Spring is almost upon us, and you know what that means...spring cleaning! Ok, I know that might not be everyone’s first thought, but its mine.

Being the go-to-guy for all things cooling, and the fact I love cleaning, it’s only natural for me to offer my own tips for keeping your fridge as clean and fresh as your foods.

1. First and foremost, remove the contents of your fridge. This is a great chance to check if any foods have well passed the use by date. Bin them. Push the foods that won’t last long to the front and make sure to plan your next few meals around them. Don’t worry, I too have been guilty of this!

    

2. Next, remove the shelves, salad drawer/s and door shelves. I find it easier to clean these at the sink as it’s less messy! You can use warm soapy water, and most stubborn stains should disappear with a little elbow grease. Make sure you dry these fully before returning them.

    

3. You’ll find some fridges come with anti bacterial protection, and this not only helps to reduce bacteria build up but works at eliminating funky smells too. Not to worry if not. If you don’t already have some, invest in a tub of bicarbonate of soda. It may be great for baking, but it’s even better for cleaning. Mix it with some warm water and you’ve got yourself a chemical free substance that scrubs your fridge nicely and neutralises smells. Adding in a few drops of lemon to the mix will give it a zesty fragrance too. If you do have anti bacterial lining, you will still need to wipe it with warm soapy water – no escape from cleaning I’m afraid.

    

4. Something that gets left out a lot is the seal around the door. This is a breeding ground for mould and mildew. A wipe with a warm cloth every few weeks will keep it clean, and harmful germs at bay!

    

You might not have the time (or the patience) to clean your fridge every week, but by keeping on top of the cleanliness it reduces the chance of bacteria ruining your foods and causing upset tummies. Plus, who actually wants to have a smelly fridge!?

If anyone has any tips on cleaning your fridge, or you’ve found my tips helpful, write a comment and let us know!

Pancake Day is done and dusted –thankfully, I can’t flip them to save my life – but before we turn around Easter weekend will be upon us. Aside from the mountains of chocolate eggs, the best part of Easter has got to be the treats you’re allowed to indulge in.

Hen’s Nests are in every baker’s window, but it’s dead easy to make them yourself at home. Melting a little chocolate with some Corn Flakes or Rice Krispies isn’t just tasty, but fun too. Some like to use the microwave to get their chocolate nice and runny, but personally my favourite has got to be the old-fashioned way. Simmer some water in a pan and sit a bowl on top. A few minutes in there and your choc will be ready for mixing.

If you’re really fancy you could even melt it right in the pan, though you’ll need an induction hob to ensure you don’t over-do it. Hotpoint have a model which is pretty reasonable and still does all the same things as the top of the range ones. The Hotpoint CIC642C lets you use such a low and controlled heat, you can melt your choc nice and slowly. Very clever stuff.

My next favourite part of Easter is fish on Good Friday. It’s a tradition that was always instilled by my mum and it’s kind of stuck. Believe it or not I reckon a steam oven is the best way to go with this. Take a look at the Siemens HB25D5L2B. As one of our most popular models you can bank on it getting your fish tender and keeping it tasty.

Get thinking about recipes you might try at Easter. It’s only around the corner!

Are you guilty of a crime against fashion? Perhaps you’ve been papped in some faded jeans that were once black? How about bobbly woollens? Even worse, the cardinal sin of grey whites?

If you answered yes to any of the above, you need to enter our Friday giveaway competition. We’re giving away the washing machine of your dreams – one to make all those fashion mishaps a thing of the past. Never again will you be caught out in a threadbare t-shirt because this washing machine uses 6 unique drum motions and LG’s TrueSteam™ technology to keep clothes in perfect condition.

I am quite new to laundry products but have been pretty excited to write about the LG 6 Motion TM washing machine, mainly because it’s at the top of what washing machines have to offer.

The dream steam function, well Steam Direct Drive TM to be exact, washes your clothes in a whole new way. Steam particles, I’ve recently found out, are smaller than water droplets and penetrate your clothing better. They also reach higher temperatures so the wash is more hygienic. And it saves you money on your energy bills as it uses 29% less water than a standard 8kg washing machine, which smoothly brings me onto its other huge benefit....

The F1443KDS has a huge belly! 11kg is enough room for 55 t shirts which saves time as you’ll get all your washing done in one go. So if you have a big family or just like spending the least amount of time on your laundry as possible, this is the model for you.

But the best thing about the LG 6 Motion washing machine is that it’s designed to wash all types of materials and clothing, without damaging them. Have your clothes ever stretch or become misshapen? Or bobbles have crept all over your tops and dresses? That’s probably because you were either using too higher temperature or that the spin speed is too fast. But don’t worry this washing machine has loads of features and programmes which take the confusion out of washing.

The Swing wash is ideal for your delicates as it uses a heart shaped motion to keep your laundry blow the water line and uses a more gentle spin speed. Your delicates are soaked clean rather than spun into a misshapen, untimely death.

LG have come up with a genius way of making sure your clothes aren’t creased when you take them out of the washing machine. It’s called Stepping and works by rotating the drum and stopping repeatedly so that your clothes don’t get pasted to the inside of the drum.

Overall it’s a top notch washing machine which cleans your clothes quickly, efficiently and quietly. If you want to have a closer look at this brill washing machine then click here. P.S it has a 10 year guarantee so you know it’s built to last.

It was a good year for cleaning appliances in 2011, but 2012 is set to be even bigger. With new technological advances being developed all the time, it’s hard to know which ones are going to make it big. We’ve rounded up a couple of the best to give you an idea of what’s going to be the talk of 2012.

As a brand who’re always looking to the future, Siemens know a thing or two about how to make your life much easier in the coming years. Their innovative i-Dos technology is set to make big waves this year. 

A first for the washing machine market, i-Dos is a precision dosing system which guarantees the right dose of detergent for every wash, no matter how big or small the load is. There’ll be no need to rely on guesswork – this system determines exactly how much water and detergent are needed to make up the right wash solution concentration for that specific load. By leaving all the hard work up to i-Dos, you can end up saving 7,062 litres of water a year, not to mention 11 litres of detergent and an average of 14 minutes off each cycle. Not bad at all. You can find Siemens' i-Dos technology on the 8kg, A+++ rated IQ-700 WM14S890GB washing machine.

Another trend to look out for is washing machines with steam cycles. By reaching higher temperatures, steam can penetrate deeper into fabrics, making it a much more effective way to get your stained clothes spotless. It uses less water too, which means it does its bit for Mother Nature while cutting down on your bills. Keep an eye out for LG’s TrueSteam™ technology, which you’ll find on the F1479FDS6. TrueSteam™ can reduce water consumption by 19% and energy usage by 21% compared to standard LG washing machines. Clean with steam and you won’t look back, trust me.

Ever heard of a self-cleaning condenser tumble dryer? Well, you have now. Self-cleaning condenser systems automatically flush away lint and fluff from the condenser after every cycle, leaving you with nothing to clean. By using the condensed water extracted during the drying cycle, it helps to save a little extra water too. Clever stuff. If you like the sound of that, take a peek at the Bosch Logixx WTW84360GB condenser model.

A self-dosing washing machine, a washer with steam on its side and a self-cleaning tumble dryer – what will they think of next? Keep your ear to the ground and you’ll soon find out what else will set the bar high in 2012.