OS Cleaning Tips and Quick Questions...

MaggieBaking

You can buy 4 microfibre cloths for a pound at Tescos. The only problem I find with them is that some bits stick in them and you can't get them out.

Polish mainly makes the surface easier to dust the next time - so give it a go without and I'm sure you'll be fine~!

betony

I'm sure I saw something about this on one of those 'clean your home' shows, maybe 'How clean is Your House' or similar. They used a cloth with plain water and a drop of fabric conditioner to stop static, which stops dust clinging. Not tried it yet, still using up a can. That and I don't use fabric conditioner - it's not OS Hair conditioner may do the same job, though

Seakay

It depends what your furniture surface is - if it is untreated or just waxed wood then a spray polish is a bad idea anyway.
Grate beeswax into turpentine for traditional polish or use a sort of a salad dressing to both clean and condition - this is from the Making Your Own website:
"The Simplest Way For Finished Wood
"The simplest way to make your own furniture polish is to use olive oil and lemon juice. Simply mix 2 parts of olive oil or mineral oil to 1 part of lemon juice, and rub onto your wood using a lint-free cloth. The lemon juice cuts through grease and grime, and the olive oil ‘conditions’ and polishes the wood. Once you have thoroughly applied the mixture, you can then buff with a dry, soft, lint-free cloth. This is ideal for finished woods, but shouldn’t be used on laminates. It also needs to be used on the same day, as it is not suitable for storing."

I woule use cheap veg oil rather than mineral oil which, like silicon, doesn't really do much for wood.

If your furniture isn't real wood then I wouldn't polish it at all as there is nothing to buff and really only surfaces to clean, for which a microfibre cloth slightly dampened is your best bet.

[Deleted User]

Life is far too short to polish, so I use as the others a microfibre cloth which is cheap, cheerful and quick. I have memories of my late Mum years ago with a polishing mop doing what was the hall lino with a lavender polish and always looking exhausted afterwards.We lived in a barn of a place and the hall was huge.The smell of lavender polish always reminds me of her when I came in from school.

daska

Real lino needs a bit of TLC, unlike vinyl, so it's worth the occasional wax to make it last.

dbt3mummy

Most of my surfaces are veneer and I don't have expensive furniture - - waiting for the toddler to grow up before replacing it all!

The TV stand is the worst - it's black glass type thing and I can dust, turn my back, and then its covered again!

415SanFran

If you suffer from allergy's or just looking to save money on household products, or both,
Try buying a cheap chamois and cleaning all glass and windows with one of those just wrong out.
I use to spend a fortune on the patio doors when the children were small getting rid of grubby finger prints, and time as well now that I think about it, in those days I used to use the pink smelly stuff, that smelt really bad, and had me sneezing for about a hour afterwards.

Nicoll

dbt3mummy wrote: »

Most of my surfaces are veneer and I don't have expensive furniture - - waiting for the toddler to grow up before replacing it all!

The TV stand is the worst - it's black glass type thing and I can dust, turn my back, and then its covered again!

I use a water/vinegar solution in a spray bottle on things like this, just spray some on the cloth, this seems to keep dust away for a bit, this is what I use on windows/mirrors etc... Works well and very cheap.

zippychick

as this has dropped down the board ive merged it with cleaning quick questions. HM polish old style may also help

Zip

rigsby1967

Thanks SB44, i got the bicarb from a local chinese supermarket that i hadn't even realised we had just outside town.
It was more expensive than what you paid for though at £4.99 but still cheaper than the piddly little ones in supermarkets :money:.

rigs