Our top five tips we’ve learnt from Mrs. Hinch

If ever you needed motivation to deep clean your home, then look no further. Sophie Hinchliffe - known as Mrs Hinch - has become a social media sensation, garnering an incredible 2.4 million followers in the last year alone. Whilst her grey-hued home provides neutral interior inspiration, it’s her approach to cleaning that has really encouraged the nation to don their rubber gloves and get cleaning.

With the help of an army of cleaning utensils, including Minky - the antibacterial cleaning pad, Vera -the spray mop and Dave - the duster, Mrs Hinch has revolutionised the way we clean our homes. We’re big believers in the saying ‘tidy home, tidy mind’ and as such, we’re always on the lookout for neat new tips and tricks, especially those which can be put to use around the home. To help you out, we’ve put her numerous hacks to the test, and narrowed it down to five top tips to help you achieve a perfectly-polished home.

1. Squeegee your way to fluff-free carpets

Hoovering – a quick and easy way to keep your carpets dust free and clean. But what do you do when you really want to ensure your carpets are squeaky clean?

Well fret not, Mrs Hinch has a solution for you – best of all, it only uses one simple tool. No, we aren’t talking about a super high-tech carpet cleaner… Mrs Hinch uses a cheap and easy to buy window squeegee to scrape the dirt out of her carpets. Best of all, you don’t need any products to do this – just a bit of old-fashioned elbow grease.

We found that this hack is especially useful for cleaning the carpet on stairs, which can often collect lots of unwanted dirt despite regular hoovering.
Trust us, it will unearth fluff and lint you didn’t even know existed.

2. Make your sinks sparkle

Mrs Hinch has a four-step method to keep sinks and plugholes in her home gleaming clean. Whilst this may sound like a lot, the whole process only takes five to ten minutes, and trust us, it’ll be worth it when you see the results.

First, start by pouring a cup full of soda crystals down the plughole. Next, pour in a cup full of white vinegar, which is available from most supermarkets, and the mixture will start fizzing as it cleans the drain.

Following this, pour a cupful of disinfectant down the plug, in any scent that you like and let it work its magic. Mrs Hinch loves to use Zoflora – a scented disinfectant – which has proven to be so popular, that it’s often sold out in shops across the country.
Finally, spray the sink again with stainless-steel spray. Leave this for 10 minutes before wiping away, and you're done and will reap the benefits of a beautifully clean bathroom.

3. Give your bin a boost of freshness

Kitchen bins are notoriously hard to keep smelling clean, and no matter how often you take the rubbish out, unpleasant smells can often linger.
The solution to this? A couple of pieces of kitchen roll and a splash of Mrs Hinch’s favourite disinfectant, Zoflora. After cleaning your bin with antibacterial spray, soak a piece of folded kitchen roll with Zoflora, before placing it in the bottom of the bin, and lining it with a rubbish bag as usual. Genius, right?

4. Freshen up fabrics

Febreze supplies running low? Fear not. Take a leaf from Mrs Hinch's book and create your very own fabric freshening DIY concoction. Simply add a capful of your favourite fabric conditioner to an empty spray bottle, something which can easily be purchased at your local supermarket or home bargains store – dilute with water and give it a little shake to mix. It’s the perfect spray to refresh your fabrics and leave them odour free once more.

5. Get washing whiter 
Dishwasher tablets in the washing machine – yes you read that right. We say, whatever helps our whites looking even brighter gets a thumbs up from us. The action of oxygen bleach and enzyme busting properties in dishwasher tablets mean they are great at tackling stains.

All you have to do is pop one into the drum, add your usual laundry products and wash on a hot cycle. They are also safe to use on colours. For very grey whites or stubborn stains, Mrs Hinch recommends leaving items to soak for an hour in some warm water with a dissolved dishwasher tab.

Feeling inspired? Make sure you give Mrs Hinch a follow on Instagram (@mrshinchhome) and be sure to keep your eyes peeled on our very own Twitter and Instagram for even more life hacks and tips and tricks. Happy cleaning.