Once you have started using a deep freeze, you will not want to live without one. Having a deep freeze means that you will be able to store up edibles during times of plenty (whether this plenty means a bumper crop in the garden or some top-notch specials at the supermarket) for when times are tough. However, if you’ve got one, you have to treat it properly in order to get the best out of it.
First of all: some basic energy-saving tips. Don’t put hot food in the freezer, but allow it to cool down first so the freezing unit doesn’t have to work overtime to get things down to the right temperature. Also, a full freezer is more efficient – frozen meat and containers of soup don’t rush out the door when it opens, but air does. The new air will then have to be cooled.
You will also have to defrost the deep freeze regularly – about once a year is enough for most people with busy lives to lead. The main thing is to defrost the freezer before the ice builds up to a level that stops you shutting the door properly. A defrosting session as part of your domestic cleaning London is also a good chance to check through your frozen goods and make sure that nothing’s been sitting there too long.
How long is too long in the freezer? Leaving aside the palaeontologists who claim that mammoth meat frozen since the ice age is perfectly preserved and edible, if you don’t mind a little “freezer burn”, here are some rough guidelines:
Fruit and vegetables: 8 months (although they are still good after two years, from personal experience with a batch of frozen stewed plums). Freezing slows down enzyme reactions rather than stopping them, so blanching fruit and veg lightly or cooking them before they go into the freezer helps them stay good for longer. Berries are excellent to freeze and can be kept safely for up to a year.
Meat: up to 1 year, but less if the meat has been sliced or minced. For things you buy frozen (e.g. fish fingers), check the expiry date on the packet.
Eggs: Don’t freeze them at all – they can’t handle it.
Dairy products: up to 9 months, depending on what it is. If you have frozen a bottle of milk, wait until it thaws completely before drinking or using it, as the water part of it thaws out last.
Baked goods: three months for bread and the like, but biscuits can stay frozen for a year safely.
Some things don’t freeze well. Lettuces, bananas and all egg products shouldn’t be frozen, as they turn quite peculiar when they thaw out. It is also unwise to freeze stuffed poultry, as the stuffing can sometimes fail to freeze for some time and turn nasty in the process.
Don’t freeze anything that was in bad condition before it went in – it will still be bad when it comes out and you will have wasted valuable freezer space.
Make sure that you thaw out items you want to use properly before you start cooking them, especially meat. The exceptions here are berries or cut up pieces of fruit to be used in muffins, as they keep their shape for longer if they go into the mixture frozen; meat to be put through a mincer, which should be partially thawed, as it grinds more efficiently when half frozen; and frozen vegetables to be boiled, steamed or cooked in the microwave. Never put something back in the freezer once it’s thawed out.
If a power cut happens, your freezer will be good for a few days before things start thawing. Keep the door closed to keep the chill in for as long as possible. After about four days, things will begin to thaw. If the power is still out and your freezer was full of meat, this is the moment to get out your barbecue or light a fire, and to call all your neighbours around for a king-sized feast. It will cheer you all up during a crisis (which is what must be going on if the power has been out this long) so it won’t be a total waste of money.
Need carpet cleaning Plaistow? Call 020 8593 1317 for the best quote on your list. Fully guaranteed carpet cleaners
The standard first reaction from most people when confronted with a sink full of dirty grey water that just won’t go down the plughole is either to (a) phone the plumber or (b) run down to the nearest hardware store for a bottle of Drano™ or some other ferocious chemical to tip down the hole and obliterate the gunk doing the blocking. However, neither of these methods is really necessary for the majority of blockages, and it is quite possible to get things going again without reaching for the chemicals.
Drano™ and the like are strong chemicals that dissolve the substances (usually organic substances) that are causing the blockage. However, the Drano™ will keep working and dissolving organic substances after the water is gurgling freely down the sink. Just stop and think for a moment what this is likely to do to the aquatic ecosystem. Yes, your drain commercial cleaning chemical of choice is probably biodegradable (these days, anyway) and will break down and be less noxious after a while, but it won’t do this straight away and it will have some effect. These fierce chemicals should definitely not be used if you have a septic tank system – they will kill the anaerobic bacteria that break down the waste solids.
The most common cause of blockages down sinks is a gunky mixture of soap scum and hair, often caused by people washing their hair in the sink or wet shaving. While letting beards, armpit hair and leg hair grow wild and leaving it unwashed is probably going a bit too far in the quest for an unblocked sink, it is possible to minimize the amount of hair that goes down. Most plugs have a trap at the top of them to prevent large objects going down and a good amount of hair gets stuck here, especially long hair. Clean hair off the trap regularly. Sometimes, if the water is a little sluggish to go out, pulling out any hairs from the trap can work wonders. The hairs will come up covered with thick black or grey goo that smells vile – chuck this down the lavatory or in the compost heap (toilets have wider pipes for obvious reasons and can handle this sort of muck). Waxing and dry shaving with electric shavers can also minimize the amount of hair going down, but this is a matter of personal preference.
The other common cause of blocked drains is the stupid habit of tipping hot fat in its liquid state down the kitchen sink. A plumber of this writer’s acquaintance says that this is the most frequent reason he is called out to a job. Don’t do it. Instead, give that liquid fat to the dog, pour it into the compost heap, use it to make a bird feeder or save it for making soap (the soap produced won’t be perfect, but it will be good enough soap).
OK, that’s how to prevent a sink getting blocked, or at least reduce the likelihood of it getting blocked. But what if you’re sitting there with a sullen grey puddle that won’t go down?
First of all, try the force of air pressure. For this, use a plunger or plumber’s mate – one of those sticks with a big rubber cup on the end. A big one works better than the small ones – the idea of these things is to force air up and down the pipe, which will dislodge and/or break up the blockage, so the more air pushed, the better. Place the cup over the plug hole and get pumping up and down. You will hear a swirling, swooshing gurgling sound, and (all going well) the drain will be clear.
Still no luck? Now its time to try chemical action, but you can use natural products for this. Boiling water will melt fat so it can get down, so this can be your first line of defence if you suspect that fat is blocking the drains. But better still is the baking soda and hot vinegar method. First of all, pour about a cup full of baking soda down the plughole. Make sure it all goes down – use a bit of boiling water to help it on its way. Follow this with a cup of vinegar, preferably heated or even boiling, as heat speeds the reaction between the acid and the base. The resulting reaction will force the blockage apart, and the acid in the vinegar will also have some effect on the alkaline soap. Wait a few minutes and repeat.
If you still don’t have any luck, you may need to physically remove the blockage. This is a nasty job and you can only do it if you can see the S-bend (or U-bend) in the pipe – try the cupboard under the sink or basin. Remove anything in this cupboard and put a bucket underneath where the pipe comes down from the top. Now unscrew the bottom of the U-bend – you may need some help from a pipe wrench. Then unscrew the top and stand clear as the water from above comes splashing into the bucket. Tip any excess water from the bend into the bucket as well. Now comes the really nasty bit: you will have to poke around and find what’s blocking the pipe. If some idiot has poked cotton buds down the sink (it happens!) or if there’s a very thick plug of fat/hair/soap/gunge, you will have to remove this. Wear rubber gloves. When you’re done, screw the pipe back on nice and securely, and go and throw the bucket of dirty water onto some unobtrusive place in the garden.
And don’t ever tip fat down the sink again.
Need carpet cleaning Leyton? Call 020 8593 1317 for the best quote on your list. Fully guaranteed carpet cleaners
American child psychologist James Dobson once described a typical scenario that many parents have encountered: you come into the bedroom and find a lipstick-covered toddler smelling of Chanel No. 5 smiling beatifically at you surrounded by a chaos of smeared foundation, mascara, talcum powder and moisturizer all over the place. What he didn’t describe was what to do next, especially when it comes to cleaning up the mess.
Cleaning up the meddling little monkey is the easy bit. Cream cleanser will get the lipstick off him/her, even if the child in question didn’t slather on moisturizer first. Deep reds or long-lasting lipsticks may leave a slight stain, but this will wear away in a day or so.
Worst things first for the clean-up job. In many ways, it may be better to leave cleaning up the child until last. This is especially true if nail polish has been involved in the chaos. Deal with this one first, especially if it’s on the carpet.
According to one household expert, you should use a metal comb (the sort used for dealing with headlice), tissues cotton wool and acetone (nail polish remover). Wrap the tissue around the comb so that the teeth poke through it. Use the comb to lift the pile of the carpet up slightly – slide it right into the carpet so it forms a barrier between the top of the carpet and the bottom. The tissue will soak up any excess. Then dab on a little acetone – not too much, as it can melt plastic and plastic derivatives in artificial fibres – and use the cotton wool to blot, rub and wipe the nail polish off. Don’t try do the whole stain at once; work through it bit by bit, moving the comb along as you go and changing the tissue when it gets wet. This method is also supposed to work with superglue.
If the nail polish is on cotton cloth, the job is much easier. Simply dab it in acetone. Artificial fibres are more difficult, as acetone will melt plastic-based substances. This is a job for a professional, so take whatever-it-is down to the dry-cleaning agency. However, if the nail polish hasn’t quite set, you can remove the excess by scraping as much as you can off, but make sure that what you use to scrape it off can stand a little nail polish on it, as the polish will now stick to it.
To remove lipstick from carpet, dab on a little dry-cleaning fluid with cotton wool. This will fade the intensity of the colour a bit. Then shake bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) over the stain. Then all you do is vacuum.
For foundation or other liquids containing oil on carpet, first tackle the oils by scrubbing it with a toothbrush using a mixture of cold water and dish detergent. Blot dry. If the stain still remains, use a proprietary carpet cleaning solution. If the stain still lingers, get the carpet out into bright sunshine if you can, as the UV light will fade the stain. If you can’t get the carpet outside into the light, then apply a little lemon juice to the stain as a bleach, or hire a UV light and focus it on the stain for a few hours.
Methylated spirits will remove most makeup off things like sheets or clothing. Dab a moderate amount (enough to soak through the cloth) onto the stain, then leave it to soak before washing in the machine. It’s best to use a cold water wash in case the hot water sets any stains.
Talcum powder goes everywhere, but it easy to clean up. Just dust it up with a duster as you would for any other type of dust, or else vacuum. Scented talcum powder in the vacuum cleaner will mean that the vacuum cleaner will give off that scent until you change the bag or empty the container – a nice bonus.
Better still, avoid the problems and keep your cosmetics out of child-reach. Or shut the bedroom door when you’re not there!
Need carpet cleaning Lewisham? Call 020 8593 1317 for the best quote on your list. Fully guaranteed carpet cleaners
There are many things we call irreplaceable, but of them all, perhaps old photographs are the most important. Old photos are your only visual link to people and places that belong to the past. You cannot take these pictures again. Because treasured old photos are looked at so often, they are subject to a lot of wear and tear and need a great deal of cleaning and maintenance to keep them going for years to come. This is something you will have to do yourself and cannot expect cleaning services to do for you. Cleaning old photos takes just a little time and patience, nothing expensive or complicated is needed.
Before beginning, have a high quality scan done of the old photos. This will not only be a back up is something should go wrong in the cleaning process, the digitally stored images will always be available for on screen viewing when you don’t want to disturb the originals.
* Lay a soft clean towel on the work surface you plan to use.
* Put on a pair of soft white (so you can see if they get dirty) lint free cotton gloves.
* Hold the photos only by the edges.
* Use a very soft brush to gently brush dirt away from the photo surface. Start in the middle and brush outwards. If you have a can of compressed air – like that used to blow dirt away from computer keyboards – use that after the brushing.
* If there is any adhesive or other residue on the surface of the photos, continue brushing gently to remove as much of it as you can without damaging the photo.
* Now we come to the only specialized material you will need. Ask a photographic supply shop to recommend a good photo cleaning spray or solution because if you use a general domestic cleaning detergent you may damage the photo. Read the instructions carefully and use it to clean any stains and ingrained dirt from the photo. Make sure that you use only the specified material to wipe the pictures.
* If there is any slight residual dampness, allow the photos to air dry and once that is done, store them in a way that ensures that while the can be seen, they are protected.
* If you find that there are marks or stained on the old photos that you are unable to remove, do not try and experiment yourself-You could end up destroying the photos. Ask a professional photographer for help.
* You could also try scanning the photos and using photo editing software to clean up the marks and then printing out new copies.
Need carpet cleaning Grove Park? Call 020 8593 1317 for the best quote on your list. Fully guaranteed carpet cleaners
Type 1 diabetes (also known as juvenile onset diabetes or insulin-diabetes) seems to strike out of the blue. Unlike the other, more common form of diabetes (Type 2 or adult onset), being diagnosed with this condition isn’t dependent on what you have eaten in the past.
This article is not supposed to take the place of the advice you get from your doctor and specialists, but it is written from the perspective of someone who has an insulin-diabetic child. And yes – this medical condition does have something to do with the domestic cleaning and keeping the house organised!
Firstly, regarding cooking and reducing sugar in your meals. Your dietician (chances are you will have a session with a dietician shortly after you or your child is diagnosed) will give you the best advice on what to eat. But, personally speaking, I have found that it’s not that hard to keep cooking the same things as normal – just reduce the sugar. You can still cook cakes and muffins quite easily. I’ve found that you can halve the amount of sugar in most recipes and still have the result taste good in the end. Here are a few low-sugar treat foods that are good for children’s parties:
Instead of regular icing on birthday cakes(the sort that uses icing sugar and water or icing sugar and egg white), use cream cheese icing. This is only 50% sugar instead of nearly 100% sugar. The slightly acidic flavour goes with most basic cakes, including chocolate, and you can colour it as usual. Yes, it’s higher in fat than regular icing, but it is lower in sugar.
Make your own ice-cream by mixing whipped cream and a little sugar with fruit puree. Blackcurrants work brilliantly, as do other berry fruits. You could also try freezing yoghurt.
Never add sugar to meat, even as a marinade. You don’t need it at all.
If you have an insulin dependent person, you will find very quickly that the process of testing blood sugar levels and injections creates a lot of debris. You will have to deal with the little test strips, the foil packets (and other packaging) that the test strips came in, syringes, the caps off the syringes and all other packaging for the syringes. While the testing strips and the packaging may be able to be disposed of in the regular rubbish system, the syringes can be a health hazard. Where I live, the local council provides proper “sharps” bins for people on the needle exchange or the methadone programme for drug rehabilitation, but doesn’t provide them for diabetics (unfair, really, as diabetics can’t help having to use insulin, but drugs are a deliberate choice). We have the choice of paying for proper bins or supplying our own. The best substitute sharps bins are old containers for dishwasher powder or bleach (bottles made from Number 2 plastic – look inside the recycling symbol to check). However, you may be luckier about being provided with sharps bins – find out what applies locally.
The little bits from doing blood tests seem to go everywhere. Corral them in their own mini bin (a one-litre yoghurt container works well). Keep this mini bin near where you keep your insulin gear.
Speaking of the gear, it’s best to dedicate a special cupboard or box to the equipment to keep it all together. Insulin vials that aren’t in everyday use will need to be kept in the fridge, as will the hypo/glucagon kits, but everything else should be easily obtainable.
When you go out and about, it’s important to take your blood glucose monitor and some “quick fix” form of sugar with you for every trip (usually jelly beans). For longer trips when you’re likely to go out for a meal, you may need to take your insulin as well. Have a series of containers – a small one with the testing kit and the jelly beans that goes in a slightly larger one that contains the insulin and syringes (or a pen).
Don’t carry loose jelly beans in your pockets. The sugar goes everywhere and the jelly beans get covered in fluff. They are also a nuisance if they go through the washing machine.
To be able to keep a proper record of blood glucose levels during the day, keep a pen or pencil in the container that holds your insulin, preferably tied to your record book.
Need carpet cleaning Colindale? Call 020 8593 1317 for the best quote on your list. Fully guaranteed carpet cleaners.
Natural cleaning and natural products aren’t just limited to your home and to your own grooming. You can also use natural recipes and products to look after your pet. Because if an animal such as a cat or dog isn’t part of nature and the natural world, what is? And your pet is just as affected by toxins in the home environment as you are, if not more so (what some of our domestic cleaning products and “air fresheners” smell like to the highly sensitive nose of a dog doesn’t bear thinking about).
Flea control is the one aspect of pet care that involves the most toxins. The average flea control treatment contains a high amount of toxins – it poisons the fleas after all. This is why the sort of flea powder or liquid you can buy over the counter at the supermarket – or even at the pet shop – often has warnings not to use it on puppies or kittens under a certain age. A much better solution is to use herbal remedies. The best flea remedy by far is pennyroyal, either as an essential oil or by using the dried (or fresh) herb. Pennyroyal’s scientific name is Mentha pulgefugium, which means “mint that makes fleas flee” and it is very easy to grow in damp, shady parts of the garden, so there’s no excuse for any pet owner not to have and use this handy herb. Simply pick a sprig or two and rub it over your pet’s coat to deter fleas, and tuck a few sprigs (maybe the ones you’ve already used to rub on the pet’s coat) into your pet’s bedding. Regular vacuuming is another way to keep fleas to a minimum, if not totally under control, as the powerful air currents and turbulence created by a vacuum cleaner kill fleas. If you use essential oil of pennyroyal, dab a bit on some cotton wool and/or onto the bristles of a grooming brush, and groom your pet as normal. This will transfer the oil into the animal’s fur and thus get rid of the fleas.
Your pet should live as normal a life as possible. Cats should never be de-clawed. This is a cruel and unnatural practice, even if the declawing is done under anaesthetic. Cats need claws to defend themselves and to climb, and their climbing instincts will still be there even if their claws aren’t, and he/she will suffer falls and a lot of frustration. If you want to keep your sofa and curtains safe, provide a scratching post if your cat can’t get outside to sharpen his/her claws. The scratching post should be covered with a fabric or material that they can get their claws decently into – this writer’s cats find the dense foam used for exercise mats irresistible for scratching. Encourage your cat to use it by judicious addition of pennyroyal.
Another feline instinct – natural behaviour for a cat – is hunting. To prevent birds and lizards being butchered and left around your house, put a collar on your cat with a bell. Make sure the collar is elasticated so if it gets hooked while the cat is climbing or jumping, it will not strangle the cat. The bell does mean that the cat won’t be able to act as a rodent control agent, however.
You can make your own pet food that avoids the additives and preservatives that are found in many commercial pet foods. All you need is a quick trip down to the supermarket, the greengrocer and/or the butcher’s shop. Cats need more protein in their diet, so don’t attempt to feed a cat on the same home-made pet food as you do a dog. The easiest home-made cat food is plain mince, but to give the cat a bit more variety, add some chopped organ meat and maybe some chicken meat – cooked is OK but raw is also good for cats and has a higher level of nutrients. And don’t forget raw fish… cat heaven!
Dogs can have a wider variety of items in their diet, including some starch and vegetables along with meat. Raw bones and raw meat are delicious for a dog and close to the diet of its wild-living relatives, but organ meat should be cooked before feeding to a dog. Large cooked bones may splinter when chewed, but raw ones are splendid – and they are also good for the dog’s teeth – they almost act as a toothbrush. Good vegetables and starch to add to a dog’s diet are rice, potatoes, pumpkin and peas, but avoid onions, too much wheat flour (a bit is OK) or anything containing chocolate. Dairy food is OK to give to dogs (cats should only have it in moderation – water is the best drink for cats), but don’t overdo it. You can also mix table scraps into a dog’s regular food – they will love this!
Need carpet cleaning Kingston? Call 020 8593 1317 for the best quote on your list. Fully guaranteed carpet cleaners.
While it may not feel like it at the moment, spring will come again. But when it comes, will you be ready to take advantage of the sunnier weather? Is your picnic hamper clean and ready for action. Will you have a nice surprise come springtime or will you find something not fit to put food in.
Of course, if you don’t clean a picnic hamper properly before you put it away, what may greet you come the first picnic-worthy day of spring may be a horrible mess. This especially applies if you have one of those plastic insulated hampers that keep food chilled (the sort the Australians call Eskies) and also, to some extent, to the old-fashioned wicker hamper lined with cloth.
The horrible mess is likely to be mould and mildew, and there is nothing for it but to swab it out with neat vinegar and expose it to strong sunshine, or even to get a new wicker picnic hamper if it’s gone too far and the mildew has got into the wood. Bad luck – remember to clean the new one out before you put it away.
To clean out a wicker picnic hamper, you have two main jobs. The first is to clean out any smears, while the second is to clean out any crumbs. Wicker hampers don’t have quite as many problems with mould and mildew, as the wicker provides preventative ventilation, but it can happen if you give bacteria and mould spores something to grow on. The first step is to turn the hamper upside-down and give it a good shake to get the worst of the crumbs out. If you have a cloth lining inside the hamper, see if it comes out. If it does, you’re in luck. Just give it a quick spin in the washing machine on the gentle cycle or else handwash it. If it doesn’t, your first step is to use the vacuum cleaner to suck out the loose crumbs that linger in the seams. You can do this task when doing your weekly domestic cleaning.
Next, deal with the smears. Use a sponge dipped in warm soapy water to get rid of jam, etc. However, if some idiot spilled sardines on the inside, you may need to use a scrubbing brush and more soap. Sprinkle baking soda inside the hamper to absorb smells, then brush or vacuum this out when it’s dried. Use the sponge and scrubbing brush method for cleaning smears out of a wicker picnic basket with no lining (crumbs won’t be much of a problem).
To clean the plastic insulated type of picnic basket, the easiest way is to half fill it with warm water and a little of whatever you use to wash the dishes with. Then just wash the inside out with a dishbrush, then rinse as normal. It’s after this part that the real fun begins. It’s a nice, airtight, insulated container, and if you shut the lid and tuck it away with the slightest bit of moisture in, you will be faced with hideous orange slime next time you open it. Or brown slime. Or grey slime. So it’s vital to dry it out thoroughly before storing it.
Storing this type of plastic picnic hamper also has to be done properly. It’s best not to store it with the lid fully closed just in case you haven’t got all of the moisture out. Wedge a bit of newspaper under the lid to raise it slightly. This will prevent dust and dirt falling in but will provide ventilation. Alternatively, store it upside-down with the lid off. If you store it right way up with the lid off, then you may have to dust it out before the next picnic – but a damp rag will fix that without any trouble.
Need carpet cleaning Kensington? Call 020 8593 1317 for the best quote on your list. Fully guaranteed carpet cleaners.
Hands can take a real battering throughout the day, and often, the sensitive skin on hands can end up chafed, chapped, itchy and dry. Let’s not even start with what happens to fingernails! What can you do to care for your hands and have them looking neat, tidy and well groomed naturally?
One ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. One real advantage of using natural domestic cleaning products is that they are much, much gentler on the skin. Many commercial cleaning products leave the skin weeping and cracking, even if you’re strict about rinsing off as soon as possible. Wearing rubber gloves is the first line of defence if you have to use a harsh chemical cleaning product. Better still, making your own natural cleaning products will go a long way towards clearing up dry skin. However, even soap, which is a natural product, can dry the skin, so rubber gloves are still a must when using soap-based products. They’re also a must if you have to deal with natural substances of the more unpleasant kind, such as vomit or faeces.
Hand care begins with removing dirt. Many jobs and hobbies, such as gardening, can leave the hands absolutely filthy, and just plain soap and warm water won’t do the job. Scrubbing brushes can work wonders for dirt under the fingernails, but these are often too harsh for the more delicate skin areas on your hands.
Instead, try one of these methods:
Pumice/sand soap: Grate a bar of plain white soap and melt it in a double boiler or in a microwave on Low. Add a little water if needed. Once the soap is liquid, add about half a cup of ground pumice stone or fine sand and stir in well. Pour the liquid into a mould – an old tin or pottle will work nicely – and put it in a cool, dark place to solidify and dry. The sand or pumice will gently abrade dirt out from the skin. More luxurious variants can be made by adding ground almonds, cornmeal or corn grits to the soap instead of the sand or pumice.
Lemon: Lemon juice is a mild skin bleach, so this method also helps fade spots on the hands, as well as cleaning them. Turn lemon rinds (once you have squeezed most of the juice out for another purpose) inside out and dip them into coarse sugar or salt. Use these to scrub problem areas.
Avocado skins: Once you have scooped out the pulp of an avocado for a salad or guacamole, save the skins. The inside of the skin is abrasive and contains many of the oils from the avocado. Use them to scrub at hands (and faces!) for a bit of moisturizing as well as scrubbing.
Drying hands properly after washing is also important for preventing chapping. However, if you still have a problem with dry skin, sue a rich hand cream or moisturizer to soothe the skin and replace some of the oils that have been removed by scrubbing. One old trick used by some farmers is to keep a pot of hand cream (pure lanolin is popular) alongside the pumice soap and scrubbing brush beside the basin where workers come in to clean their hands. If you can’t get pure lanolin – or even if you can – try making your own hand cream:
Rich hand cream:
* 200 ml boiling water
* herbal teabag – preferably chamomile
* 50 ml avocado or olive oil
* 50 ml almond, sunflower or grapeseed oil
* 10 ml jojoba oil
* 30 g beeswax
* 10 ml glycerine
* 20 drops essential oil of your choice (optional)
Use the boiling water and the teabag to make a strong cup of herbal tea – 15 minutes is about the right length of time to leave it to steep, but remember to cover the cup it’s steeping in so the steam is trapped in. Leave it to cool. While it’s cooling, combine the oils in a double boiler and add the beeswax in. Once the beeswax has melted, begin to stir in the herbal tea, bit by bit. You will need to stir hard so it emulsifies properly. Lastly, add in the glycerine and essential oil. Place the mixture in a wide mouthed screw-top jar and keep it where you wash your hands. Use liberally after washing hands or whenever you need it.
Beautiful nails also make hands look well groomed. However, nail polish and acetone-based nail polish remover are terrible on the skin and are far from natural. Nail polish on the fingers chips and needs redoing all too often. It’s much better to just have neat, well-filed nails that are trim and clean. This starts with having no dirt under the nail:
Before doing a dirty job, dig your fingernails into a bar of soap. Some soap will stick under the nails, and this will block the dirt from getting in but will wash away very easily. Deeply ingrained dirt can be removed with regular scrubbing and also with a little lemon juice – squish plenty of juicy lemon pith and pulp (the pulp that’s left on the outside/top of a lemon squeezer is perfect) and leave it to do its work for 10 or so minutes before rinsing out.
Don’t cut cuticles – they are there to protect the matrix of the nail from infection. Just push them back gently. Soften them first with a little olive oil or sunflower oil – dipping the tips of your fingers into warm (not hot) oil works wonders.
For something a little fancier, try a fake French polish that needs no varnish and is much easier than the “real” sort. Use a white dressmaking pencil to colour in the tip of the nail from underneath. This whitens the tips. Then stroke a bit of natural beeswax over the top of the nail all over and buff well with a chamois cloth or any other soft cloth to bring up a subtle sheen. The beauty of this is that it doesn’t chip or crack.
Need carpet cleaning Canary Wharf? Call 020 8593 1317 for the best quote on your list. Fully guaranteed carpet cleaners.
Natural fibres have been with humankind for a long time. Unlike synthetic fibres, they “breathe” more, come from renewable resources and when they finally wear out, they are biodegradable. However, not all natural fibres are created equal. Different fibres/fabrics have different care requirements and have different uses.
Cotton: This comes from a plant source, and it is possible these days to find fabric made from organically grown cotton. Cotton can be tough (denim) or delicate (lace) oand has a huge range of uses. Cotton can handle hot washes and hot irons – it requires hot ironing to be wrinkle-free. Cotton is cool and light to wear, making it excellent for summer wear but unsuitable for winter warmth. It is very absorbent, which makes it good for towels. It is very easy to dye. The disadvantages of cotton are that it is prone to mildew if is damp, shrinks if untreated and can take up stains very easily. Thick cotton fabrics (e.g. denim and towelling) can take a long time to dry on a line or a clothes-horse in cooler weather. Cotton is flammable and is anything but flame resistant.
Linen: This also comes from a plant source. Linen tends to be quite crisp and has a very distinctive texture. It is strong, cool and absorbent. Traditionally, linen was used for undergarments and for sheets. It can handle a hot iron, but it will soften from the usual crispness if washed traditionally. Like cotton, linen is prone to mildew and has a tendency to shrink or stretch. Linen does not take dye well, which also means that it does not stain as readily.
Silk: This taken from the cocoons of the silk moth. Very delicate with a natural lustre to it, it requires gentle handling. Silk should be dry-cleaned or else handwashed in cool-warm water with hand soap. It should not be wrung or scrubbed. It can be ironed on cool. While it is fiddly to take care of, it has the advantage of being very light and easy to wear – it is traditionally used for underwear and good clothes, as well as handkerchiefs and scarves – although you can get very luxurious silk sheets if you want to be extravagant. Silk is moth-proof. Surprisingly, silk is quite strong for its weight and is also warm to wear.
Wool: Wool is spun from the hairs of various long-haired animals. Sheep of various breeds are used for wool, with merino being the finest of this type. Goat hair is also used; this is known as cashmere (Kashmir), angora; pashmina or mohair. Llama and alpaca wool is also used. More outlandish animals that are used for wool include rabbits (from angora rabbits), camels, yaks and even some breeds of dog. Wool is something of a “wonder fibre” as it has a huge range uses, ranging from tough carpets to fine scarves and wraps. Wool is very warm and absorbent, making it the fibre of choice for hikers and the like, as it “stays warm when it’s wet”. Wool is flame resistant. The downside of wool is that it needs a bit of care with washing – handwashing is best, as wool can stretch or shrink unpredictably if machine washed on a regular cycle or on hot (some garments handle the “gentle” or “wool” cycle in washing machines without any bother, though). For washing wool carpets professional carpet cleaning is the best solution. Wool does not like being ironed, but then, it is fairly wrinkle-resistant. Wool also needs a bit of protecting from moths, as moths love wool.
Fur: Real fur comes from all sorts of mammals. Opinion is divided as to the ethics of fur. Yes, some animals are farmed and killed for their fur, but they are usually killed humanely. Real fur is more environmentally friendly than synthetics as real fur comes from a renewable resource, does not use fossil fuels and is biodegradable. In some countries, the fur-bearing animals are noxious pests that harm the environment and the fur is a by-product of managing and controlling pests. Real fur is very warm and looks glamorous. It should be handwashed (use hand soap and dry flat; do not wring or spin) or drycleaned. It does not need ironing. Fur needs to be protected from moths.
Leather. This is the hairless skin of animals – cattle, pigs, ostriches, alligators, snakes, goats, sheep and more. If the hair is left on, it is usually called “hide”. It is very tough and hard-wearing, and can even be wind and slightly water proof (with the right treatment and finish) but still “breathes”. It is fire-resistant and fairly stain-resistant. It is usually too harsh for underwear (with the exception of special fetish-style items) of but is used for all sorts of outerwear, upholstery, protective gear and accessories. It can be hand-washed if necessary, but it is best to just spot-clean leather by sponging the dirt off. If leather does get wet, it should be dried flat, then wrung and crushed to restore the suppleness afterwards. Leather does not like seawater – soak it in milk to remove salt, then rinse well in fresh water. Leather should be polished regularly to keep it supple.
Need carpet cleaning Holloway? Call 020 8593 1317 for the best quote on your list. Fully guaranteed carpet cleaners.
If you do a lot of housework, you will get housemaid’s knee.
This is false, at least mostly. Housemaid’s knee is caused by a cut or abrasion on the knee becoming infected after repeated pressure or knocking, leading to the knee swelling up and growing hot. This can happen if you spend a lot of time on your knees without protection, but scrubbing floors on your hands and knees is not the only way of getting housemaid’s knee – this writer knew a keen cricketer who got housemaid’s knee after an innings of intensive fielding, followed by shoving the aggrieved knee into hot sweaty pads for a long innings of batting. If you do spend a lot of time on your knees scrubbing floors, get one of those foam pads sold in garden shops to protect your knees, or even fold up an old towel.
Washing soda and baking soda are equivalent
False. This is like saying that carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide are the same. While both baking soda and washing soda are used widely for natural domestic cleaning products and break down grease, they are not the same. Washing soda is poisonous, while baking soda is edible. Washing soda works well added to cleaning products containing soap, while baking soda is often used on its own as a scouring paste for cleaning bathrooms and the insides of fridges and ovens. Baking soda also absorbs smells better than washing soda does.
Sponges and cleaning rags are breeding grounds for bacteria
True. They are ideal breeding grounds for bacteria, as they contain food and moisture, and usually sit around at room temperature, giving the bacteria the other things they need to breed (time and the right temperature). However, don’t shun the humble sponge or dishcloth for your house cleaning jobs. Just toss them into the laundry when you’ve finished using them – a daily change is the bare minimum. If you really want to be sure that you sterilise a sponge thoroughly, pour boiling water over it.
You can clean nearly everything with vinegar
Mostly true. However, never use vinegar on anything made of marble, sandstone, bone or pearl. Vinegar, being acid, will attack these carbonated alkaline substances and break them down. But vinegar can be used for a host of other cleaning jobs, including killing mould, cleaning glass, cleaning leather (when mixed with linseed oil) and as a general disinfectant.
Everything that has “Dry Clean Only” on the label should be dry cleaned.
False. Some garments with this label can be washed at home using ordinary soap and water. This is especially true for items made from silk, wool and leather.hese are natural fibres that were worn, used and cleaned for centuries before drycleaning was even thought of. Wash them by hand and be gentle – just use the same sort of soap you use for your hands, warm water and don’t scrub them vigorously.
Ammonia is one of the really bad chemicals used for cleaning.
False. While ammonia does give off horrible fumes that give you bad headaches and can damage your skin, it is not as bad for the environment as other commercial cleaning products, as it breaks down very readily when it gets into the environment. So it’s not as bad as, say, chlorine, which not only gives off the fumes and attacks skin but also takes an age to break down if it reacts with certain things in the sewage (it does, however, get broken down by UV light). If you have to use ammonia, make sure you wear rubber gloves and use it in a ventilated area. And never mix an ammonia-based product with a chlorine-based one unless you want to kill yourself horribly. Better still, use a natural alternative for your household cleaning tasks.
Need carpet cleaning Highgate? Call 020 8593 1317 for the best quote on your list. Fully guaranteed carpet cleaners.
