for use. Use HG Quick Descaler for effortless cleaning. Not only is it efficient in descaling your washing machine, the HG Quick Descaler is also suitable for use on other household appliances such as your coffee machines and electric kettles!

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How to clean the living room?

A clean living room is essential to give your guest a warm welcome into your home.

Here is a living room cleaning checklist to help you get started: 

• Empty the shelves and remove all dust. These 3M Scotchbrite Cloths are a huge time saver for all dusting, and safe for any surface cleaning.
• Don't forget your picture frames, which also collect a lot of dust, clean the glass, and do not forget to remove dust from the picture frames' top. Tip: this glass cleaner is perfect for the job.
• Clean the lampshades and ceiling fans. It's a good idea to dust and clean the lampshades and the ceiling fans at least once a week. 
• Clean flooring. Sweep or vacuum the floor at least once a week. It is vital to clean your floor regularly to eliminate dirt and grime. For a serious floor cleaning job, the HG Extreme Power Cleaner is the way to go. 
• Remove all area rugs and shake out. Vacuum all carpets, moving furniture so you can access under all of the pieces.
• Clean the coffee table. Your coffee table can quickly collect dust and grime, so it is essential to clean it regularly. Wash the chairs.
• Next is your sofa: remove all cushions and vacuum them. Fluff your pillows and vacuum as well. If your cushion covers are removable, remove and wash before returning. If not, you may spot treat them for stains, for instance with HG Stain Away Series.
• Last, but not least: remove the dust on your house plants with a moist cloth. 

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How do you clean your carpet or rug?

Carpet cleaning is a process that can be done all by yourself, so long as you have the right tools. To keep it simple, you just have to vacuum and shampoo your carpets every few months.

How to clean your carpet?

The first step in cleaning your carpet is to ensure that you have the right tools for the job. This means having a vacuum cleaner suited for carpet cleaning with a rotating brush head to get all the dirt and grime out of the more heavily soiled areas of your carpet. It also means having a pail to collect the dirty water and a wide-tooth comb to un-mat your carpet and allow for better penetration of the cleaning solution.

1. Vacuum clean your carpet thoroughly, it helps to use a handheld vacuum cleaner (like this Black & Decker Cordless Hand Vacuum) to clean hard to reach spots.
2. Next, treat stains with the HG Stain Spray Extra Strong, which removes even the worst stains like wine, coffee, chocolate, sauces, lipstick, shoe polish and more. 
3. Evenly spread the HG Carpet & Upholstery Cleaner on the entire carpet with a brush. The better you brush it in, the cleaner the end result. Dry the carpet with a clean towel.

How to clean a rug?

If you live in a house with hardwood or tile floors and area rugs, it's more likely than not that you'll need to clean your carpets at least once a year. Professional rug cleaners can do the job, but it's not cheap. You also have to dedicate an afternoon to drop off the carpet and wait for the cleaners to do their thing. Instead, you should try to do the job yourself.

With a little hard work and elbow grease, you can get rid of any stains or spots that are clinging to your rug. To get started, you'll need some supplies. Dampen a sponge or paper towel with a small amount of all-purpose cleaner. Scrub the stain or spot in a circular motion, and blot away the excess. Repeat if needed. Spray a drop of cleaner on a white towel. (Don't wipe!) Blot the stain or spot away from the carpet, but don't rub it in! For more severe stains, use our favourite carpet stain remover: 3M Scotchguard Fabric & Carpet Cleaner.

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Deep cleaning your toilet and bathroom

At first glance, it may seem that cleaning the toilet would be the easiest thing to do in your home. However, with all the stains, smears and other grime, cleaning your toilet or bathroom can take quite a lot of time. Here are some simple steps to clean your toilet.

Clean your toilet in 4 steps.

• Use a cleaning solution and toilet bowl brush on the inside. We prefer the HG Hygenic Toiler Area Cleaner, also because it smells so fresh.
• When did you replace your toilet brush for the last time? Maybe it's time for a fresh new one, like this high-performance toilet scrubber.
• Use a sponge to wipe the outside of the bowl too, with a mild soap.
• Be sure to dry all surfaces to prevent mould and mildew growth. This simple task takes only a few minutes but can make a big difference in how often you have to clean your toilet. Need to remove some mould? The Selleys Rapid Mould Killer makes that job a whole lot easier.

Tips for a cleaner bathroom

• In every bathroom, we use soap to clean, but all that soap can build up and make your bath and shower wall look far from clean. Use a bleach-free soap scum remover to make sure your bathroom looks like new again. 
• Having trouble to remove mould from your silicone seals? Time to replace them! Cut them carefully loose with a sharp knife. Next, use the Selleys NO MOULD White Silicone Sealant as an easy to apply replacement sealer.
• Over time limescale builds up and takes the shine away. But you can restore your bathroom into its former glory within minutes, with this cleaner. Just by putting a few drops on a sponge every now and then, and then thoroughly wipe over the surfaces. Rinse off, or remove with a damp cloth for the best result.

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How to clean the oven?

Clean the oven. Seriously. You don't want to. No one wants to. But if you're looking for the best way to clean a stainless steel oven, you've come to the right place.

Our favourite oven cleaning tips:

• Open the oven and remove all the racks and accessories. The goal here is to expose as much of the oven surface as possible. If you have a self-cleaning oven, you will probably want to choose another day for this task. 
• Starting at the top left of the oven, pour the mixture of baking soda and vinegar onto the surface. The mixture will bubble as it reacts with the grease and grime that tends to build upon the oven's walls.
• Need something more powerful to clean your oven? The HG Oven, Grill & Barbeque Cleaner is a spray that removes even the toughest baked-on grease and dirt with ease. Tip: warm your oven for a few minutes before applying this spray.

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Top tips for cleaning tile floors

Cleaning your tile floor is not easy. When cleaning the floor, you need to have the right products, tools, and equipment to keep it clean. Below are some tips to help you clean your tile floor. 

If you want to know more about how to clean tile floors, just follow the tips below. 

This is how you clean a tile floor:

1. The first thing to do is to get rid of the loose debris and dirt on the floor. You need to sweep the floor gently to remove the debris. To remove this dirt, you can use a vacuum cleaner or a the Scotchbrite easy sweeper. 
2. Mop the floor, starting in the back and moving to the front of the room, so you will not lock yourself in. We love to use the Rejuvenate Spray Mop System because it is lightweight, practical, and easy to use. 
3. Don't use too much detergent, this can make your tiles look hazy. Just a cup of the economical CIF Disinfectant floor cleaner in a bucket of water is enough to get your floors shiny and free of germs.
4. Want that bit of extra shine? Dry your floor after mopping with a lint-free, clean cloth. Microfiber cloths are great for this finishing touch.
5. 
   Clean often. If you clean your tile floor regularly, you'll save a lot of time in the long run. You do not always have to mop, even a quick sweep is helpful.

If you love to keep your hard floors super clean, have a look at the Black & Decker Floor Steam Mop, the #1 Steam Cleaner for sealed hard floors in Singapore. It will keep the grime away, kills 99.9% of all bacteria and germs without the need for chemicals. If you order it today before 2pm, we will ship out immediately.

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Remove rust stains

Although rust stains are most common on floors, they can also occur on other surfaces such as fabrics, toilets, and sinks. Many people have rust stains in their house, and sometimes these stains can be tough to remove. There are a few different types of rusts, and each one has another way of removing it. The following are some tips for removing rust stains on a variety of items in your home. 

Rust removal tips:

• Start with some (fresh) lemon juice. You can also use a mix of vinegar and salt.
• Sprinkle the stain with the juice, and let it dry. Drying in the sun is best.
• Thoroughly wash the cleaning liquid away with water.
• Repeat this process if needed.
• If the rust stain is stubborn or old, it's better to use a commercial rust remover. For smaller rust stains on fabrics, this HG Stain Away is always working for us. For more severe rust removal, HG Rust Remover is our product to go.

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How to keep wooden floor like new

If you have wooden floors, you probably know how difficult it is to keep them clean. Wood is a porous material, which means it soaks up all the dirt that comes into contact. While this makes your floors look worn and dull, it also means any spills will penetrate deep into the wood and be very difficult to remove. Fortunately, there are a few tricks you can use to help you clean and maintain wooden floors.

Top Tip to clean wooden floors

• Regular cleaning of your wooden floors is a breeze with a simple mop and the affordable Selleys Timber Floor Cleaner. 
  
  
• Does your floor need a bit more tender, love and care? The Rejuvenate Professional Wood Floor Restorers are the way to go, available both for high-gloss and satin-finished floors.
  
  
• Scratches and scuffs can not be washed away. But these wood repair markers fill in those damaged areas and make your floor look like new. They come in a set of natural wood colours to match with your wood. For white and grey tinted wood, Rejuvenate has a particular set of matching colours too.

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How to clean windows? 

If you've ever cleaned the windows in your home, you know it's not exactly a fun task. It's time-consuming, it's hard work, and it's impossible to clean them correctly. At the end of it, you're left with a streaky mess. 

Luckily, there is a way to get your windows sparkling, with no streaks, and no effort required: you can use an inexpensive tool you likely have in your home right now: the squeegee. No squeegee at how yet? Check out this one from 3M Scotchbrite, which cleans windows and shower doors without leaving behind any streaks. It's unbelievable how useful such a simple tool can be.

Greasy windows can be cleaned with ease with a few teaspoons of HG Windows Cleaner in your water.

Cleaner windows with newspapers: myth or not?

Is it a myth that you can use newspapers to clean windows without streaks? No, it really works. Clean with a newspaper in the same way as you will with a standard towel or rag, after you removed most dirt first with water and sponge. Try it in a corner first, to ensure that your newspaper was printed with harmless soy bases inks (90% of all newspapers today).

Clean your windows like a professional

And if you want to clean your windows like a pro (without spending like a pro), check out the Black & Decker Window Washer. The lightweight, battery-powered, all-in-one window cleaning solution.

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How to keep your mattress clean.

No spring cleaning is complete without cleaning your mattresses. Mattresses are expensive, so they deserve your attention and care. And you will sleep better on a clean bed.

This is what you need for a complete job: a vacuum cleaner, dish soap and some laundry detergent, baking soda, clean cloths and cold water.

Top 6 Mattress Cleaning Tips

1. Start to strip the bed linen off and wash all the bedding. Washing in hot water (90 degrees Celcius) will help eliminate any dust mites.
2. While the bed linens are in the washing machine, vacuum-clean the mattress. 
3. Next: remove the stains. Never soak your mattress, but remove stains with care. A generic dish soap often helps, if not, check out the HG Stain Away Series.
4. Put your mattress in the sun to dry, UV light kills mould and bacteria. Can not put the mattress in the sun? Sprinkle it with baking soda, which absorbs any bad smells. Best to leave the baking soda overnight before you remove it with a vacuum cleaner.
5. Flip the mattress before you put it back on the bed.
6. Last but not least: protect the mattress against bed bugs! PF Harris Bed Bug Killer is based on a naturally occurring powder, called diatomaceous earth.

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