Tips For Living Solo

Even if you live on your own, from time to time you may have other people to clean up after. Here are some great tips for clean living in your home.

You are most able to keep a clutter-free environment because there is only you there - so have a weekly dejunking session to keep the task of tidying easy. Also cleaning before you go to work will mean you have more time to spend relaxing in the evenings.

Take care to only buy as much food as you need when you shop - you're more likely to end up with out-of-date or gone-off foodstuffs that will add to the need for cleaning out the fridge.

Vileda Style Dish Cloth Review

The McCaskie Clan blog recently reviewed one of our latest products, the Vileda Style Dish Cloth, and we were thrilled to learn that they loved it!

Not only did the McCaskies comment on the absorbency of this super stylish cloth, but they were pleased to learn that it could be washed and used again and again.

They even mentioned that the Style Dish Cloth’s tough and durable material withstood some serious family cleaning up - so don't just take our word for it, visit the McCaskie's page.

Have you tried our Style Dish Cloth yet? If so, it would be great to hear what you think.

Half of the UK Will Spring Clean on Saturday 12th March

We expect that an incredible 52% of the UK will have a mop or duster in hand on Saturday (March 12th) as our research shows the national Spring Clean starts in earnest. And with the average Brit cleaning for just over 6 hours a week, we predict that this figure is set to rise.

According to research, pulled from six years of sales data, the weekend of March 12th is when the majority of the country finally blows away the winter cobwebs, literally, and starts the preparation for the longer days and lighter nights of Spring.

Our study also shows that both men and women say they are the biggest cleaners in the house. So, almost as many husbands will be mopping, sweeping and dusting as wives.

For more details check out The Express online

Pet Peeves: How To Remove Pesky Pet Hair!

Whether it’s man’s best friend, or a feline companion, these four legged family members both have something in common: pet hair.

If it’s not on your clothes, it’s on your cushions and your couch, but what’s the best way to remove these tricky tresses from your furniture?

Sticky tape is a fine to get off small areas such as your clothes when you have sat down somewhere, but to get it off furniture there is an easier way. Put your rubber gloves on and rub the furniture in a circular motion to lift pet hair. The fluff ball can then easily be picked up and popped in the bin. Simple!

Do you have any clever cleaning tricks? If so, let us know!

New Year, New Home

After a busy festive season entertaining guests the home can start to look a bit tired and in need of a deep clean. Well, no time like the present!

After you’ve cleaned from top to bottom, make a New Year’s resolution: keep the house sparkling for the rest of the year!

The best way to do this is to make a weekly cleaning schedule and stick to it. And here’s one we made earlier:

Monday – Kitchen
Tuesday – Bathroom
Wednesday – Lounge/dining
Thursday – Bedrooms
Friday – Family/study
Saturday – Entrance/hall/outside
Sunday – Relax from the comfort of your beautifully clean home.

So happy cleaning for 2011!

CLEANING TIP FOR NOVEMBER

Time to freshen up!

It’s the time of year when you need to keep on top of all your jobs so that the house doesn’t need another major clean before Christmas.

If you have a dining room, this is the time to open the door, dust and vacuum. Don’t waste time by doing more than is needed. Freshen up with some flowers and ensure it is aired and smelling fresh.

Say Goodbye to Back Pain

Did you know that if you clean with an incorrect posture you could cause yourself back pain.

To avoid this try to remain as upright as possible when cleaning as the repetitive nature of the movements mean it is easy to go into autopilot.

Make sure you stay aware of your posture and this awareness will help you stop falling in to traps. For example, when mopping use a cleaning product with a telescopic handle, such as the Vileda SuperMocio.

CLEANING TIP FOR AUGUST

The kids have broken up from school and will be running in and out of the home, so make sure the floors are swept regularly and carpets vacuumed. This will help prevent the dirt getting trodden in and becoming more difficult to clean.

Big Brother Cleans Up

As you’re probably aware, this year is the very last Big Brother on Channel 4. After 11 years of keeping us entertained throughout the summer, we’ll be waving goodbye to Davina and all the contestants that we love to hate.

If you don’t know any of the housemates in this series, fear not, you’ll probably spot a friendly face or two… This year Vileda has donated a lots of cleaning equipment for the house, and if you’ve been watching closely you’ll have already spotted the NEW 3Action SuperMocio making several appearances – including being ironically used to make a mess by housemate mole Mario.

Corin has also been spotted today cleaning the kitchen and bathroom – we think it’ll be spotless in no time if she keeps using the SuperMocio!

Stay tuned for more Big Brother cleaning highlights!

Dirty Men Clean up Their Act

For a long time men have been criticised for not helping out enough around the house. Even with the wave of metro-sexuals and new age men, cleaning seemed to be the one area where they refused to change.

Well new research by Vileda has shown that men are finally picking up those mops and dusters to become house proud cleaning fanatics. In fact, men now spend on average 5.95 hours per week cleaning, just 20 minutes less than women!

The survey also found that men enjoy listening to Britain’s Got Talent star Susan Boyle while they clean!

We were interested to see that eight out of ten women would get rid of a man whose house was unclean and untidy.

So… How does your man compare??

Stars Start the Spring Clean

So it turns out that even celebrities aren’t too scared to get stuck in to the spring cleaning.

Kelly Brook claimed today that she's already started hers!

Speaking to the Daily Star she said: “I’ve just done some spring cleaning and my hands feel all grainy, like old lady hands”.

Whatever next... Brad Pitt mopping the kitchen floor?

Vileda Crowns Cleanest Woman in Britain

Kate Graham, a housewife from Scotland, has been crowned "Britain's Cleanest Woman" by Vileda.

The 47 year old part-time shop worker said "Some of my friends joke about how obsessed I am with keeping things clean and tidy."

Check out this article from The Scottish Sun to read more.

You Spend Two Years of your Life Cleaning!

Our recent research has found that HOUSEPROUD Brits spend almost TWO YEARS of their lifetime cleaning their homes

The survey, conducted to support the launch of 3Action SuperMocio, revealed that the average Brit spends an astonishing 658 days cleaning and tidying up around the typical UK home between the ages of 15 and 65.

That’s a whopping 15,782 hours with dusters, mops and vacuum cleaners in our hands by the time we reach retirement age – an average of 6.07 hours every week!

And the people behind the incredible push for domestic cleanliness are the country’s teenagers, who have proven to be cleaner than their parents. Teenagers clean for 6.62 hours a week compared to the 5.93 hours dedicated to domestic chores by their parents every seven days.

You find out more about the Vileda survey on The Move Channel

Mother's Bug-Bears Revealed

Today a survey revealed that dirty clothes dumped next to the washing basket and wet towels on the bathroom floor are a mother’s worst bug-bears.

An over flowing bin, wee on the toilet seat or tissues left in trousers pockets in the washing machine were also said to drive Mum’s crazy.

One of our biggest bug-bears has always been clumps of dust on the hard floor that seem to appear from nowhere! Fortunately, Vileda’s DuActiva Broom makes light work of sweeping the floor and the unique foam layer ensures that nothing is left behind. It even has bumper guards to help protect furniture from bangs and scrapes – perfect if you’re having a quick run-around.

If you’re really in a hurry then a dust pan is great for picking up the random ‘tumble-weeds’ that you find around the home.

Gary Neville Turns to the Green Side

Manchester United player Gary Neville announced this week his plans to build an 8,000 sq ft carbon zero eco home in Bolton.

The £8m development will have its own wind turbine and a ground source heat pump. The home will be divided into six separate areas called ‘eat’, ‘relax’, ‘entertain’, ‘work’, ‘sleep’ and ‘play.’

It’s great that football stars are starting to think more about the environment and Gary should consider cleaning his new home with Vileda’s latest range of eco cleaning cloths. The ‘Naturals’ range comprises three cloths that not only have the quality and durability that you’d expect from Vileda, but also offer a greener clean.

A Vileda Naturals All Purpose Cloth, made from renewable sources, would be perfect for cleaning Neville’s home. It can be used for wet or dry cleaning tasks on all surfaces and is a super absorbent cloth that can be used time and time again.

Is cleanliness next to godliness?

We've always known that cleaning makes you happier..but it seems that it also makes people fairer and more generous.

According to a new university study, those who live in clean homes are more moral then messy people. The research even found that with a few sprays of a lemon scented cleaner there was a massive improvement in ethical behaviour.

Apparently, morality and cleanliness can go hand in hand.

You can make up your own mind - all we know is that 98% of you feel happier when you have a clean, clutter free home - so get cleaning!

Check out the full article here Daily Mail online

The Heart of the Home.....

The heart of the home is the kitchen and it requires thorough cleaning to keep it hygienic for food preparation. Wash dishes using an eco friendly washing-up liquid and don’t forget to protect hands with gloves such as Vileda’s Comfort & Care.

Hint! An icy freezer uses more energy. Defrost regularly to be more energy efficient and save on
electricity bills.

Now Students can be Clever Cleaners

As thousands of students across the UK prepare to leave the cleanliness of their family homes for freedom in university residences, many will arrive clueless, not knowing their mops from their scourers.

Students are notorious for being lazy and preferring social activities to that of domestic bliss, but they should fear not as help is at hand from the cleaning experts.

Here are Vileda's top cleaning tips for students from the Clever Cleaning Team:

1. Divide the tasks equally among housemates – nothing will start an argument quicker than someone feeling like they do everything in the house.

2. Make sure that everyone is responsible for their own bedrooms. If someone wants to live in a pig sty that’s their choice but the living areas need to be up to everyone’s standards.

3. Plan ahead – decide on what you want to achieve and make a list. Visualise your end result and see yourself relaxing on the sofa in the fresh surroundings of your home.

4. Plan when is the best time to clean. Pick a day when everyone is at home and do it altogether.

5. Equip yourself properly and don’t use inferior tools when you can opt for expert equipment – it will make your job a lot easier and last longer, saving you cash.
6. Get rid of clutter – you can’t clean in a messy space. Ensure everyone picks up their own belongings.

7. Make it fun – once you’ve got the stereo blasting out with your favourite music you could even use a mop as a microphone and have a sing along!

8. Get a kitty together for cleaning products – Vileda has some great value cloths and the mops are very durable and long lasting.

9. Don’t let the washing up build up until the sink is overflowing. Dried on food is far more difficult to remove. Keep up with this after every meal.

10. After clearing clutter, having clean floors makes the biggest impact in a home. Make sure kitchens and bathrooms are mopped and lounges are swept regularly.

Tips for halls, stairs and landings

Whether it is grubby kids, muddy dogs or dirty husbands coming in after football, these areas take a lot of wear and tear, so might need more frequent - but less lengthy - attention.

We have some top tips to make cleaning these tricky areas easier:

Keep shoes and coats neatly on a rack and ensure the landing is free from obstacles. Persuade family members to take off shoes before entering the rest of the house, to save cleaning time elsewhere.

The stairs can be tricky to clean but the rechargeable battery operated Vileda E-Sweeper has side sweepers that clean corners and edges. it is lightweight and suitable for any floor type.

Keep an old towel at the front door to wipe down the dog and prevent dripping rain or mud from coming into the house.

Emmah Littlewood - Clever Cleaning Team

New Term Clean

At this time of year everyone's thoughts turn to the kids going back to school. I don't know about you, but no matter how old I get I always think of this time as the start of a new year. It is a new beginning and just like the kids have shiny new stationery and shoes, I think we should have shiny clean homes as well. With children in and out of the house all summer, it is easy to get a bit behind on the housework. This is why I would recommend a good clean at the start of the new academic year.

It won't be such a big job to get ready for guests at Christmas and also will you keep you busy if you are missing the little ones after the summer.


I suggest you plan ahead and think how gorgeous your house will look when you have finished. This gives you the motivation for a big clean!

Ensure you equip yourself properly - a tradesperson is only as good as her tools!

Have all the supplies ready - so make sure you have enough multi-surface cleaner, heavy duty degreaser and bleach at least.

Get rid of any clutter - you can't clean in a messy space. Either find a home for everything or dump it. This is a great tip for refreshing the home at the start of a new year.

Make it fun - turn the stereo up and grab that SuperMocio to use as a microphone.

Let me know how you get on - anyone who posts a picture of themselves singing/ dancing while they are cleaning will win some great Vileda goodies to help them keep going with the new term clean.