 It has today been revealed that 41% of those in the South East do not clean their house on a regular basis. A further 12% even admitted to only cleaning once the state of their household becomes unbearable! This is according to a new national household survey commissioned on behalf of the UK’s leading household towel, Bounty. The regions most hated domestic job was cleaning the oven whereby 60% said they would rather scrub the toilet. Northern Ireland took the domestic crown with 68% of the region frequently giving their homes the once over and London came bottom of the pile with 48% admitting to not cleaning their homes on a regular basis.
To help kick-start the nation into better cleaning habits this Spring and Summer, Bounty has teamed up with celebrity cleaning gurus, Kim and Aggie, to provide some handy top cleaning tips using natural products and methods to keep homes fresher and tidier and to make mundane cleaning jobs simpler (see notes to editors for full tips).
When studying the survey results the two cleaning experts were horrified to learn that an alarming 13% of the British public only clean once the state of their household becomes unbearable. The survey also smashed a few social stereotypes, in particular that men never clean – apparently a surprising 52% of men actually clean on a regular basis. Another unfounded myth is that all students are lazy - with 50% of 16-24 year olds claiming to clean at least once or twice a week.
Another unexpected insight into the cleaning habits of Britain revealed that cleaning the oven is officially the nation’s worst task (with 40% of the vote). It even topped scrubbing the toilet which surprisingly came second in the opinion poll with just 18%.
Aggie MacKenzie comments: “This doesn’t surprise me one bit. Some people leave their oven until it’s smoking with all the spilled fat. Cleaning the oven is easy when you know how. Just use bicarbonate of soda, vinegar and a sponge to scrub and then wipe down with Bounty wrung out in water to finish. It’s quick and easy and the results are remarkable!”
In the celebrity arena, Amy Winehouse took the crown for the person the nation believes most likely to have the dirtiest home with 14% of the vote, closely followed by Pete Doherty with 11%. Bounty’s own spokespeople, Kim and Aggie, appear to have been knocked off the top spot as the celebrities most likely to have the cleanest house, coming a close second. The winners were the immaculately turned-out and house-proud Beckhams.
Kim Woodburn comments: “If the Beckhams are said to be the winners of the poll due to David and Victoria being house proud, I would dispute that. I have no cleaners, housekeepers, nannies, or drivers! My house is absolutely pristine and I do it all myself! People visiting my house say it doesn't look lived in! I should invite David round to clean my house on a Saturday afternoon instead of playing silly beggars on a football pitch!!”
Virtually all respondents rated strength (82%) and absorbency (64%) as the two most important attributes they look for in a household towel. With its super strength, absorbency and versatility, it is no wonder why Bounty is the category leader.
 Kim's Top Tips
It is very important to use the correct equipment when doing housework, for example:
1. When cleaning the toilet bowl I always use Bounty. It is extremely absorbent and doesn’t break up whilst in use. I never use a toilet brush and I would never re-use a cloth which has been down the loo! It is much more hygienic to throw some scouring powder down the bowl, rub with Bounty until clean, throw the Bounty away, flush the loo and hey presto…a clean toilet.
2. Spills in the kitchen can be a nuisance and dangerous if on the floor. A moistened Bounty absorbs and removes the spillage very quickly. Follow this with a dry sheet of Bounty to buff the floor and make it totally safe. Bounty absorbs the spillage very quickly. Jam, butter, margarine, ketchup etc. on the countertops are removed with moistened Bounty. Follow up with a dry piece to buff the counter top also to bring back the nice sheen.
3. Shoe polish can be very messy. It will ruin any polishing cloth. I use Bounty. Use 3 or 4 pieces together. It will not fall apart as it is very strong. Apply the polish and use a further 3 or 4 pieces to buff the leather to a shine. Throw the Bounty sheets out as they will be filthy.
4. To clean solid silver cutlery (not Plated silver) line a plastic bowl with aluminium foil, shiny side up. Put a mug full of soda crystals in the bowl and add sufficient hot water to immerse the cutlery. Put your rubber gloves on, drop in the cutlery and see the cutlery turn a beautiful bright shade in a couple of minutes. Rinse under a warm tap until no soda remains on them. Buff to a high shine with Bounty. Its high absorbency takes the moisture away quickly and brings the cutlery to a brilliant shine.
5. Bounty in the kitchen is ideal for washing and drying your hands. It is soft, strong, absorbent and hygienic. It also cuts down on washing all the hand towels in the laundry!
6. All baths are easily scratched no matter what they are made of. The shine can be ruined if you use an abrasive cleaner and a rough cloth. I find that by using a cream cleaner, specially designed for use in a bath together with a few sheets of Bounty, which is very soft and gentle, my bath cleans up beautifully and maintains its lovely shine and is scratch free.
7. Lime scale deposits around the bath taps and shower head are something which we live with but are easily cleaned. If your shower head is not removable do not despair. Simply take a plastic bowl, fill it with cheap HOT white vinegar (heat it in a saucepan) and immerse the shower head in it and tape the bowl to the shower head using masking tape. This will not spoil the chrome. Leave it for one hour –no longer. Remove the tape and the bowl. The lime scale will be loose; some will be in the vinegar. Take an old tooth brush and scrub the shower head. Do not forget to run the shower to remove any excess vinegar. Wipe the outside of the shower head with a wet cloth. Buff up with Bounty!
8. The same principle applies to all taps. . Wrap the Bounty all around the base of the taps where the lime scale usually gathers. (Or anywhere else for that matter). Then add hot vinegar onto the Bounty sheets until they are really saturated. Use the same method as for the shower head. Leave for about an hour Rinse thoroughly and buff to a shine. This does not work with any taps or showers which are plated. You will RUIN the plating.
9. When you clean your windows, use 25% vinegar mixed with 75% warm water. Use an old cotton towel, put on your rubber gloves and immerse the cloth in the water. Heavily rub on the windows and after that scrunch up a piece of newspaper and buff up the windows with it. If there are any streaks left use some dry Bounty towel to finish off .
10. A good tip …if you are cleaning the inside of the windows wipe horizontally. When you clean the outside wipe the window vertically. This is extremely handy for checking any streaks which may have been left. Vertical streaks will be on the outside and horizontal streaks will be on the inside!
 AGGIE’s Top Tips
1. Limescale on shower screen? To remove: soak Bounty in vinegar and ‘wallpaper’ the screen. Leave overnight and rinse next morning.
2. Red wine spill on carpet? Douse with soda water then dab withlayers of Bounty. Continue till no colour on paper towel.
3. Not dusted for a while? Use slightly dampened Bounty – dust will stick to it instead of being thrown around the room.
4. Use dampened Bounty under the rim of the lavatory pan – you could be horrified at what you might find. (But don’t flush it down the loo a/wards.)
5. Dropped an egg on kitchen floor? First throw lots of salt over then scoop the whole lot up in a few sheets of Bounty.
6. Line wardrobe sections and chest of drawers with sheets of Bounty sprinkled with lavender oil to keep moths away.
7. Too much fat on the surface of a casserole? Take a sheet of Bounty and lay over the top – the paper towel will instantly soak up the grease.
8. Take a scrunched-up sheet of Bounty along the base of your dishwasher where it meets the door – it can be disgusting.
9. If you have a very floury work surface after rolling out pastry, clear most of it away with Bounty – that way, your wiping cloth won’t get bunged up.
10. Don’t even think of starting to clean the oven without plenty of Bounty on hand. And use it to protect the floor (damp newspaper could stain).
11. If the little drain at the back of the fridge gets bunged up, take a piece of Bounty, dampen it and roll very tightly to fit into and clean the outlet.
12. Boys in the house? Line their laundry baskets with a couple of sheets of Bounty sprinkled with tea tree oil to keep nasty smells at bay.
13. Finally, never go on a picnic without a roll of Bounty! |
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