Happy Easter from Dri-Pak!

We hope the Easter bunny has dropped off lots of lovely chocolate eggs for you!


If you're stuck for fun Easter-themed kids activities while they're off from school, why not try dyeing eggs? With a bit of warm water, White Vinegar and food colouring you can make some beautiful coloured eggs for an easter egg hunt! Or you could try making different patterns using rubber bands, crayons or stickers and dropping them into the dye mixture? We tried giving them a marbled effect using cooking oil, give it a try here!

Spring Clean for Outdoors!

With spring just around the corner, now is the perfect time to get a head start on preparing your outdoor areas ready for the beautiful British summer! Mossy driveways and decking, blocked outside drains and grubby patio furniture can seem like daunting tasks to tackle, luckily there’s an easy, cost effective solution to these jobs that doesn’t involve back-breaking work or harsh chemicals! Old fashioned Soda Crystals aren’t just a versatile cleaning product for indoors, they have a multitude of uses outdoors too!

A patio covered in moss looks unsightly and could cause a slip hazard if it has rained, but in actual fact the rain could help you to get rid of the slippery green stuff! Simply sprinkle Soda Crystals on the ground before rain is expected (if rain doesn’t materialise use a watering can to wet the crystals). Leave the resulting paste for a day or two and you will be able to brush or scrape away the brown debris easily. If you do this at the beginning and end of winter, your drives and patios should be moss-free throughout the year! Similarly using Soda Crystals on wooden decking in the spring is ideal. Not only does it get rid of moss and leaves, but also helps in the preparation of the wood, stripping old varnish ready for a spring coating!

Soda Crystals can also be used to remove old dirt and grime from plastic patio furniture. Simply with spray Liquid Soda Crystals or apply a regular Soda Crystals solution to the affected area, and leave to work on the dirt and grime for half an hour. Then simply wipe away with a clean cloth and water. This will effectively remove any lingering stains without excessive elbow grease.

When clearing an outdoor drain blockage, simply pour a bag of Soda Crystals down the offending drain, add a litre of boiling water and leave for 10 minutes. This will allow the Sodas Crystals to dissolve any built up grease, and break down any other deposits. Then simply flush out the drain with a bucket of hot water and the drain is clear! Unlike some heavy-duty chemical drain unblockers, Soda Crystals are not caustic or corrosive, and are bio-degradable.

Soda Crystals and Liquid Soda Crystals are available from supermarkets and independent stores. For further information on the uses of Soda Crystals around the home and garden, visit www.dri-pak.co.uk

There’s no need to be a sweaty Betty!

The unpleasant smell of sweaty gym clothes can be frustratingly difficult to remove. Sometimes simply washing them isn’t enough to get them clean and smelling fresh because bacteria can still grow and produce nasty smells. Whereas using a fragrant detergent and fabric softener can only mask the smell, there is a simple, lasting solution to this problem that has been used for centuries – plain old White Vinegar!

White Vinegar is an effective, natural deodoriser that neutralises odour on clothes and other surfaces. It’s safe and easy to use and ensures your clothes are left smelling fresh! And don’t worry; there’ll be no lingering vinegar smell either!

To neutralise odours on clothing simply spray White Vinegar liberally over the item, paying particular attention to the most affected areas (such as underarms). Leave the clothes for 10-15 minutes before washing according to the laundry instructions.

Alternatively, add a cup of White Vinegar to the fabric softener compartment of the machine drawer to help to remove odours, as well as softening your laundry and removing limescale for the internal parts of the washing machine!

Have you started your Spring Cleaning yet?

Doesn't this lovely 1950's housewife make it look so easy?! Polished nails, lipstick and a beautiful bow-tied pinafore! If you're spring clean is more domestic nightmare than domestic goddess, don't worry - we can help!

Post any cleaning problems, big or small and we'll share our expert advice!

Happy Cleaning!

Sensitive skin needs gentle care

Fragrances, enzymes and optical brighteners in many common household laundry products can irritate sensitive skin. Itchiness, redness and eczema can be triggered when residues of laundry detergents are transferred from clothing onto the skin. Suffers can struggle to find an alternative laundry product that doesn’t contain ingredients that cause irritation, but luckily a traditional laundry product made from pure soap can help to alleviate some of the symptoms of sensitive skin.

Soap Flakes have been used for centuries for their gentle but effective cleaning power as well as their environmental credentials. Soap Flakes manufacturer, Dri-Pak now produces Liquid Soap Flakes to fit in with customers’ busy lifestyles and provide gentle but effective cleaning power.

Liquid Soap Flakes contain simply pure soap with no added perfumes or detergents. They gently clean clothes and leave no residue behind to irritate sensitive skin. The instantly soluble liquid does not form a gel in cold water, meaning it can be used at cool wash temperatures, requiring less energy per wash. They do not contain any animal products and have not been tested on animals, making them suitable for vegetarians and vegans. Liquid Soap Flakes also do not contain palm oil - the vegetable origin of the soap uses rapeseed and sunflower oil. Suitable for cleaning delicate fabrics including wool, lace, silk and leather, Liquid Soap Flakes can be used to wash all family members’ clothes without irritating sensitive skin.

Spring Cleaning – The traditional way!

It’s that time of year again, when the weather starts to get warmer, flowers begin to bloom and the house could do with a good spring clean in preparation for the summer months. This is a great time to tackle those cleaning tasks that perhaps get left out of the regular cleaning routine. However the annual deep clean can be a daunting task, which in the past has involved a huge range of cleaning agents that promise to do different things. To keep things simple this spring, why not try the many benefits of using traditional cleaning products such as Soda Crystals, Bicarbonate of Soda and White Vinegar that have been used to keep homes clean for decades.



Windows
White Vinegar is a brilliantly versatile multi-purpose cleaner that has descaling and deodorising properties. It’s a mild acetic acid which can clean any number of surfaces naturally and gently. You may have heard old tales about using White Vinegar and newspaper to clean windows – well it really works! Simply spray the vinegar onto windows or mirrors and buff to a streak-free shine using a scrunched up newspaper!*

Kitchen cupboards
Traditional cleaning product Borax had been reclassified by the EU, and is no longer available as a cleaning and laundry product, however Dri-Pak have launched a Borax Substitute that has all the same cleaning and laundry uses as original Borax! Borax Substitute works great when sprinkled onto surfaces and wiped with a damp cloth. Use this method to clean out kitchen cupboards and leave them spotless and smelling fresh!

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.

Carpets
For fresh smelling carpets, use the deodorising power of Bicarbonate of Soda! Remove any lingering odours, by sprinkling Bicarbonate of Soda and leaving overnight for it to absorb odours. Then simply vacuum up in the morning and your room will smell fresh and clean.

Curtains and throws
If delicate curtains and throws need a freshen-up, but you’re worried about the damage modern detergents may cause, give Liquid Soap Flakes a go. Liquid Soap Flakes are pure soap with no added detergents or brighteners that can damage delicate fabrics. Check the curtain and throw washing instructions, and if safe to put in a washing machine, simply add the recommended amount of Liquid Soap Flakes to the machine drawer. If hand washing is recommended add a cap full of Liquid Soap Flakes to a bathtub of lukewarm water and wash using a gentle ‘plunge and squeeze’ action with your hands.

Dri-Pak products in Homes & Antiques magazine

Check out the latest issue of BBC Homes and Antiques magazine for a fantastic article on Spring Cleaning using natural and traditional products.



Of course there are some fantastic tips such as using White Vinegar to clean and remove limescale from bathroom tiles, as well as using Soda Crystals to soften water in the washing machine!