Jennifer Fleming - Spotless Baby

Titles by

Shannon Lush and Jennifer Fleming

Spotless

Spotless 2

Speedcleaning

How to be Comfy

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Completely Spotless

Spotless AZ

Title by

Shannon and Erin Lush

Kids Can Clean

Title by

Shannon Lush and Trent Hayes

Stainless

Title by

Jennifer Fleming and Anna-Louise Bouvier

The Feel Good Body

Congratulations on your new bundle of joy. And welcome to your new life. Bringing a baby home for the first time is exciting and daunting for every parent. And while youve probably been told your life is about to be turned upside down, everyones experience is different. Youre about to begin a cycle of feeding, changing many nappies and washing mountains of clothes. And then theres the cleaning up. Thats where we come in.

Spotless Baby tells you everything you need to know for safe, environmentally friendly and cost effective cleaning for babies to toddlers from newborns to 3-year-olds. It includes advice on how to prepare your home for your new arrival, how to clean with baby in mind, how to sterilise items, how to select and store clothing, including hand-me-downs, and how to clean toys. It doesnt have any parenting advice, which may be a relief to you.

Youve heard of a spring clean. Get ready for the baby clean, a comprehensive and thorough cleansing of the home with tips on how to establish an efficient and low-fuss cleaning routine. Theres advice on preventing stains while feeding and a comprehensive AZ stain removal guide from poo to spew and everything in between. Youll be happy to hear that the best cleaners are water and sunshine, with the sun naturally and safely fading many stains. Sunshine is also a chemical-free disinfectant.

Discover efficient bathing and changing routines, how to set up the babys room and what to pack when leaving home on a short or long trip. Theres even advice on how to deal with a poonami or poo explosion and old-fashioned remedies passed down from generation to generation.

But it doesnt stop at your baby. Theres plenty of advice on how to clean with one of the biggest creators of stains and mess toddlers.

Help is at hand for this wonderful time of your life.

When a baby is on the way, your nesting instinct kicks in and with it comes a desire to get the house ready for your bundle of joy. In addition to clothing, a cot and a pram, youll want to create a hygienic and organised home. Were not talking your regular clean or even a spring clean. Its baby clean time.

A few months before the baby is due, take the opportunity to clean your home from top to bottom. Look at every room with a new set of eyes by lying on the floor at baby height. You might be surprised at the amount of dirt and fluff under beds, couches and cabinets. Make any repairs and get your cleaning kit organised youre going to be very busy once bub comes home.

Long before your baby arrives, its a good idea to fumigate your home, especially if there are pets or cockroaches around. When fumigating, you should leave your home for a couple of days and sleep elsewhere. If using commercial gels, apply them in advance so you can remove the gel before the baby is in the home. Cockroach baits take around 6 weeks to work. Avoid using aerosol insect killers around young children; they are safe for adults but not for children of any age.

According to CHOICE Magazine, surface sprays offer more long-term control. Apply to cracks, crevices and inside rubbish bins, cupboards, drawers and shelves. But make sure you dont spray surfaces on which food is handled. Baits and traps are also effective but shouldnt be used with surface or knockdown sprays because they contaminate baits and traps, making them ineffective. Use knockdown sprays when you see a cockroach. Other cockroach remedies are available, but always handle with care. The Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority has an online portal where you can check whether a product has been approved for sale. Visit https://portal.apvma.gov.au/pubcris.

Make your own non-toxic cockroach deterrent by mixing 1 cup of uniodised salt, 1 teaspoon of lavender oil and 1 litre of water in a spray pack. Spray the solution around doors, windows, drains, air vents and areas where cockroaches lurk. It creates a barrier that cockroaches dont like to cross. Re-spray when you see cockroaches more often during summer.

Once your home is debugged, clean every surface to remove all trace of insecticides.

Prepare to vacuum, mop and wipe. First up, ensure your vacuum cleaner is ready for the task. Clean the dust bag regularly and if bagless, clean the cylinder. If you have carpet, it should be thoroughly cleaned before the baby comes home. To do this, mix equal parts unprocessed wheat bran and bicarb and sprinkle over the carpet. Bran is an abrasive and bicarb is a deodoriser. Sweep the mixture into the carpet fibres with a clean broom. Leave for 5 minutes before vacuuming. Maintain your carpet by vacuuming once a week.

Move furniture and clean behind and under it. For hard floors, sweep or vacuum in preparation for mopping. Shannon prefers to mop floors with a soft kitchen broom head stuffed down the leg of a pair of pantyhose. To secure it, tie the legs around the broom handle. Brooms are better than mops at getting into corners and can be rinsed under water more easily. As you mop, stand on an old towel and shuffle forward youll dry and polish the floor as you go. Use cold water on cork, wood, old lino or any absorbent surface. Other surfaces can withstand hot water, which helps to break down fats. Add 240 ml of white vinegar to the water to cut through dirt and grease and to make the surface non-slip. If there are dust mites, add 1 cup of black tea to the rinse water.