Thrifty Tips

Separate your Bananas

This keeps them yellow longer. Bananas produce ethylene, a gas that causes them to ripen, and separating the bunch can slow down that process.

Make Lettuce Last

Seal lettuce in a zip-top bag with a moistened paper towel to add days of leafy goodness.

 

Beauty of Bicarb

Bicarbonate of soda is a cleaning superstar, thanks to its gentle abrasive nature and the fact it's a great natural deodoriser.

Use it to:

• Get tannin stains off teaspoons and the inside of cups by rubbing with a paste made up of bicarb and a little water. Rinse thoroughly.
• Absorb food odours by keeping a ramekin with powder bicarb on top of the salad drawer to keep the fridge fresh.
• Clean countertops, stainless steel sinks, microwaves, and cooking utensils. Simply mix into a paste with a little water and scrub.
• Deodorise carpets, upholstered furniture and even pet beds. Sprinkle it on, leave for 15 mins and then vacuum up thoroughly.
• If the odour in your gym clothes won’t budge, try soaking the offending garment for thirty minutes in a sink filled with cool water and five to six tbsp of bicarbonate of soda. Wash again, and dry naturally.
• To bring back the shine to sterling silver, make up a paste (three parts bicarb to one part water) and apply with a lint-free cloth (not a paper towel, which can scratch), then rinse.

For a gleaming fridge

Don’t forget you can put the shelves and salad drawers in the dishwasher to get them really clean. Use a toothpick to remove food residue that has collected in the join between the surface of the shelf and the surround. And make sure the drainage hole at the back is gunk- free using a cotton bud.

Lining the salad drawers with kitchen towel will also make it easier to remove veggie debris in between cleans as well as absorbing moisture and keeping your salad and vegetables fresher for longer.

Focus on dust traps

Use your vacuum cleaner’s crevice attachment or a telescopic long-handled duster to clean into that annoying inch between your fridge and the countertop. Dislodge dust from the abyss inside radiators using the flexible Microfibre Radiator Brush, then vacuum it up.