I have been for years putting a ‘tiny’ amount of bleach into glasses, coffee mugs, vases then fill with water, to be rid of stains. You do not need a ‘dollop’ and takes not very long to then wash as usual. I have no dishwasher and I always put a drop or two in the […]

We have many friends with glass fronted wood-burners in their lounges. They use many commercial cleaning preparations to clean the glass – over time this amounts to a significant cost. A simple no-cost solution is to use the ash itself to clean the glass. We have used this for around ten years, and the glass […]

Cleaning glass fronted wood stoves. For many years I have cleaned the glass with a “window cleaning” type paint scraper. It is quick and easy. Plastic handled scrapers are available at any hardware store for a few dollars. The special razor blade insert is reversible and replaceable. I use a “Stanley” Brand scraper.

For cleaning glass-fronted wood burning fires – Use a damp paper towel dipped into the cold ash. Rub over the glass. Absolute magic. Spread a piece of newspaper on the hearth to catch the mess.

A friend taught me the best way to clean the glass in the door of my wood burner: scrunch up an old newspaper, make it wet and dip in the ash. Then clean your glass door. Works a treat!

To clean paths, walls etc here is a cheap 30 seconds. Simply save a bucket of washing water on wash days. Add a couple of handfuls of Baking Soda [bought at a bulk bin store] and add a good slurp of bleach. Scrub gently onto surface. Rinse and the result is great and lasting.

You don’t have to look specifically for products labelled “distilled vinegar” (distilled vinegar is a clear vinegar, too strong and bitter for cooking but excellent for cleaning glass and as a disinfectant).  As a substitute, you can use white vinegar instead – it will do the same job.  White vinegar, is readily available at most […]

Having had the grandchildren over I noticed how much dish liquid we went through when they helped with the washing up. So I hung a hand whisk by the dish-rack. They only used a small amount of liquid and had a sink full of bubbles to keep them happy. Since they have gone home I’ve […]

I always buy a good quality dishwashing liquid and find I can water it down by about 3/4’s and it is still effective. The cheaper liquids often lose their bubbles half way thru the wash.

Dishwasher powder is really expensive and this works just as well if not better: equal parts borax and Baking soda. I bought both in bulk from Bin Inn.