This particular double bowl laundry sink is made from a very strong compression-moulded material known as Veritek. It’s specially designed so it has no surface coating and thus does away with the dangers of cracks or chips appearing and growing larger over time. It’s made to withstand everyday use and thus will sit well in spaces that often see energetic use and more wear and tear than is normally seen in a room in the home. Instead of washing particular clothing in the kitchen sink, you can soak them in one of the bowls of this laundry sink whilst at the same time washing kid’s football boots in the other.

Laundry sinks come in handy for a variety of different actions apart from washing clothing. If you have a smallish pet dog, you can wash him/her in one of the bowls and then use the other bowl to stand him/her in whilst you dry the fur. Other uses include a place to wash hands, tools, paint brushes, garden equipment and carry out various chores such as cleaning a car, bike, windows or floors. This free-standing double bowl laundry sink will be very useful in a number of possible locations.

You can buy it from here: Veritek Double Bowl Laundry Sink.

Can be wall-mounted or floor standing.

The main thing to consider therefore is how to get some of these more common of stains out. There are so many theories when it comes to removing/minimising stains that seemingly everybody has a different technique (most untested and inherently wrong).

We have taken it upon ourselves to outline what we consider to be the best way of dealing with the most common of party stains. As we are currently in a bit of a festivity dry period at the moment, so brush up now or forever live with that strange brown stain!

Beer
Beers stains are one of the most common party stains, whether it is from lots of half empty glasses being precariously placed or due to over excited dancing a stain from this most ancient of liquids is hard to avoid. To remove try creating a mixture of one teaspoon of detergent, a teaspoon of white vinegar and 1000ml of warm water. This mixture is good to use on the majority of fibres including nylon, olefin, polyester, wool and acrylic.

Lipstick
More often than not you have no idea where it came from, or why someone was applying lipstick that close to the floor. Lipstick is an oil based stain, which is good to keep in mind when trying to treat it. A good first trick is to blot the lipstick with alcohol gently, if you keep this up it should take the stain out. Otherwise find a detergent which has a grease fighting formula, apply it to the stain and leave for 10 minutes. Once the set amount of time has elapsed work at the stain with warm water from the outside inwards.

Red wine
This is probably the classic party stain and the one where so many different stain removal techniques are suggested. It always amuses me (if it isn’t at my house) that the probability of a stain usually increasing as the night progresses. The tried and trusted process should be to firstly blot out the stain as quickly as you can with paper towels. Then combine a teaspoon of laundry soap and a cup of hydrogen peroxide in a bowl and dab the stain with a new sponge. Then put a dry towel over the stain and gently dry. Once dry, if the stain remains wash again gently with a bowl of warm water and laundry detergent.

Ketchup
We all know ketchup stains are tricky to deal with and sometimes we only get to see the stains once they are dry. The key to dealing with a ketchup stain is getting to it as quickly as possible and gently scraping as much up of the material. If the stain is dry gently wet it with warm water once ready add ½ a teaspoon of detergent or carpet cleaning solution into a litre of cold water. Soak a cloth in the mixed solution then lay the damp cloth over the stain. Use the back of the spoon to massage the stain using a spiral pattern from the outside inwards. Remove the cloth and spray warm water onto the stain, remove the excess water then dry using paper towels or a cloth.

Coffee
Most of you will have come across this stain, and I would guess the majority of you found it pretty tricky to remove. Initially it seems to come away quickly, but it is extremely tricky to get rid of it totally. To start with try to soak up as much of the spillage as possible using kitchen towels or a cloth. Next create a solution of a teaspoon of white vinegar, a teaspoon of detergent and 1000ml of warm water.

These ideas are brought to you in association with The Rug House. The Rug House are one of the UK’s biggest stockists of large rugs, make some incredible savings by checking out their latest rugs for sale. All The Rug House rugs have a price match guarantee too, meaning if you find a rug cheaper elsewhere in the UK we will match it.

Cleaning copper is very easy and in most cases might not even require a special visit to your local hardware store. Your kitchen or pantry will have the ingredients needed to bring your copper object back to its shining glory. Old remedies, whilst scoffed at by some, can be very effective and these include using things like lemon, vinegar, salt and even ketchup. However, they do need to be used in the right way.

It’s important to know what causes copper discoloration. The main copper tarnish culprits are cupric sulfide, copper sulfate and copper chloride. They do not like acidic chemicals and that’s where gentle household acids like vinegar and lemon come into their own. Alternatively, there are special chemicals one can buy from your local store and even specialist copper cleaners who will do the cleaning for you.

Many copper items found in the home come with a clear lacquer coating. This prevents any unsightly build-up and reduces the need to clean the copper. Objects such as statues, sculptures and other decorative copper accessories usually fall into this category. Items which are used in the process of cooking will need more regular cleaning and even the removal of the lacquer. This can be done by placing the item in a mixture of boiling water and baking soda.

The precise steps in cleaning copper can be found here: How to Clean Copper.

As with most things in life, prevention is the best form of dealing with unfortunate occurrences. When it comes to removing soap scum from a shower cubicle or bath, then this translates to cleaning the areas immediately after use. Catching the soap scum before it hardens means the job of soap scum removal is made a whole lot easier. The best way to do this is to simply wipe the surfaces of the bathtub or shower cubicle clean with a wet cloth after use. Whatever you do, don’t use any waxes or polishes to prevent the build up of soap scum. These will just create a dangerous and slippery environment in the bathroom.

One of the best ways to prevent the build-up of soap scum is to use gel soaps instead of bar soaps. This is because bar soaps contain talc and other minerals which are the main ingredient in soap scum. You should find the occurrence of soap scum greatly reduced by changing the type of soap you use when in the bath or shower. Regardless of this, the previous tip on wiping down the walls and floor of the shower cubicle and bath tub after each use is of prime importance in preventing soap scum appearing.

Looking for furniture? Browse my Bathroom Furniture section.

If you have soap scum already present and you need a way to remove soap scum from the bath or shower area, then these easy and home-made remedies can help. Warm vinegar which has been heated in a microwave can be poured or sprayed onto soap scum affected surfaces. When the surface is then wiped, most of the scum should come away reasonably easily. You can also use ammonia which is added to water. Make sure the ammonia is one third of the mixture. Again, like with the vinegar, spray or pour onto the soap scum affected area and then wipe away. Baking soda is another possibility and can be used in the same way although with this substance, it is best to leave for 30 minutes before removing with a damp sponge.

These home-made soap scum removal techniques should do the trick in many cases. However, if your soap scum is hard to get rid of then you will need to purchase a soap scum removal product from your local store. You can also buy a good variety online and I recommend this selection: Tilex Soap Scum Remover, 32 oz. Trigger Spray Bottle.

First of it, it’s important to note that vapor steam cleaning is different to the traditional forms of steam cleaning. The earlier models used hot water and suction to clean carpets and upholstery whilst the more modern vapor steam cleaner uses purely steam. This type of cleaning is likely to have originated in Italy during the inventions of espresso coffee machines which use a very similar method.

So how does a vapor steam cleaner work? Well, the cleaning machine uses an internal boiler where water is heated to between 150-300 degrees Fahrenheit or 66-149 degrees Celsius. Internal temperatures differ depending on the type and make of the vapor steam cleaner you buy. The steam is then safely allowed out to perform the cleaning process on various surfaces of your choosing.

The benefits of vapor steam cleaning are varied. One of the most popular is the ability to use ordinary tap water to fill the inner boiler. These negates the need for harsh chemicals and cleansers as well. On top of being kind to people with allergies and sensitivities to harsh chemicals, the process is also environmentally friendly. In fact, in regards to families who suffer from allergies, a vapor steam cleaning machine is pretty much required because it kills allergens directly on the surfaces where they are found rather that tossing them into the home’s atmosphere once again.

A vapor steam cleaner also means the use of dry steam. This is an important distinction to make between this and the earlier steam cleaners which often left carpets, upholstery and other surfaces damp and wet after cleaning. Mold and fungus love nothing better than wet and warm environments where they thrive. The vapor steam cleaning method instead has a low moisture content which is on average around 6% water. This kills dust mites, fungi, molds and even viruses immediately. Evaporation takes place soon after and thus the surfaces are left dry.

It’s important to use a regular vacuum cleaner on the carpet or other floor surface after the vapor steam cleaning is completed. The dry steaming will have killed all the bugs and fungus and will have also loosened dirt from the fibres of the carpet. Due to the prior vapor steam cleaning, the regular vacuum session will be many times easier than usual.

There are many surfaces where vapor steam cleaning can be used with great results. Any soft surfaces like those mentioned before such as carpets and upholstery, as well as stuffed toys and car interiors. Hard surfaces will also benefit and these include stone, tile and wooden flooring as well as windows, marble and concrete. Many vapor steam cleaners come with special attachments which can clean places that are hard to reach. This means crevices, grout and the areas beneath furniture can also be reached.

One of the most recommended dry steam cleaners is this Ladybug XLT 2300 Dry Vapor Steam Cleaner. You can read other people’s reviews of this product via the link in the previous sentence.