How do I remove mould?
How to remove black mould from walls, sealant and ceilings, and how to stop it returning by fixing the moisture causing it.
beginner45 min3 min read
Cleaning
Getting things properly clean without wrecking them.
92 guides in Home & DIY
How do I remove mould from painted walls?
Treating mould on painted plaster without spreading spores, and how to redecorate so it does not come back through.
beginner1 hr2 min readWhat order should I spring clean a house in?
Top to bottom, dry before wet, and room by room — the sequence that means nothing gets cleaned twice.
beginner8 hr4 min readHow do I clean my washing machine?
How to clear the smell from a washing machine and keep it clear — the drawer, the door seal, the filter and the maintenance wash, in the order that matters.
beginner1 hr 30 min3 min readHow do I clean an oven?
How to shift baked-on grease from an oven with minimum effort, including a low-fume bicarbonate method and how to handle racks and the door glass.
beginner2 hr3 min readWhich cleaning products must never be mixed?
Two combinations produce toxic gas in an ordinary bathroom within seconds, and both involve household products people use together without thinking.
beginner10 min4 min readHow do I choose a vacuum cleaner and what actually matters in the specification?
Airflow rather than wattage, the floor head that suits your actual floors, and the four specification numbers that are worth reading against the several that are marketing.
beginner30 min7 min readHow do I clean a shower head properly?
Soaking does the work, not scrubbing — and the bag trick for heads that will not come off.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I remove limescale?
How to shift limescale from taps, kettles, shower heads and toilets using acid, and which surfaces you must never use it on.
beginner40 min3 min readHow do I clean shower glass?
How to clear the cloudy film from a shower screen and keep it clear with a thirty-second habit.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I clean grout?
How to get discoloured tile grout clean again, what to use on mould versus general grime, and when grout needs replacing instead.
beginner1 hr3 min readHow do I clean things I never normally clean?
The twenty things a routine clean never reaches, why several of them affect how the house works, and a sensible order.
beginner3 hr4 min readHow do I deal with pollen and dust indoors?
Keeping pollen out during the season, removing dust rather than moving it, and which of the popular measures actually do something.
beginner45 min4 min readHow do I get superglue off skin and surfaces?
Warm soapy water and patience for skin, acetone for hard surfaces, and the things that make it worse.
beginner20 min4 min readIs the black mould in my silicone or my grout, and can I clean it off?
The five-minute test that tells you whether mould is on the surface or grown into the material, why that decides everything, and what to do in each case.
beginner45 min5 min readHow do I clean a burnt pan?
Removing burnt-on food from stainless steel, non-stick and enamel pans without ruining the surface.
beginner1 hr2 min readHow do I get a smell out of a room permanently?
Find the material holding the smell, because everything else is masking — and soft furnishings hold more than you think.
beginner1 hr 30 min2 min readHow do I remove specific stains from carpet?
Treatment for the common carpet stains — wine, coffee, pet accidents, grease, ink and mud — and the order that matters.
beginner30 min2 min readWhich cleaner should I use for which type of dirt?
There are five categories of cleaner and each removes one class of soil. Matching them correctly is the difference between five minutes of waiting and an hour of scrubbing.
beginner15 min4 min readHow do I clean a carpet?
How to deal with carpet stains and general grime, what a machine actually achieves, and the one rule that prevents permanent marks.
beginner2 hr3 min readHow do I clean windows without streaks?
The technique behind streak-free glass: what to use, why microfibre and a squeegee beat paper towel, and why you shouldn't clean windows in direct sun.
beginner30 min2 min readHow do I deep clean a kitchen?
A full kitchen clean in the right order, covering the places a weekly clean never reaches.
beginner4 hr2 min readHow do I get burnt-on grease off an oven door?
Getting between the glass panes, and the paste that works without caustic chemicals.
beginner1 hr2 min readIs a robot vacuum actually worth buying?
Yes as an addition that keeps floors presentable between real cleans, in a home that suits one. No as a replacement for a proper vacuum, and no at all in some houses — with an honest list of which.
beginner20 min5 min read
Going deeper: MaterialWorld
Material properties, comparisons and suitability — paints, fillers, sealants, timber, tile, insulation.