NOW YOU’RE A DOMESTIC GODDESS (OR DOMESTIC HOT MESS)

What weekend chores? If you're thriving on live/working from home, already on top of the laundry, ignoring the ironing (cos… no more public meetings), the hoovering is done and pillows are fluffed, then here some ideas for a few extra things that a domestic god or goddess might already have ticked off the list… And for the rest of us, there’s no time like the present. If we don’t do it NOW in LOCKDOWN, when would we ever??

KITCHEN WORKBENCH

Oil those chopping boards

Wood is the ultimate chopping board material. It doesn't blunt your knife like glass and marble and it’s naturally antibacterial and… NATURAL! Unlike plastic chopping boards that disintegrate over the years into your food. Keep your wooden chopping boards going for years, even decades, by oiling them to protect and nourish — just like our own skin. Mineral oil is a natural, recommended product to use, though you could also try beeswax or coconut oil.

Descale the kettle

I’ve got a bottle of Ecozone appliance descaler that I inherited when I moved into my new home. After I add the correct amount to the hot water in the kettle (check the instructions) and let it do its thing , I then reuse it. I pour out the liquid contents into a metal bowl then submerge the shower head, so that gets done too. White vinegar is also great for removing limescale (I recommend bulk buying white vinegar for this kind of job as it will get expensive if you start using your apple cider vinegar with “the mother”* for this kind of thing!).

*raw, fermented, probiotic ACV

Season your cast iron pans

Use this time to protect your pans and your health! Seasoning them (more on what that means here) stops them from rusting and makes them naturally non-stick, and it’s easy as pie (literally, it also involves bunging something into the oven!!).

Polish your stainless steel

Give your kettle/water filter (see below) and any stainless steel splashbacks, sockets, handles and hooks a little polish with some white vinegar and a soft cloth — working with the direction of the stainless steel grain will give you a better result.

MACHINES

If you’ve got a washing machine:

Clean out the soap drawer

Pull out your soap dispenser drawer and try not to flinch at the mouldy stuff that accumulates in there — yuck! To clean, use soapy water and scrub with a toothbrush to get the tough corners, soak it overnight if necessary..

Clean out the filter

Your filter should be at the front of your machine — check the manufacturer’s instructions online. Pull it out and pick any bits of fluff and threads that have accumulated there out. There may be some liquid in there, too, so be sure to wipe that up as well.

If you’ve got a dishwasher

Clean out the filter

Ideally you should be doing this every week, but if it’s been a while, I’m not judging!! The filter is underneath the fan-like bit on the floor of the machine. Remove it and scrub it with an old toothbrush, then rinse.

Top up the salt and rinse aid if it needs it

I know… It’s a pain, but it’s got to be done if you want your dishwasher to do its job well!. Most dishwashers should light up when it’s time to replace the salt and rinse aid.

If you’ve got a water filter

I’ve got a standalone (Berkey) water filter, which I gave a good wash and changed the filters of — these are good for approximately 3 years. If you have a built-in machine, check with the manufacturer any maintenance processes to keep it tip top.

PLANTS

Give your plants a shower

The quickest way to dust your houseplants with the least damage (and without all those fancy buffing sprays) is to give them a lovely shower. Use tepid water and don’t make the pressure too strong if possible. Afterwards they will need to stand in the tub to drain away excess water, or you can put them back in their normal spots but making sure they have adequate drainage.

Check for pests

After the stress of winter and central heating, your plants might have attracted a few bugs — or mildew. Inspect them closely before giving them a shower, then once dry, make up a little soap and neem remedy in a spray bottle and give them a once over. Inspect again in about five days and have another go. Some of these bugs are teeny tiny and only start attacking on a few leaves so it’s worth checking all the leaves thoroughly.

Consider repotting some plants if you have the soil

Repotting plants is a great idea if you want to give them more space to grow. I would recommend doing this only if you already have the soil, because it’s pretty heavy if you’re buying online — and you’ll pay the price! Some big DIY stores are doing Click + Collect services if you’ve got some other bits to get; otherwise your local supermarket may well sell household or multipurpose compost.

EXTRA CLEANING

Clean up your front door

This is one that’s often overlooked, so it’s probably getting preeetty grimy up in there. Give your front door a proper wipe-down, shake out the doormat and polish up the door bell (a good hygiene practice too — especially for your postman!). This is also good Feng Shui, as it’s cleansing the gateway to your space.

Get those floors sparkling clean

Whether you have carpet or not, and hoover regularly or not, under furniture and the edges of the room are often overlooked in a daily once over. Use those attachments that come with your hoover (that are ironically gathering dust somewhere in some cupboard) and get right into corners, skirting boards, around wardrobes and into the nooks and crannies. Keep your eyes and ears open — you might find some earring backs, coinage and other miscellaneous items that belonged to a coffee machine, shoe or goodness knows what, so have a little go at supergluing and fixing while you’re at it! Top tip: if you have a compost heap, chuck the dusty dog and human hair stuff in there. If you’ve hoovered a lot of artificial stuff up, then skip it (no pun intended).

For biodegradable washing up sponges, long life cloths, eco scourers and more household essentials, check out the shop page.