• Freshen and deodorise carpets, mattresses and fabric upholstery by sprinkling lightly with dry bicarb. Don't wet it. Leave for at least an hour or overnight for grubby carpets before vacuuming up.
• Burnt a pot? Sprinkle three heaped tablespoons (more if very bad) of bicarbonate of soda into the pot, add a couple of squeezes of dishwashing liquid then add water to half fill the pot. Bring to a boil on the stove and simmer for 60 minutes. Turn off and leave to stand overnight. Rinse in the morning and wash, repeating if necessary.
• No yeast for baking? Use bicarb as a leavening (raising) agent activated by buttermilk, yoghurt, vinegar or lemon juice in baking. The ratio is one teaspoon of bicarb, 5ml (1 tsp) per every cup of flour used in recipe.
• Make a bicarb solution, at a fraction of the cost of commercially available products, to clean baths, showers, toilets and kitchen counters and other grubby surfaces. Combine 2 cups (500ml) bicarb, 180ml (¾ cup) dishwashing liquid together in a large glass or plastic bowl. Add 1 cup (250ml) water and 30ml (2 tbsp) of white vinegar and a squeeze of lemon juice. Stir until smooth, ensuring there are no lumps, then pour into a spray bottle.
• Stained, greasy and smelly plastic containers? Soak containers in a solution, the ratio is 60-75ml (4-5 tbsp) of bicarb and a litre of warm water. Leave to stand overnight for badly stained containers before rinsing and washing in warm soapy water.
• Whiten the washing — add 200g bicarb to liquid detergent and wash in the normal way.
Six spring cleaning hacks using simple bicarbonate of soda
It’s accessible, natural and eco friendly, and is a fraction of the price of commercial cleaning products
Image: Stock photo/123RF
• Freshen and deodorise carpets, mattresses and fabric upholstery by sprinkling lightly with dry bicarb. Don't wet it. Leave for at least an hour or overnight for grubby carpets before vacuuming up.
• Burnt a pot? Sprinkle three heaped tablespoons (more if very bad) of bicarbonate of soda into the pot, add a couple of squeezes of dishwashing liquid then add water to half fill the pot. Bring to a boil on the stove and simmer for 60 minutes. Turn off and leave to stand overnight. Rinse in the morning and wash, repeating if necessary.
• No yeast for baking? Use bicarb as a leavening (raising) agent activated by buttermilk, yoghurt, vinegar or lemon juice in baking. The ratio is one teaspoon of bicarb, 5ml (1 tsp) per every cup of flour used in recipe.
• Make a bicarb solution, at a fraction of the cost of commercially available products, to clean baths, showers, toilets and kitchen counters and other grubby surfaces. Combine 2 cups (500ml) bicarb, 180ml (¾ cup) dishwashing liquid together in a large glass or plastic bowl. Add 1 cup (250ml) water and 30ml (2 tbsp) of white vinegar and a squeeze of lemon juice. Stir until smooth, ensuring there are no lumps, then pour into a spray bottle.
• Stained, greasy and smelly plastic containers? Soak containers in a solution, the ratio is 60-75ml (4-5 tbsp) of bicarb and a litre of warm water. Leave to stand overnight for badly stained containers before rinsing and washing in warm soapy water.
• Whiten the washing — add 200g bicarb to liquid detergent and wash in the normal way.
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