Don't worry, Bee happy!

It's the Royal Horticultural Society's Bee & Honey week!

From wild country gardens to small city rooftops, people across the UK have been discovering the joys of beekeeping! The benefits of keeping bees go beyond producing honey - studies have shown it can be entertaining and even help to relieve stress.

Regardless of the size or location of your beehive, regular maintenance is essential to keep happy bees and achieve high quality honey. Keeping apiaries clean and disinfected greatly reduces the risk of disease spores - like the potentially fatal foulbroods - from infecting the hive. Due to the cooler weather and reduced activity in the hives, autumn is the ideal time of year for giving your apiary a thorough clean.

An effective and low cost method of keeping your smoker, scraper and hive tools clean is to scrub them using a solution of Soda Crystals, water and a small amount of washing up liquid. The alkaline solution cuts through grease, cleans petroleum oil, removes wax and propolis, and neutralises odours. A simple warm water Soda Crystals solution can also clean the floor of your honey shed and remove excess propolis. Even bee suits and gloves stained with soil, beeswax and propolis can be cleaned by adding a couple of tablespoons of Soda Crystals to your usual washing powder.

Soda Crystals release no harmful fumes and will not harm your bees. They contain no bleach, phosphates or enzymes and are bio-degradable.

NB do not use Soda Crystals on aluminum or waxed wood (unless you intend to remove the wax)

Great news for Soda Crystals Fans!

Soda Crystals are now available in a handy 500g pack! It's a nice size for carrying in your shopping bag, but don't worry, the larger 1kg packs are still available.

Not only that, but Liquid Soda Crystals have a new improved formula AND now come in an easy to use 500ml pouring bottle, as well as the original trigger spray bottle!

Well what are you waiting for? Get your home sparkling with Soda Crystals!

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.