Late Queen's former cleaner reveals why she uses a CHILDREN'S TOY to dust

Daily Mail​

02-06-2025

A former royal cleaner has revealed the unexpected cleaning hack she uses for dusting.
For more than a decade, 57-year-old Anne Simmons worked as a royal cleaner across Buckingham Palace 's 775 rooms.
Throughout that time, she learnt numerous clever ways to clean to the highest possible standard.
Anne has also created her own ingenious tips and tricks when it comes to getting a place looking spick and span.
One of those clever methods includes a very surprising item she uses when it comes to dusting.
Speaking to Plates Express, Anne revealed that she was once asked to tidy a car up before an afternoon outing.
Dust had collected in awkward places inside the vehicle, including the cup holders and vents.
However, according to Anne, the vacuum cleaner was not available, and so she had to think of something else to get rid of the pesky dust. She came up with a genius solution.
'I remembered the slime my grandson had left at my house,' she said. 'It worked like magic.'
Slime is a children's toy made by Mattel. Made primarily from guar gum, it is a squishy substance which is neither liquid nor solid, and can be squished into different shapes.
Anne said that the unusual item turned out to be perfect for dusting, as it was easy to use, safe, and didn't leave any mark on the car interior.
Because the slime has a slightly sticky quality, dust adheres to its surface, which is left looking clean.
'From that point on, I always kept a small tub in my kit just in case,' Anne said.
It's worth noting that not all Slime should be used for dusting.
According to Anne, some options contain glitter, or too much colouring, and these should be avoided.
'I prefer plain, soft cleaning slimes made for electronics or car detailing,' she said. 'Those are best for interiors.'
As well as cleaning hacks, Anne has previously shared insights into how Buckingham Palace was kept clean, including some of the items house maintenance items that were banned from the royal residence.
Among them was disposable wet wipes, which were forbidden for use in the Palace by King Charles.
The reasons for the items being banished were two fold according to Anne, who revealed that they had caused damage to Palace bathrooms - and this has been expensive to fix in the past.
In addition, the wipes are thought to be bad for the environment, and the king is known for his concern about the planet.
Anne explained: 'At the palace, wet wipes caused significant plumbing issues. Despite being advertised as 'flushable,' they don't break down in the system like toilet paper does.
'This led to repeated blockages and costly plumbing repairs. It became clear that they simply weren't worth the trouble.'
She added that instead of the disposable wipes, they opted for reusable cleaning cloths.
In addition to preventing the issues the wipes caused with plumbing, the switch saved money, as the need for frequent repairs was reduced.