I was a royal cleaner at Buckingham Palace – 79p B&M buy will leave your mirrors & glass sparkling without any streaks
And you probably already have the budget-friendly buy in your bathroom.
3
This staple product is used by Buckingham staff to achieve the perfect gleam on mirrors and glass.
'It's probably sitting in your bathroom right now, half-used and squeezed in the middle," said Anne Simmons, who spent over 15 years working inside Buckingham Palace as part of the royal cleaning staff.
The 57-year-old spoke to Show Plates World, about the surprising cleaning hack, which has been passed down behind palace gates for generations.
Originally from Berkshire, Anne worked at the iconic royal residence where most of her duties involved maintaining antique furniture, priceless vases, and carpets.
However, she also developed a handy hack for making dull glass surfaces look as good as new.
She recalled how a "surprise inspection" led to the surprising discovery.
With nothing "fancy on hand" to wipe down glass surfaces, she remembered an old trick her mum swore by.
"I ran in, grabbed a tube of toothpaste from the staff bathroom, and gave [the surfaces] a gentle scrub. Minutes later, they looked brand new," she recalled.
And just like that, a cheap tube of whitening toothpaste saved the day.
Since toothpaste contains mild abrasives that help remove plaque and stains from teeth, that same gentle scrubbing action can also lift oxidation and grime off other surfaces.
I was gutted when scrubbing didn't get my 'stained' blender clean, then remembered a £3.25 spray I had in the cupboard
'Anne's tip is safe, simple, and effective," the team at Show Plates World said.
Anne swears by toothpaste for a wide variety of polishing tasks, and with 775 rooms in Buckingham, there were plenty of surfaces to wipe down.
You can pick up a tube of Oral B toothpaste for just 79p from B&M.
'I've used it on cloudy shower screens, tea-stained mugs, even old taps that lost their shine,' she said.
'If it can brighten your smile, it can probably handle a bit of limescale."
5 cleaning hacks
Say goodbye to ironing
Don't have time to smooth out the wrinkles of a shirt with an iron? Lenor 's Crease Releaser makes wrinkles vanish - simply hang up creased items, give them a quick spritz and smooth against a hard surface.
Teabags for trainers
When trainers smell a little squiffy, pop a used (and still moist) tea bag inside and leave for about an hour. The tannins will seep into the sole of the shoe to fight nasty-smelling odours.
Remove limescale without scrubbing
When bathroom taps start looking a little grimy with limescale, slice a lemon in half and sprinkle on baking soda. Rub the fruit over the taps and with a gentle clean they will come up sparkling. Use a toothbrush to get in all the nooks and crannies.
Streak-free mirrors and windows
White vinegar is a handy secret weapon when it comes to keeping mirrors and windows streak-free. Mix one part white vinegar with four parts water in a spray bottle. Squirt then wipe with a microfibre cloth and voilà, clean glass in an instant.
Make your home smell amazing
For dust-free skirting boards, pour some fabric softener onto a cloth and give them a quick wipe. It will stop dirt collecting so quickly and, as an added bonus, make your home smell amazing.
But just make sure to follow these simple tips to achieve the best results.
Opt for a white, non-gel toothpaste and make sure to avvoid anything with stripes or microbeads.
Use a soft cloth or sponge and gently scrub yoursurfaces in small circles for a few minutes, then rinse with water and buff dry.
Finally, finish with a protective layer by applying a small coat of furniture polish to slow future fogging.
Anne also shared a 5p tip that will leave your car smelling fresh all the time.
And another budget-friendly item will leave your wooden floors sparkling.
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