Award Winning Self Catering Holidays In the Derbyshire Peak District
Browse through our blog posts to find out what life is like at Hoe Grange Holidays along with some great ideas for days out in the Peak District.
The recent snow is disappearing fast from the Derbyshire hills and whilst we are fairly quiet it is time for a deep Spring clean for our cosy cabins.
snow at Hoe Grange
People often think that using environmentally friendly cleaning products and methods will be ineffective - not true! You can soon add a sparkle to your Spring cleaning without adding to the ozone layer - simply follow our Top 10 Eco Cleaning Tips.
The Fantastic Four eco cleaning essentials
Before you start raid your cupboards for the "Fantastic Four" eco cleaning essentials -- vinegar, salt, lemon juice, and baking soda -- they can make your household tasks less complicated, easier on you and more importantly easier on the environment.
Our Top 10 Eco Cleaning Tips
1. Sparkling sinks - sprinkle good old fashioned bicarbonate of soda over the base of the sink and add some white vinegar - watch the white fizzing bubbles do their magic - use the washing up brush to scrub the sink and leave for 10 minutes. Simply rinse off with boiling water. Great for getting rid of nasty drain smells too.
2. Brush and bake - get to grips with oven cleaning without using extra elbow grease! Brush oven surfaces to loosen any burnt on dirt. Add some bicarbonate of soda to hot water in a shallow dish and place in the bottom of the oven. Close the door and bake at a low heat for approximately 1 hour. The residual dirt should have peeled away without any effort. If there are any stubborn stains left try scrubbing with a paste of bicarb and white vinegar.
3. Toilet troubles - for stained toilets sprinkle neat borax into the bowl and allow to soak. Follow up with a good scrub with the toilet brush. Adding a drop of tea tree oil will freshen up and disinfect.
4. Scouring solution - make your own scouring powder by mixing 2 parts bicarbonate of soda to 1 part of soda crystals. apply to stubborn stains with a damp microfibre cloth. Store in a clearly labelled airtight jar.
5. Limescale free - do you dislike floating flakes of limescale in your tea or coffee? Descale the kettle by boiling a solution of water and white vinegar - extremely effective and so easy!
6. Clear views - wipe down windows with a solution of white vinegar and water, polish off with a microfibre cloth - we use this method in our log cabins so you can sit back and enjoy the views!
Lemon fresh
7. Lemon fresh - give the inside of your microwave a makeover. Simply fill a small bowl with water, add half a lemon and microwave on full power for 1 or 2 minutes. The water vapour and steam will loosen dirt and grim so that it wipes off easily and you get the added bonus of a fresh zingy lemon smell.
8. Polished to perfection - just mix 2 parts olive or jojoba oil with 1 part lemon juice and apply it to your furniture using a soft cloth. The combination gives your wood furniture a nice smell and a sparkling shine.
9. Removing rings - When a hot serving dish or glass of water has marked the surface of a wooden table, you can quickly get rid of ring by making a thin paste of salad oil or lemon oil and salt. Simply wipe the paste on, then lightly buff the area as you wipe it off with a soft cloth.
10. Buff up brass - Do you have tarnished copper or brass antiques? Bring back the shine without doing any damage by using salt and vinegar and adding one more ingredient from your kitchen cupboard - flour. Make a paste using equal quantities of all three ingredients; rub the paste onto the brass or copper item with a soft cloth. Cover the entire surface and let the whole thing dry out, this will take about an hour. Wipe off the dried paste with a clean, soft cloth. Lemon can also be used for lightly tarnished brass or copper pieces. Slice one lemon and dip it in salt, then rub the item with the salted lemon. Afterwards rinse and dry thoroughly.
Not only will you be saving the environment, but using eco friendly cleaning materials to make your own cleaning products saves money too.
Hope you have found our Top 10 Eco-cleaning Tips useful and are now inspired to get to grips with your own Spring cleaning.
Felicity
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