A cleaning expert has left her social media fans in awe with a revolutionary tip for tackling carpet stains, particularly on stairs. Anna Louisa, who goes by the handle @anna_louisa_at_home on TikTok, demonstrated how she uses a saucepan lid to increase the area she can clean at once on her stairs, leaving many of her viewers puzzled.
In one of her recent TikTok clips, Anna divulges her method for using the lid, alongside a cloth that has been designed specifically for cleaning carpets. Anna explained her technique in her post: “Stair cleaning hack. I was quickly humbled because I thought my stairs looked pretty clean to start with!
“Add 1/2 a litre of warm water, 1tbsp of bicarbonate of soda and 1tbsp dish soap into a bowl. Wet and ring out a cloth and tie it around a saucepan lid and scrub the stairs. (Rinse, ring out and re-tie the cloth every couple of steps).”
She describes creating a mixture of half a litre of warm water, a tablespoon of bicarbonate of soda—which is also known as baking soda—and a tablespoon of dish soap in a bowl. After submerging a carpet-friendly cloth in this homemade cleaning potion and wringing it well, the cloth is then securely tied around the lid of a saucepan, reports the Express.
With this rigged cleaning tool, you can scour any stubborn spots or dirt off your carpets. It’s important to wash out the cloth regularly after scrubbing a few steps to keep it clean.
Combining bicarbonate of soda, a gentle abrasive, with washing up liquid forms an effective duo for combating tough stains and lifting grime from even carpeted surfaces, courtesy of the baking soda which aids in dislodging dirt particles from the fibres.
Washing up liquid is a game changer in household cleaning, thanks to its surfactants that envelop and capture grime, making it easy to remove with water. It works synergistically with baking soda – the soda scrubs, while the liquid draws dirt out from surfaces.
Dr Oetker has highlighted bicarbonate of soda’s qualities as a mild alkali that effortlessly dissolves grease and eliminates odours by absorbing and neutralising acidic components in the air. The effectiveness of this cleaning duo has been proved in a video shared by Anna, which has gone viral with over 403,200 views, earning 4,764 likes and attracting 57 comments.
Followers, including @linz1978 back the method: “I do this on my steps and all my fabric furniture…works great and smells amazing.”
Other users, such as Veronica wrote, “What a great idea,” and Sophie agreed, “Love this hack!”
JK asked: “What do you do with leftover soap on the stairs?”
Anna elaborated: “There is the tiniest amount of dishsoap in the water but you can go over the stairs again with just warm water.”