Here’s what you’ll need

• Washing up liquid
• Clean microfibre cloths
• A blunt object – like a spatula, dough scraper or an old debit card
• A carpet cleaning product
• Laundry detergent
• Stain removing laundry detergent (to help with any stubborn stains)

How to remove common Pancake Day spillages

Flour

Flour manages to find itself on just about every surface in your kitchen. But resist the temptation to jump in with a wet cloth. This will turn the flour to gloop. And while it may initially look like you’ve wiped up the mess, you’ll be left with floury smear marks on your countertop.

Begin by scraping up as much as you can. You can use anything that won’t damage the surface  – from a dough scraper, to a piece of card or a spatula. Anything that’s flat will work just fine. Once you’ve removed the bulk of the flour you can wipe up the rest with a slightly damp microfibre cloth and a spray of kitchen cleaner or multisurface spray.

For any flour that’s spilled on the floors, you can use a dustpan and brush or a broom to wipe up most of it. Once you’ve removed any piles of flour, you can use a vacuum to pick up the rest. But don’t go straight in with the vacuum, as lots of flour could actually clog it up.

Pancake batter

Pancake batter can end up being flung across all corners of your kitchen while the pancake production line’s in action.

It’s best to act quickly to avoid it getting stuck to surfaces, clothes or flooring. You can normally just wipe it up with a damp microfibre cloth.

If you notice a dried clump of batter on hard surfaces, simply cover with a damp cloth and leave it for a few minutes. You can then just wipe it up with ease.

Dried batter on clothes, cloths or rugs can be harder to clear up. Use a blunt object like a spoon or old credit card to scrape off as much as you can. If the stain is on clothes or cloths, launder these as per the label instructions. If the spillage is on a carpet or rug, use an appropriate carpet cleaning product, following the instructions on the label carefully. 

If you don’t have a carpet cleaning product handy, simply dampen a microfibre cloth in a mild solution of washing-up liquid and water  – just a drop of washing-up liquid for a pint or so of water should be fine. 

Chocolate spread/sauce
 

With the decadence of chocolate pancakes comes the risk of devilish stains. While a chocolate disaster might look like a nightmare at first, there’s no reason to panic. 

Wiping chocolate from your surfaces shouldn’t prove too difficult – simply use a damp microfibre cloth and soap or a multi-surface spray. But dried chocolate stains on clothes & upholstery is a little trickier. 

For stains on clothing, remove as much as you can with a blunt knife or spoon, being careful not to damage the fabric. If you think you might be causing damage, skip this step.

Most chocolate spread contains oil, so it’s best to run cold water through the clothing from the underside of the stain. Then rub a drop of washing up liquid or liquid laundry detergent into the stain using your fingers to pretreat it. Then you can rinse again and launder as usual.

If stains remain, try washing again with a stain removing product – you can buy products in the supermarket that are specifically designed for colours and whites.

Maple syrup
 

Maple syrup spillages can be cleaned up much like chocolate spread. 

For any spillages on your countertops, simply wipe with a damp microfibre cloth. Then follow up with a spray of multisurface or kitchen cleaning spray and wipe again – just to make sure no sticky residue remains.

For clothes, begin by flushing the stain out from the inside under running cold water – this stops the stain from setting. Then pre-treat with a liquid laundry detergent or a solution of washing up liquid and water or a liquid detergent and then launder as usual. If stains remain, repeat the process using a stain removing laundry product. 

For floors, remove any wet spills with a spoon or other blunt object. Then apply a carpet cleaning product following the instructions on the label, or use a mild solution of washing-up liquid and water and a clean, microfibre cloth to dab up the mess – again, just a drop of washing up liquid in a pint of water will give you the perfect solution to dampen your cloth.

Eggs

Cracked or spilled eggs can be tricky to clear up. But it’s important that you do so quickly – as raw eggs can contain Salmonella.

There are  a couple of methods you can use. If you’ve cracked or spilled an egg on your worktops, you may be able to slide it off the surface and into a bowl so you can take it to the bin. Then simply spray the surface with a multisurface or kitchen cleaning spray and wipe.

If you’ve not got a spatula handy, or you’ve cracked an egg on hard floors, you can use salt to help you clean it up. Simply cover the egg liberally with salt and leave for 10 minutes. The salt will mix with the egg and form a paste which is much easier to wipe up with a floor cleaning wipe or a damp microfibre cloth.

Then spray some multisurface or kitchen cleaning spray over the surface and wipe with a clean damp cloth. These cloths could have come into contact with Salmonella – so it’s best to send them straight to the laundry.