
Nicola Brierley
Editor and lead writer
Nicola Brierley has cleaned other people’s homes for nineteen years. She spent eight working through cleaning agencies and the last eleven running her own business, with a team of four doing weekly and end-of-tenancy cleans for tenants, landlords and letting agents.
As editor she writes about stains, kitchens, bathrooms, floors, products and routines, and looks after the Stain Finder. Her first question about any stain is what it is, because the answer decides every step after it.
Guides by Nicola
Floors & CarpetsIs it worth buying a carpet cleaner, or hiring one?What hiring a carpet washer, buying one or paying a professional costs in pounds, which carpets to keep machines off, and how to avoid over-wetting.
Home RoutinesEnd of tenancy cleaning checklist: room by roomA room-by-room checklist for cleaning a rented home back to its check-in inventory, with what a landlord can and cannot charge for and the photographs to take.
KitchenHow to clean oven door glass, including between the panesClean oven door glass with a bicarbonate of soda paste and a plastic scraper, use oven cleaner safely, and reach the grease trapped between the panes.
Stain RemovalHow to get biro and ink out of clothesBallpoint needs isopropyl alcohol, gel and felt-tip need cold water: how to tell the inks apart, and what to do when a pen has been through the wash.
Stain RemovalHow to get blood out of clothes, sheets and carpetCold water first, because heat sets blood: how to get fresh and dried blood out of clothes, sheets, carpets, sofas and mattresses, and what never to do.
Stain RemovalHow to get oil and grease out of clothesSoak up the oil with a powder, break it up with washing-up liquid and wash as warm as the label allows. Fresh spills, washed-in spots, sportswear and bike oil.
Stain RemovalHow to get red wine out of carpet, sofas and clothesBlot, cold water, then washing-up liquid with a little white vinegar: how to get fresh and dried red wine out of carpet, sofas and clothes, in that order.
BathroomHow to remove limescale from taps, showers and toiletsHow to dissolve limescale on taps, showerheads, screens and toilets with the acid each can take, what acids damage, and why descaler never meets bleach.
