Old style alternatives

Fennel blotting paper both sides and a warm iron?

Thanks Phoenix I'll try that.

Soil from the garden rubbed on tea stained cups gets them clean.
My grandma used soot and salt to clean her teeth, YUCK!

Bicarbonate of soda used on a damp cloth will get rid of tea stains from mugs with little effort.

Whenever we had a cough as children, our Mum used to finely chop a raw onion, place it in a teacup and add a little sugar. This was left overnight whereby a small amount of syrup formed at the bottom, and this was our cough mixture.

You would have to get sabre toothed tigers to wrestle the Mr Muscle out of my grip.

Half lemons and salt are good for cleaning brass and copper!

Anyone know where you can buy large quantities of bicarbonate of soda? Many suggestions for its use but can only find little tubs.

I think baking soda does the same kind of jobs. Are they the same thing? domestic science wasn't my best subject. I did woodwork as soon as I could change.

sarahellen another good and inexpensive way to clean the inside glass doors of a woodburner is a drop of ordinary vinegar on some crumpled up newspaper. Just rub over and it removes all tar deposits, leaving a streak free glass. Then throw the dirty paper on the burner as kindling for the next burning.

Hi mollie I use Waitrose Method range of cleaners. They are made with plant based ingredients, no chemicals and work really well, especially on the kitchen sink.

Daisyboots - I was once recommended to try using the ashes to clean the glass from the front of the wood fire, but then I read that the ash will make minute scratches in the glass which eventually develop into cracks.

As for oil stains on prominent places on clothes - I may have said this before, but one magazine recommended embroidering a little flower or other motif over the stain, as removing it would prove impossible.

DD uses a spray bottle, puts in half a bleach tablet, she says one packet last her about a year, a squirt of washing up liquid and lukewarm water to make her own spray cleaner.

Well, thank you all. The recommended book is on order from the library and I’m using white vinegar as we speak to give the washing machine a good clean.

I’m still wonderingif it’s possible to buy big lots of bicarb rather than those dinky tubs in the baking aisle? Anyone??

I’ve heard of the soot and salt for toothpaste but I think I’ll give that a pass

I’m going to use up all the bottles of spray and cream I have already and then will certainly give some of the other suggestions here a go. Thank you again

I cleaned a silver bowl with a tiny amount of toothpaste. It was amazing, worked almost instantly and strangely kept looking good for months. Haven’t bothered with Silvo ever since.

mollie if you just do a search on 'buy bicarb' you will see that you can buy huge packs of it. 25kgs was the largest I saw without going more than a click, Makes you wonder what you would need that much for!

I strike a match or two in the kitchen to get rid of fish smells.
Lemon in the microwave to get rid of smells and rubbed on hands to clear onion smells