Hundreds attend House of Hacks cleaning event

Hundreds of guests attended the world’s first festival devoted entirely to cleaning, which took place in Leeds. 

The event, organised by household and garden retailer, wilko, was dubbed the House of Hacks and activities onsite included talks from cleaning influencer and This Morning star, The Queen of Clean, top tips and demos for hacking cleaning jobs inside and outside the home, Instagram photo stations, product giveaways and even a ‘spin to win’ washing machine, where guests could bag themselves a year’s worth of free cleaning products. 

The inspiration for the House of Hacks came from new data that found Google searches for ‘cleaning tips’ are up 200 per cent in 2022 and wilko-led research which found that the average household uses three self-created cleaning hacks per week and spends an hour a week on social media searching for top tips for housework, decorating and DIY, and gardening. 

From this research, wilko’s inhouse cleaning team worked with influencers and consulted customers for their advice to compile a festival-style event that would help guests crack cleaning chores throughout the entire home and garden. 

Onsite, visitors enjoyed 1-2-1 cleaning consultations, the chance to exchange hacks with one another, Instagram-worthy selfie stations and chances galore to win products and prizes. 

Among the demonstrations and hacks on offer, the top 10 were:

1. Using a dishwasher tablet to clean the oven. Simply dampen the tablet, then scrub the oven interior for a gently abrasive clean that gets rid of grease and food stains. Don’t forget to rinse the inside of the stove a few times afterwards with a damp cloth
2. Soak a paper towel in a little scented disinfectant and pop it beneath the black bag at the bottom of the bin to keep it smelling fresher for longer
3. Shop for washable paint if you have little ones at home; it means getting rid of any marks or scuffs from boisterous play will be a doddle 
4. Make light work of keeping the fridge fantastically clean by washing salad drawers in the dishwasher and using a cotton bud to lift any dirt or dust that’s trapped in the rubber seal
5. Also, consider lining the salad drawers with kitchen paper so it’s easy to dispose of any vegetable debris that may shed from your weekly shop
6. After hoovering, slip on a rubber glove and wipe it along the carpet to quickly pick up any remaining hair (although a specific pet hair cleaner or dustpan and brush with rubber bristles is much more effective for a deep clean)
7. For smaller patches of damp, consider moisture absorbers as an alternative to dehumidifiers, which can be expensive to run. Using damp seal can also help to effectively disguise any patches of discolouration ahead of decorating with paper or fresh paint 
8. Keep central heating working at its best, and ultimately save money on your energy bills by bleeding radiators at least twice a year using a key
9. If you’ve cooked a dish that’s heavy in starch or dairy – for example, a shepherd’s pie – soak it in cold water and washing up liquid rather than hot water as you would for other dishes. The cool water reacts with the ingredients to better lift them from the cooking equipment
10. Add a drop of laundry disinfectant if washing clothes at a lower temperature or on a cold wash to make an energy bill saving; this liquid will make sure germs are killed without the need to switch to an option that’s set at 30 degrees or more

Event headliner, Lynsey Crombie, The Queen of Clean, opened and commented: “When I heard that wilko was organising the House of Hacks I just knew I had to be involved. 

“Everyone loves finding a new way to tackle a job around the house; be it a way to make it more fun, simpler to sort or more affordable, and I really enjoyed sharing my own advice with guests as well as getting some inspiration for new tips and tricks from them and the wilko team.

“I hope the guests were just as excited as I was to head home and try out the hacks they saw on show.”

As well as taking advice from Lynsey and the other event organisers, guests were able to share their own hack ideas. The wilko team will put these to the test at work and in their own homes, and the most effective may be shared via the wilko blog and social media. 

For products that can simply help get every cleaning task, regardless of size, done in the home and garden, visit your nearest wilko store or wilko.com to shop online.