Spring Cleaning: 7 Genius products that will save time and money

Mums Tips

Parenting Skills

Published on Saturday, 27 February 2021 13:09

Last Updated on 24 March 2021

Monica Costa

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You might think the best way to save money is to chuck away your credit card but sometimes it pays to spend some money investing in certain items that can help tweak your lifestyle and ultimately set you up for long-term financial success. Below are some genius products that will save you both time and money in the long run.

Oust All Purpose Descaler
Once hard water is heated, it produces a chalky off-white crust that creates limescale that’s hard to clean off and makes appliances look tired and worn. Limescale can shorten the lifespan of appliances, and reduce water flow so they have to work twice as hard and use more energy to do the same job. Therefore, it’s important to regularly maintain them so they last longer. Oust All Purpose Descaler works in just 10 minutes to remove 100% of all limescale on a range of small household appliances including kettles, irons and coffee machines – to name a few. Just put it in the appliance and let it do the hard work for you. If you live in a hard water area, it’s recommended to descale every three months and every six months in soft water areas.

 

Colour Catcher
Recent research found that colour run is the number one issue (55%) that Brits are facing with their loads, followed by clothes being torn (44%), shrunk (38%) and faded (36%). Pop a Colour Catcher sheet in the drum of your washing machine after you’ve put in your detergent to prevent a colour run accident, as it acts as a magnet to trap loose dye. It also protects the brightness of clothes and saves up to two hours a week on time spent doing the laundry since you’re mixing all your loads together.

 

Zoflora 

I have been a fan of concentrated disinfectant Zoflora since I was invited to a presentation about the fight against bad smell in the hourse and the importance of fragrance inside and outside of the house. During the pandemic I have been spraying a diluted Zoflora solution on door handles, coffee tables, cupboard doors, bedside tables, dressing tables, over welcome mats, bedding and desks. It can also be wiped diluted over shelves, sideboards, cupboards, remote controls, game console controllers, round the sink, round the bath, over taps and sinks, in the fridge to give it a deep clean, in and around the bin (not forgetting the lid!), baby changing mats, over radiators, light switches, mobile phones, keyboards and laptops, patio furniture, children’s outdoor play equipment. It can also be used inside cars and caravans.

I have often used Zoflora to scrub down patio surfaces, to remove germs and animal dirt and leave the patio beautifully fragrant. I usually add 4 capfuls of Zoflora into a bucket filled with 1.6L of water and pour the solution over the patio. I normally scrub down with a hard bristle brush. 

It can be used to clean toilets and drains to fight nasty odours caused by bacteria. But my favourite hack of all is to deeply clean the washing machine and to wasch school uniforms. I add 2 capfuls of Zoflora to an empty washing machine drum and run a hot cycle to eliminate odours coming from the inside of the washing machine. To deeply disenfect the school clothes, I add 2 capfuls of Zoflora and add it to the detergent or towards the end. This eliminates the nasty sweat odors and the typical school smells. 

 

Fabulosa

I have recently come across an effective disinfectant and cleaning spray by Fabulosa that has just launched a trio of fragranced anti-bacterial wipes in addition to the sprays. The collection of wipes kills 99% of bacteria and viruses and is available in 3 fragrances including Electrify, Rainbow Drops, and Wild Rhubarb, with each pack containing 80 wipes which clean and shine and provide a long-lasting freshness. My favourite fragrance is Wild Rhubarb. I wish they had make-up removal wipes with that perfume. 

These anti-bacterial wipes are perfect for use anywhere around the home, and their strong virucidal cleaning action eliminates bacteria, cold and flu virus, dirt and grime from any hard surface and also bad smell, leaving my home and home office hygienically clean for longer. The handy resealable pack allows easy storage and offers a practical and convenient way in which to clean.

 I use them to also wipe up spills in the kitchen and during lockdown I cleaned my son’s desk after a long day of home learning.

The new range of disinfectant wipes are available exclusively at B&M stores nationwide and on the Fabulosa Website. The new 500ml bottles spray range is available at Lidl and includes four unique task specific solution, designed to reinvigorate unloved cleaning categories by pairing highly attractive fragrances with potent efficacy.  I love the shower spray which rests nearby so I use it after every bath.  The range has been launched in Aldi, and is currently being rolled out to other discount and grocery stores. 

 

Crock-Pot’s 6-quart Express Crock Multi-Cooker
Often cooking a meal from scratch can be tiring and time-consuming, whilst the cost of takeaways can keep adding up so why not invest in a slow cooker? Simply pop the ingredients in the night before or in the morning before you head off for the day, and you can be coming home to delicious hot dinners including the likes of soup, casseroles, chillis or your fave vegetables. This can encourage you to ‘batch cook’ for the week, so you save on buying or cooking individual meals for the day. The Crock-Pot’s 6-quart Express also pressure cooks, browns, sautés, and steams so it’s suitable even if you don’t have time to add all the ingredients in the morning.

 

Ecozone’s Ecoballs
Ecozone’s Ecoballs are an alternative to your usual laundry detergent. Their pellets are contained in a spherical casing and placed directly in the washing machine. The pellets are environmentally friendly as they’re made from a combination of minerals and plant-based ingredients to lift dirt from fabric and soften water. They save time as they’re residue free and can be used without a rinse cycle, plus one pack can last up to 1,000 washes, which is less than 3p per wash

 

Vacuum sealer

A vacuum sealer doesn’t have to just be for meal preppers or people with big families. Putting meat, food or dry goods such as sugar and rice in a vacuum-sealed bag increases its lifespan significantly so you don’t have to worry about the produce getting spoiled anytime soon. This can also help you cut down on shopping runs and save plenty of time. Additionally, vacuum-sealed bags are also more compact than traditional storage bags and containers so you’re able to fit more items in your fridge, freezer or kitchen cabinet.