Vileda Cleaver Cleaning Report

Foreword
Dirty Britain revealed...
But help is at hand as the future is casual cleaning
With our lives busier than ever, we have less time to enjoy ourselves,
never mind keeping on top of the housework. Busy people want an
effective, efficient way to make their homes germ-free and clean,
which is exactly why we have created this report.
Vileda has always been synonymous with high quality, reliable and
durable products with which to clean your home and who doesn’t
secretly wish for a gorgeous house with standards of the uber
housewife, Bree van Der Kamp from Desperate Housewives?!
This is the first time we have ever put our expertise together to help
you and your readers minimise the stress that can come with cleaning,
helping you clean smarter and giving you more time to enjoy
your home.
In this Clever Cleaning Report, we will show you how to easily achieve
Bree’s gleam with the least effort and best tools of the trade. We delve
into current trends, look at the importance of eco cleaning, reveal
room-by-room action plans, clever hints and tips and much, much more.
Now, the pace of life dictates that we clean in different ways –
more frequently, more focused and faster – casual cleaning.
We have to stay on top to feel on top, so smarter cleaning means
little and often.
New research by Vileda* reveals that just over a third of Brits (36%)
spend less than two hours per week cleaning their homes and over
half (52%) spend less time cleaning than their parents did – Brits
have never been dirtier!
This report delves into this new casual cleaning trend and we will
show you how to ‘Clever Clean’ by using the right products for the
right job, cleaning smarter, quicker and more efficiently.
An amazing fifth of us Brits are in the dark and have never been
shown how to clean properly. When pressed further most of us
don’t even know our scourers from our scrubbers!
*
� Emmah Littlewood & Lindsey Taylor
“In the age of hectic, active lifestyles,
clever cleaning is the way forward
and with this guide, you and your
readers won’t go wrong.”
It’s official, cleaning
makes you happier. 98% of
people feel good about
themselves when they have a
clean, gleaming, clutter
free home.
The UK has never been so time pressured. Families and individuals
just don’t have the time to spend hours scrubbing floors or
worktops – they have far more interesting things to do – the future
is casual cleaning.
With all this in mind the cleaning experts at Vileda have come to
the rescue with the launch of the ‘Clever Cleaning Report’, a failsafe
way to help you reclaim your life while having a home so clean your
friends will think you’ve taken on a cleaner!
*Survey of 1,000 people by GFK NOP carried out October 2008 for Vileda
Emmah Littlewood & Lindsey Taylor
The Vileda Clever Clean Team
Contents:
Dirty Britain revealed
3
Eco cleaning with Naturals
4-5
& Hannah Sandling
6-8
The clever clean
Clean living
9
Smarter cleaning for popular occasions
10
Cleaning facts and myths
11
12-13 The ideal cleaning wardrobe
Vileda facts
14
02 : Vileda Clever Cleaning Report 2009
Dirty Britain revealed : 03
Eco cleaning and the new Naturals range
Looking after the environment is important to everyone and smarter
cleaning can help take care of it. By making simple adjustments in your
daily life, such as choosing the right products for your home and lifestyle,
you can become more eco friendly.
This is why Vileda has launched a new range of cloths called ‘Naturals.’
The range comprises three cloths made from renewable resources,
meaning you can have a greener clean by using the Naturals range and
following Vileda’s tips for environmentally friendly housekeeping.
The Vileda Naturals Kitchen Cloth is an adaptable, long lasting cloth that
can clean kitchen surfaces and dishes and is an essential item for general
kitchen wiping and even dusting.
The 100% biodegradable Vileda Naturals Sponge Cloth is durable and
robust, acting as a multi functional cleaning tool for the home. It is ideal
for wiping surfaces dry without smearing.
Vileda’s Naturals All Purpose Cloth is a must for the family household
as it can be used for wet or dry cleaning tasks on all surfaces. It is a super
absorbent cloth that can be used time and time again.
So, stocked with the Vileda’s Naturals range,
you can follow our ‘green clean’ tips:
These high quality, durable cleaning cloths last
longer and can be washed by a machine or by hand
over and over, reducing the need to buy new ones
and minimising the volume of rubbish which
adds to landfill sites.
Buy eco friendly cleaning supplies and avoid
products that contain toxic volatile organic
compounds such as synthetic fragrances. Use
less detergent per clean or, better still, choose
non-toxic biodegradable products instead.
Get sparkling windows by using white vinegar. Simply
wipe on some vinegar using a sponge then clean off.
Lemon juice is a domestic lifesaver for really
stubborn stains – when combined with white
vinegar it can make a fantastic cleaning liquid.
To reduce microwave smells put lemon juice in
water in a bowl and microwave for ten minutes.
Clean your sink using a paste made from one part
vinegar and four parts baking soda. Add a couple of
drops of essential oil if desired, wipe on the paste
with the All Purpose Cloth, leave for a few minutes
and then rinse off with water.
04 : Vileda Clever Cleaning Report 2009
Eco advice from Hannah Sandling
Author, presenter and eco warrier, Hannah Sandling
is helping launch the new Vileda Naturals range.
Here she exclusively reveals her top eco tips:
Top eco tips for the home
“I like to reuse and customise everything! Most items can be reused one
way or another.
“One of my top tips is to reuse the plastic containers for dishwasher
tablets and put them in my underwear drawer to separate everything.
Another is to use old buttons to customise clothing. I also use a cutlery
drawer for all of my necklaces and jewellery so I can see them and they
don’t tangle. Jam jars are great to reuse too and are so handy all over the
home for storage in the kitchen, bathroom or bedroom. The key is to see
everything you thought you would throw away as an opportunity!”
When were you first aware of eco living?
“I have done a lot of travelling and I like to go on adventure holidays, so I
have witnessed first hand where rainforests have been chopped down,
destroying the natural habitats of wildlife. This in itself risks the lives of
animals and in some cases, like tigers for example, it forces them to
wander into towns and villages to look for food, ultimately having to be
shot dead to protect the people in those towns. This is tragic and all due
to deforestation.”
What’s eco friendly thing do you do daily?
“I am heavily into recycling and I feel really guilty when I don’t. I think
everyone should do it every day, as it’s by far the easiest thing that we can
all do to protect our environment. I recycle my bottles, cans and paper
religiously!”
“Hi, I’m Hannah Sandling and I think that eco cleaning
is more important than ever, which is why I am
supporting the Vileda Naturals range.”
One ultimate top eco tip...
“I carry two plastic carrier bags in my handbag at all times, so then you
always have a bag when you need one and you can reuse over and over,
rather than get new ones every time you go shopping. Carrier bags are
terrible for adding to landfill and we all must take responsibility for this.
Carrying a couple of shopping bags that can be scrunched up small is the
most simple yet effective thing we can do.”
Eco cleaning: 05
The clever clean — getting started!
Traditionally the ‘spring clean’ was the occasion when the home got a real
once over with every nook and cranny getting your utmost attention.
As our lives are busier than ever the future is casual cleaning.
By cleaning little and often, with the right tools we can be more
efficient and smarter cleaners.
Fact!
The kitchen is the
main room that ‘sells’
the house – if you are
thinking of moving, it
pays to keep it as
clean and germ-free
as possible.
Room by Room
Action Plan:
The kitchen
Kick-start yourself into action:
We know it’s not easy to get yourself geared up
for the chores, but use these tips to motivate the
cleaning bug that resides, somewhere in you, to
turn you into a faster, more efficient cleaner:
1. Plan ahead – decide on what you want to
achieve and make a list. Visualise the end result –
see yourself relaxing on the sofa in the fresh,
clean surroundings of your home.
Fact!
According to Vileda’s Spring
Clean Survey, 50% of us have
never been bitten by the
spring clean bug! Come on
Brits — start cleaning!
2. Equip yourself properly – a tradesperson is only
as good as his or her tools! With Vileda products,
you are working with quality, made-to-last
equipment. Don’t use inferior tools when you can
opt for expert equipment – it will make your job a
lot easier.
3. Have supplies at the ready – sort the grime by making sure you have a multi-surface
cleaner, a heavy duty degreaser, bleach or an eco-friendly heavy duty germ killer and
bicarbonate of soda – these all come in handy in preparation for a clever clean.
4. Get rid of clutter – you can’t clean in a messy space. Make sure everything has its place,
be ruthless about the junk, and keep surfaces free of stuff. Either find a home for whatever
you pick up or dump it.
5. Make it fun – we know you don’t want to do it, but 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, you might well enjoy yourself!
06 : Vileda Clever Cleaning Report 2009
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 the Vileda Microfibre Micro
and Cotton cloth, and don’t forget to protect hands
with gloves such as Vileda’s Comfort & Care.
Bedrooms
As your inner sanctum and sleeping area, the
bedroom should be your clean and restful haven.
But, out of sight from public viewing, it can become
one of the most neglected rooms in the house.
The dining room
Wash tablecloths and wipe down placemats. Brush
any crumbs or debris off the table, then polish it
properly with a wood polishing product and soft
dust cloth, if it is a wooden table.
Hint! Mixing beeswax, lavender oil and lemon oil
on a cloth is a great wood cleaner, to take the
elbow grease out of the job!
Dust dressers and clean the contents with a soft
dusting cloth before moving to the floors. Don’t
forget about the dining room chairs, which can
become a haven for dust as well as stains and drips!
Hint! An icy freezer uses more energy. Defrost
regularly to be more energy efficient and save on
electricity bills.
Sweep the floor to remove dust and crumbs then
mop with warm water and an anti-bacterial
cleaning product. Whatever your floor type, wood,
lino or laminated, Vileda has a product to suit.
Hint! The best time to tackle the kitchen is before
the weekly shop – there is less food in the fridge
and cupboards to work around and it’s easier to see
what you are missing.
Depending on your mattress type, turn it regularly
and after stripping the bed, vacuum the mattress
to reduce dust mites before putting fresh linen on
the bed.
Hint! Use machine washable mattress protectors to
keep the need for cleaning your mattress to a
minimum!
Keeping your laundry and clothes in order is
important so that your wardrobes aren’t bursting
with unwanted, space-consuming woolly jumpers
that will never be worn to visit the granny that bought
them. Give any unwanted items to charity. Use a
scented lavender bag to keep your wardrobe fresh.
Fact! The least favourite job around the house is
tackling the ironing, with 37% of people in Vileda’s
Spring Clean Survey perishing the thought! Make it
speedier by ironing clothes while they are still
slightly damp and then hang to ensure no creases.
The living room or lounge
Research has shown that more than 50% of
children eat in front of the TV, and one can only
imagine the crumbs! Your much-used living space
might need extra, smarter attention to keep it from
becoming drab and dirty.
Smart cleaners will ensure there is a place for
everything – magazine and letter racks,
sideboards and drawers, CD and DVD
cases, and whatever else you need to
Fact!
contain your everyday items. Tidy up
According to Vileda’s Spring
and put all your stuff in its rightful
Clean Survey, only 4% of people
place before starting to clean.
employ a cleaner for their homes,
so it seems most people have to
do their own dirty work!
The clever clean : 07
Bathroom
It’s a dirty job but someone’s got to do it. No one
relishes cleaning the toilet bowl (well, not as far as
we know) but as a breeding ground for germs, it
shouldn’t be neglected.
Tips for clean living
Start in the bathroom by ensuring all dirty washing
and towels have gone to the laundry basket or
washing machine. Before you start cleaning don’t
forget to remove floor mats, shower curtains,
toiletries and nick-nacks out of the way.
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.
Avoid harsh scouring pads in the bath and sink but
use a multi-purpose cleaner to remove mildew
build-up, and bicarbonate of soda down plugholes
to prevent blocking. The Vileda Bath Magic mop is
perfect for getting into awkward corners and is
ideal for tiles. The telescopic handle stops you from
needing to bend and stretch .
You are most able to keep a clutterfree 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.
The toilet needs to be scrubbed inside and out –
remember to don your gloves and get to it with a
good detergent. A toilet brush will allow you to
access the U-bend, and a liquid toilet cleaning
agent can work on the inside of the bowl.
Hint!
Living with children
Family homes can be the messiest
and hardest to keep clean – the smart
cleaner knows that a regular routine is
the best way to stay on top of things.
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.
Living with a partner
Avoid harsh scouring pads
in the bath and sink
Hall, stairs and landing
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.
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 often 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.
Hint! Keep a towel at the front door to wipe down the dog and prevent dripping rain or mud from
coming into the house.
08 : Vileda Clever Cleaning Report 2009
Living solo
Think top down – start by dusting ceilings, lightfittings and corners, then work on the tiles and
around the shower. Bicarbonate of soda and water
paste can help attack any mildew stains in grouting,
and mild detergent will make the tiles gleam.
No, we can’t
help you live
like the Waltons
or the Brady
Bunch, but we
can help you
with keeping
your household
workload to a
minimum – so
ensuring smarter
living.
A partner comes in handy if they help
with the housework, though we’ve all
heard the stories about towels on the
floor or washing left to go smelly in
the machine by a slack spouse.
You can make life easier by dividing
tasks between you – agree what you
both prefer to do in the house, and let
each other get on with it.
Rope the kids in to do their bit where
you can and make chores fun. Most
young children love to ‘play mum’ and
will be happy to help with the duster.
Older ones can organise their own
rooms, put toys into tidy boxes at
the end of the day, and even make
their beds.
Teens should have regular chores and
be encouraged to ‘earn their keep’.
Cleaning is a great way for them to
learn about independence.
Resist the temptation to follow your
partner with the mop, getting the bits
they’ve missed (just do it when they
are not looking!).
Tips for clean living : 09
Smarter cleaning for popular occasions
Clever cleaning facts and myths
Cleaning facts:
The ten minute speed clean
Here, the smart cleaner will begin by getting rid of any rubbish or
junk clogging up the space, as well as scrubbing upholstery and
dusting blinds.
Keeping a box handy is a great way to quickly remove your junk
from sight in the living room. This can then be hidden behind the
sofa or put into a cupboard when you receive last minute visitors.
After these tasks have been completed, you can follow the one hour
dash, to achieve a glowing and welcoming abode that will leave
your buyer putting in an offer straight away! (Just remember to get
the bread baking and coffee pot on at the same time…).
Ideal for the unexpected visit from the mother-in-law or visitors
that send a quick text and tell you they’ll be over in a mo.
Have a cloth handy to remove any dust from surfaces or tea stains
from the coffee table, and freshen the air with a blast of air
freshener.
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fewer germs mean less colds and tummy
upsets, and less dust and dust mites can
reduce the chance of developing or
worsening allergies.
The one-hour dash
Perfect for getting the house clean enough to entertain, the one
hour dash will allow the smart cleaner to achieve a surface clean
environment.
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washing device which was large and
cumbersome, with the average household’s
laundry taking up to three days to complete
when using it! But that was still better than
not at all…
First, ensure the rooms you want to address are tidied and decluttered, including the pots being washed in the kitchen.
Then, go through the room or rooms with a duster and some polish,
and tackle mirrors and glass with a special smear-free cleaner and
the Vileda Window Cloth. Lastly, focus on the floors – whether it is
the vacuuming or mopping that is needed, clean floors make the
living space sparkle.
Hint! If you use the Vileda SuperMocio bucket, the specially designed wringer
will ensure you have no excess water and your floor will dry quicker, now that’s
clever cleaning!
The half day spruce
Great for the arrival of family or for preparing the home to receive
potential buyers, the half day spruce provides a more thorough
cleaning of the whole home or one particular room that has been
allowed to get unruly.
10 : Vileda Clever Cleaning Report 2009
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heading down to the gym, save your
membership fees and get the mop out!
Vigorous housework burns up to 250
calories an hour, so if you’ve just had a
delicious doughnut with your tea-break, no
need to feel guilty.
Hint!
Keep a bowl of pot pourri in
the hallway and drop some
scented oil into it as you
reach for the door.
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music and dance while you clean! The
SuperMocio mop also doubles as a great
microphone!
Cleaning myths:
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SuperMocio should be done in an up and down
motion, but actually you should always move in a
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SuperMocio without scratching the floor surface.
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windows – this is a myth! Newspaper leaves a
newsprint residue on glass that will smear and streak.
It also can leave black newsprint on the window
frames. Keep the newspaper away from your glass!
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feather dusters.
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the best household cleaner, but the truth is that
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only to disinfect (follow the label on the bottle) and
make sure you dilute.
Clever cleaning facts and myths : 11
Vileda Ultramax,
Bucket & Wringer
Vileda
DuActiva
The ideal cleaning wardrobe
Vileda is at the forefront of research, technology and
innovation in cleaning.
Vileda’s expert tools of the trade allow you to enjoy a
faster, easier and more casual clean.
Here is a selection of our most popular products...
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Vileda SuperMocio Bucket with Power
Press Wringer
Manufactured from hardwearing
materials and cleverly designed, the
special SuperMocio Bucket with Power
Press Wringer allows you to squeeze even
more water out of your mop head when
cleaning the floor.
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Vileda Magic Mop &
Magic Mop Wood Refill
Vileda Magic Mop
Sponge mops are more absorbent than
other mops and leave floor surfaces drier.
The Vileda Magic Mop range all have a
self-wringing shotgun mechanism so no
bucket with wringer is required.
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Vileda ��������������������
For use with the Vileda Magic Mop is the
Magic Mop Wood Refill, which has been
specifically designed for use on wooden
and laminate flooring. With a consistent
and low water release combined with
fantastic drying properties it will not soak
and damage delicate surfaces.
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12 : Vileda Clever Cleaning Report 2009
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The Ultramax Cleaning System is a flat mopping
system, which can be used with a wet or dry
pad to thoroughly clean many types of flooring
such as vinyl, tile, marble and hardwood floors.
The pad can be rinsed and wrung out in the
specially designed Ultramax wringer so keeping
your hands clean and dry.
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Vileda SuperMocio,
Bucket & Wringer
Vileda SuperMocio
Vileda has made the number one selling
mop even better and incorporated
revolutionary ‘pick up pocket’ Collectex™
technology into the SuperMocio mop
head. This means the small particles that
can be left behind get trapped in the
pockets, resulting in 40% more particle
pick up. It features:
Vileda DuActiva
The DuActiva brush leaves nothing
behind. The bristles gather up dust and
dirt on uneven surfaces, and its unique
foam layer creates an impenetrable
barrier to dust on all smooth surfaces.
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leaving smudges or streaks
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Vileda
Bath Magic
Vileda
Flat Wood Mop
Vileda Bath Magic
The effective new Bath Magic from Vileda
is a product designed specifically for all
of those different and difficult to reach
surfaces whilst avoiding the need to bend
or stretch.
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scouring sponge and extendable handle.
Vileda Flat Wood Mop
The new Vileda Wood Mop is a unique flat
mop, which is safe to use on all wood and
laminate floors. The Microfibre material
and outer absorbent layer ensure that
floors are cleaned more easily and
quicker, whilst protecting the floor from
water damage.
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Vileda also has many other
expert products to clean your
home including cloths,
scourers and sponges.
The ideal cleaning wardrobe : 13
Vileda did you know?
You can help the environment too
� Emmah Littlewood
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circumference of the World
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2007 and 2008. Vileda launched a Pink SuperMocio and a Pink Bucket and Wringer
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As Vileda is committed to protecting the
environment, we pledge that the first ten
publications to cover the naturals range will
have a tree planted in their honour.
The ten trees will be planted and named after
your publication, helping you make a
contribution to our environmental future.
� Lindsey Taylor
14 : Vileda Clever Cleaning Report 2009
You can help the environment too : 15