Household Tips

Cleaning greasy or dirty pans and dishes: 
An easy way to get greasy pans, roasting tins etc clean is to use a tbsp of biological washing powder.  Fill the pan/dish with very hot water, add in the washing powder, stir around to dissolve and leave for 20-30 minutes (depending on how dirty/greasy they are).  With the water still warm, rub with a scouring sponge.  

Bottles and Jars:
If I know that I will, or am likely to, make any jams, preserves or infused drinks, I save bottles and jars from food and drink I use.  I tend to just save the smaller ones so that once I have filled them again only a small amount of the food or drink is opened at any one time and the rest will stay fresh in the other unopened bottles and jars.  

Soak them in warm soapy water to loosen the labels.  For those with really sticky glue on the labels - brasso helps to remove the stickiness.  Wash them well. 

To sterilise before using again - put in the dishwasher just before they are needed.  They come out clean and hot.  


Ice Cubes: 

Using previously boiled water to make ice cubes makes them much clearer and less cloudy. 

Adding in any edible flower or fruit to the ice cube makes a very pretty addition to any drink. 

I use marjoram and borage flowers in round ice cubes.  They look lovely in a gin and tonic.  The flowers can be eaten too. 

Cleaning Stains from China Cups and Mugs:

Before and after cleaning 

I have a number of white china mugs which get very stained from tea and coffee.  I have found that if I use bleach to clean the insides this seems to have an effect on the glaze and makes the inside of the mugs feel slightly rough.  This then seems to make them stain again more quickly.  My quick and easy method is to rinse the inside of the mug under the tap, pour out any excess water so that it is just wet.  Turn slightly sideways and whilst twisting around, pour in some table salt which will stick in the water to the sides and bottom of the mug. Rub the insides of the mug with a pan scourer.  One quick rinse and they are clean and ready to use again with no smell or taste of bleach.