Clean & Green: 101 Hints and Tips for a More Eco-Friendly Home

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Pop your metal shelves into the hot solution making sure they are submerged and leave them overnight. Simple swaps and innovative ideas for cleaning and maintaining your home that won't cost the Earth. And my homemade cream cleaner is perfect for granite worktops and sanitary ware, being non-acidic and only slightly abrasive. Citric acid will dissolve limescale and kill germs. Photograph: kali9/Getty Images Deep-clean the loo

Nancy Birtwhistle: 8 Secrets For A Sparkling Clean Home Nancy Birtwhistle: 8 Secrets For A Sparkling Clean Home

We all want to do our best for our homes and the planet, but it's often hard to find the time and energy to think of alternatives. Nancy Birtwhistle makes it easy with 101 indispensable tips, ideas and recipes that will help you to live a more eco-friendly life without giving up on any home comforts. Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox Last summer, Birtwhistle had two different sprays to keep bugs at bay. She made one from nettles (60g boiled in 600ml water) and another using rhubarb leaves (500g of leaves in a litre of water). Both also contained clove bud oil, thought to deter insects. “The oxalic acid in rhubarb is a mild poison, so I didn’t use that on my veg,” she says. “I used the nettle spray there and I used the rhubarb spray on non-edible plants.” Both were effective, she says. “I was delighted.” Most importantly, I feel, are those little hits and tips which make such a difference in the kitchen and within the home. These nuggets of knowledge have proved super popular amongst my followers and I have weaved them in throughout the book. I learned many of these hints and tips from my grandmother, but I have also found other little gems hidden away in very old 19th century literature. It takes years and years to break down, is toxic and the fumes can irritate the eyes, throat, lungs and skin.

Nancy Birtwhistle’s shrunken jumper fix

The complete guide to growing your own veg from former Bake Off winner and Sunday Times bestselling author Nancy Birtwhistle. Nancy reveals that her simple fuss-free way to remove bobbles from a jumper is to gently cut them off with scissors and then place the garment in the washing machine. She says: 'This is my favourite jumper and although it's quite new, it's starting to bobble under the arms due to friction.' Inspired to protect the planet for her ten grandchildren, Nancy decided to change how she used single-use plastic and chemicals in her home and began to share her environmentally friendly, innovative ideas and time-saving swaps with her followers.

cleaning products for your home How to make cheap, non-toxic cleaning products for your home

Once you are satisfied that it looks as it used to, take the towel and start rolling from the bottom, nice and tight, until the jumper is concealed in a huge towel and jumper sausage. Rolling tightly will extract much of the remaining moisture. When the towel feels quite wet, unroll and transfer the jumper to the second towel, which again has been laid out on a flat surface. Nancy Birtwhistle’s plant feed with added benefit Conkers … contain natural detergent. Photograph: Katie Shires Photography/Getty Images Remove scuff marks We are all aware now that the chemical-laden cleaning products encased in excess plastic and lurking under our sinks are not just bad for our health and the environment, they also often cost a fortune to boot.A horrible job – and one for which Birtwhistle used to use harsh chemicals in a big plastic bag. There are two methods, she says. “One is to simply put them out on the lawn overnight. The best results I’ve had is to do it when the grass has just been cut, and cover the shelf with grass clippings as well. It creates a sort of steamy environment and then the next day they just wipe clean.” One of her social media followers from South Africa gave her this tip. However, if you don’t have a garden or grass, “submerge them in washing soda overnight”. Stained casserole dishes Stir until the liquid is clear and the crystals have dissolved, then simply add the eco-friendly washing-up liquid and tea tree oil and mix well using a small whisk. Mix a thin paste and dab it over the stain, massaging it in circular motions with gloved hands. The residual stain will lift and so will the odour. If you can air-dry the item, even better. My Pure Magic is not harmful, it kills germs, destroys limescale (which bleach alone doesn’t do) and smells fresh. The next day, pour the water off the jumper and gently squeeze it to remove the excess. Do not rinse, wring or spin. Lay a large clean towel onto a flat surface and on top place the very wet jumper. Gently pull at it lengthways and sideways, stretching the fibres as you go. Take your time in gently remoulding your favourite jumper to its original size and shape.

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Note: If your oven shelves have been sprayed or coated with ‘self-clean’ substances, do not use this method. The chemical coating can be damaged by soaking. This method is not suitable for aluminium trays or shelves. Aluminium can be cleaned using bicarb or washing soda, but long soaks cause oxidization.

Nancy Birtwhistle's eco-friendly fabric conditioner

Pop the article in a plastic bag (a used one) to keep everything moist. Leave for an hour – or overnight – then remove from bag and pop in the washing machine set at 20°C (yes, 20°C!)