Christmas Kitchen Preparation

Preparing for the Christmas period may have you head spinning will all the things that need to be organised, but a bit of preparation before the mayhem begins may make the difference between a hectic or a relaxing Boxing Day! Luckily we have some kitchen cleaning advice so you can get your kitchen Christmas-ready in no time!

All you need are these four traditional products to make sure the kitchen is spotless and ready for the holiday season:

■Soda Crystals/Liquid Soda Crystals
■White vinegar
■Bicarbonate of soda
■Liquid Soap Flakes



Start with the fridge. You’re going to need a lot of spare room for all those leftovers and Christmas tipples, so either eat up or throw out anything you’re not going to eat over the holiday period. If you’ve still got lots of ‘bits’ why not invite a few friends or family over for a get together and make some nibbles out of the surplus. Don’t forget to compost any old leftover fruit and vegetables. Once you’ve emptied as much as you can from the fridge, take out removable shelves and draws and wipe them down with a 50/50 solution of White Vinegar and water, then do the same with the inside of the fridge. For any very dirty areas spray with a regular Soda Crystal solution, leave for a few minutes then wipe. To ensure your fridge smells clean throughout the festive period place a small dish of Bicarbonate of Soda on a shelf to absorb any odours.

Next, the appliance that’s going to be the most valuable during the festivities - the dishwasher! To clean the inside, stop any odours and help clear any limescale build up, pour 4 cups of White Vinegar into the bottom of the empty dishwasher and run a cycle. You may also want to carry on using the White Vinegar in the rinse compartment of the dishwasher for regular use - it gets rid of any water marks left on glasses with ease!

Now for the dreaded oven! If you can’t stand the smell of harsh chemical oven cleaners then give this a go! To start, turn off the electricity or gas supply to the oven for safety, then take out all of the shelves and soak them in a strong, hot Soda Crystal solution. Leave them to soak whilst you tackle the inside of the oven. You can either mix a strong, hot Soda Crystals solution or use Liquid Soda Crystals in a handy trigger spray bottle and spray the whole inside of the oven. Then simply close the door and leave for half an hour to an hour. Once you come back, most of the greasy burnt on food will easily come off using a scourer. Simply repeat the process on any stubborn areas. In the mean time scrub the oven shelves, rinse and dry.

It makes sense to take on the cooker hood whilst you wait. A quick spray and wipe with white vinegar will remove any smears or water marks of the stainless steel outer, whilst the removable filter can be soaked in a strong, hot soda crystals solution. The filter can simply be rinsed and left to dry.

With all the washing that is going to be needed, a broken down washing machine during the Christmas period could spell disaster. To eliminate smells, scum, detergent and grime from your washing machine add half a bag of Soda Crystals, split between the detergent drawer and the drum and run the machine empty on a 60 degree cycle. If you live in a particularly hard water area, repeat this process using 500ml of White Vinegar to remove limescale build up and complete the cleaning process. Not only will Soda Crystals and White Vinegar eradicate bad smells in your washing machine, they will not damage the environment and will lower the power consumption of the machine by descaling the heating element. You could even substitute your regular fabric conditioner for White Vinegar in regular washes, to ensure the limescale doesn’t build up and your clothes feel great (don’t worry, you won’t smell like a fish and chip shop – the vinegar smell dissipates before you empty the machine!).

Now the washing machine is ready you can wash any delicate clothes, napkins or table cloths using Liquid Soap Flakes. Liquid Soap Flakes contain only pure soap with no added perfumes or fragrances, making them a great choice for those with sensitive skin. They are ideal for washing delicate fabrics and no residue is left on fabrics or in the detergent drawer making for simple, gentle cleaning power.

If the sink is also a bit smelly or drains slowly, try pouring half a bag of Soda Crystals down the drain and slush down with some boiling water. The Soda Crystals help to dissolve the grease and deodorise at the same time.

Wipe down the kitchen surfaces with a 50/50 solution of White Vinegar and water to remove grease and kill germs.

Finally give the floor a good clean. Clear out any furniture and rugs then vacuum or sweep up any dirt. If you have wood or laminate floor add Liquid Soap Flakes to hot water and use a mop to clean the floor. If you have vinyl floor, add 8 cups of White Vinegar to a bucket of water and mop as normal.

So now you’re ready for the festive fun to begin – bring on Christmas mayhem!

Soda Crystals solution strengths – dissolve in hot water before using:

Mild - One tablespoon to one pint (500ml) of water
Regular - Half a cup to one pint (500ml) of water
Strong - One cup to one pint (500ml) of water

NB Do not use Soda Crystals on aluminium items

Cut out the hassle when it comes to ironing!

If you find your iron sometimes leaves marks on your freshly washed clothes you’ll know what a pain it can be! The marks are most likely mineral deposits and limescale being left in the reservoir of the iron. If limescale is a particular issue in your area then you’ll no doubt have encountered problems it can cause in other appliances around the home! There’s nothing worse than having to put your clean clothes back into the washing machine, but how do you clean the inside of an iron?!

White Vinegar is the best way to clean the inside of the appliance - it’s also a natural product as well an economical one! To clean your iron, empty the reservoir from old water as best you can and fill the reservoir a third full with White Vinegar. Switch the iron onto the steam setting and iron an old cloth until all the white vinegar has been used. Switch off the iron and leave to cool. Repeat the process with clean water to flush out any remaining vinegar in the reservoir. Make sure you empty the reservoir of water every time you finish with the iron to reduce future deposits forming inside the appliance.

The new Soda Crystals Laundry Boost ad????

We're not sure which budding Ridley Scott did this...but keep up the good work!

Keep vintage clothing as good as new!

We love our vintage clothes! Eco-friendly and long lasting, frankly we think classic vintage clothes never go out of fashion! From the graphic lines and mini-skirts of the swinging 60s, to the silk stockings and ever-changing skirt hemlines of the 40s, even the most modern, cutting edge designers draw inspiration from the fashion of past eras.

Check out the fantastic vintage clothes section on Oxfam's website for some real retro gems - you'll feel even better knowing that your cash is going to a great cause.

Original vintage clothes not only look great, they carry with them a charm and a sense of history. However, vintage clothing needs very gentle washing if it is to be preserved properly. Many modern detergents are unsuitable for the fragile natural materials because they are simply too harsh and will cause damage to the weakened fibres.

Want to know a well kept secret amongst people who restore and preserve vintage clothing? They use Soap Flakes! It makes sense - when many of today’s vintage clothes were the newest fashion hot off the rails (or even someone’s sewing machine!) they would have most likely been washed with Soap Flakes. Soap Flakes did a great job of cleaning the garment without destroying the delicate fibres – which is probably why the clothes look just as great today as they did when they were brand new!

Now Dri-pak have launched Liquid Soap Flakes – with all the great benefits of regular soap flakes but in a liquid! Not only are Liquid Soap Flakes fantastic for delicate washing, they can even be used easily at cooler temperatures, meaning vintage clothing will be effectively cleaned without further risk from heated water. They can also be used on modern items of clothing, whenever delicate cleaning is required.

Liquid Soap Flakes are available in a 750ml bottle retailing at £2.99 and are available from Tesco, Waitrose and through the Dri-Pak website: www.dri-pak.co.uk

WIN a bottle of Liquid Soap Flakes

Outdoor enthusiasts will be delighted to know that you can win a 750ml of Liquid Soap Flakes, ideal for washing outdoor clothing, in the latest edition of Outdoor Enthusiast! Check out www.oe-mag.com



Don't forget you can buy Liquid Soap Flakes from the laundry aisles of your local Tesco and Waitrose!

Great news!

Liquid Soap Flakes have had a swanky new packaging design and are now available to buy at Tesco (and will soon be available at Waitrose too)!

Liquid Soap Flakes are brilliant for gentle washing and cleaning because they’re just pure soap! Perfect for those of us with sensitive skin because they contain no added perfumes or fragrances.

They are also veggie & vegan friendly because they do not contain any animal products and have not been tested on animals. Dri-Pak are also doing their bit to look for sustainable ingredients in their products, for instance Liquid Soap Flakes also do not contain palm oil - the vegetable origin of the soap uses rapeseed and sunflower oil. Not only that, but Liquid Soap Flakes can be used at cool wash temperatures, requiring less energy per wash, so you can do your bit for the environment as well!

They are great for washing breathable outdoor fabrics as the mild cleaning does not destroy waterproof coatings that other detergent cleaners can damage. Liquid Soap Flakes are also suitable for cleaning delicate fabrics including wool, lace, silk and can even clean leather furniture, wooden and laminate floors, as well as tiles (including natural stone).

So hop down to Tesco for your bottle and give them a go!

The perfect cuppa!

We don't know about you, but we think a rich, tasty cup of coffee in the morning is the only way to start the day! Our hard-working coffee machine does a great job, but when it came to cleaning it, we were a little stumped. We thought we'd give Citric Acid a try because the natural plant-based acid is a great cleaner and descaler.

To use the Citric Acid we removed the filter and added two tablespoons of the granules dissolved in cold water to the machine. Then we switched on the machine and let half of the solution filter through, then switched it off for about half an hour to let the Citric Acid work on all the internal parts of the machine. Then we let the rest of the solution filter through, before running it though another couple of times with fresh, clean water.

Our morning cuppa tastes better than ever!