This is what Birtwhistle uses in her iron, rather than buying expensive distilled “ironing water” or using hard tap water, which can fur up an iron with limescale. She takes it from her water butt a litre at a time. “Boil it and, when it’s cold, add two or three drops of lily of the valley essential oil.” Make an all-purpose cleaner

The green cleaner: 15 natural ways to spruce up your home

Note: If your oven shelves have been sprayed or coated with ‘self-clean’ substances, do not use this method. The chemical coating can be damaged by soaking. This method is not suitable for aluminium trays or shelves. Aluminium can be cleaned using bicarb or washing soda, but long soaks cause oxidization. It was a filthy washing machine that prompted Nancy Birtwhistle to embrace the power of eco-friendly cleaning. “I was nearly at the point where I thought I needed a new washing machine, because it was a disgrace,” she says. “And that’s the sort of culture we’ve become: ‘I’ll replace it.’” Instead, she gave it a thorough clean and switched to homemade detergent. She says her machine no longer gets gunked up from chemical overload. Birtwhistle says she “lived for years and years” with stains on the inside of her cast iron casseroles. “Then it just took a tablespoon of sodium percarbonate and a kettle of boiling water and it was clean.” Brightening whites The complete guide to growing your own veg from former Bake Off winner and Sunday Times bestselling author Nancy Birtwhistle. Nancy reveals that her simple fuss-free way to remove bobbles from a jumper is to gently cut them off with scissors and then place the garment in the washing machine. She says: 'This is my favourite jumper and although it's quite new, it's starting to bobble under the arms due to friction.'Works a treat on my pine kitchen table, cleans silver and also removed red wine stains from tile grouting – just add a blob of my cream cleaner directly to the stain, rub in with an old toothbrush, leave for a minute or two then wipe off!

CLEAN AND GREEN WITH NANCY BIRTWHISTLE [106] CLEAN AND GREEN WITH NANCY BIRTWHISTLE

I have been posting ‘Hints and Tips’ and Recipes daily on social media platforms for over 2 years and this book contains many of those daily posts. I have included around 100 recipes within the book, among those recipes is a whole section on ‘free from recipes’ such as gluten free, fat free, low sugar, dairy free, vegetarian and vegan options. As ever, please do leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts – it helps it to climb the charts and more importantly boosts my poor fragile ego no end….

Nancy Birtwhistle's eco-friendly fabric conditioner

Lifestyle & Wellbeing What is the Planetary Health Diet? Everything you need to know about this environmentally friendly diet 17/12/2020 The next day, pour the water off the jumper and gently squeeze it to remove the excess. Do not rinse, wring or spin. Lay a large clean towel onto a flat surface and on top place the very wet jumper. Gently pull at it lengthways and sideways, stretching the fibres as you go. Take your time in gently remoulding your favourite jumper to its original size and shape. Birtwhistle says citric acid will “dissolve limescale and kill germs. When you move away from bleach, you find all these stains appearing, because all you’ve been doing is bleaching them out, but the limescale is still there. Use citric acid to get rid of that.” She makes her own loo cleaner using 200g citric acid and 150ml water, emulsified with a squirt of eco-friendly washing-up liquid. “The only downside is you need to rinse your nozzle afterwards. Otherwise, it does crystallise there.” Restore shower screens We all want to do our best for our homes and the planet, but it’s often hard to find the time and energy to think of alternatives. Nancy Birtwhistle makes it easy with 101 indispensable tips, ideas and recipes that will help you to live a more eco-friendly life without giving up on any home comforts.

Nancy Birtwhistle shares her eco-friendly Pure Magic: Nancy Birtwhistle shares her eco-friendly

Inspired to protect the planet for her ten grandchildren, Nancy decided to change how she used single-use plastic and chemicals in her home and began to share her environmentally friendly, innovative ideas and time-saving swaps with her followers. Great British Bake Off winner Nancy has plenty of sustainable tips to share (Picture: Elizabeth Clarke) Another one of Nancy's clever tips revealed how she makes her own toilet cleaner. To make her solution, she adds 250g citric acid in a small pan with 125ml water. Then, she stirs it together to form a clear, thin syrup. Once it has been left to cool, Nancy then adds 10-20 drops of lemon or tea tree oil and transfers it into a spray bottle. Take a look at her video to see how it's done... But Nancy’s approach is really refreshing, and even I have been tempted to have another go, and I was more than a little over-excited to whup up a batch of Nancy’s toilet magic at the weekend and have been delightedly spraying it willy nilly around our looks all this week. It was super easy and seems to be coping with my kids spraying something else willy nilly around our loos well.

Nancy Birtwhistle's books

When ready to use (and I suggest you do this outside), take off the lid, give it a stir and the smell will send you reeling – it really is awful, but plants love it! Strain off the leaves, using simply the lid as an aid, then strain again using an old fine tea strainer. Fill the spray bottle, then add the eco-friendly washing-up liquid and clove-bud oil. Give it a good shake then spray away!

Clean and Green: 101 Hints and Tips for a More Eco-Friendly Clean and Green: 101 Hints and Tips for a More Eco-Friendly

It takes years and years to break down, is toxic and the fumes can irritate the eyes, throat, lungs and skin. To get your sheets looking whiter than ever, Nancy explains: 'All you're going to need is table salt, citric acid and a sunny day.' After soaking the sheets and pillow cases for 20 minutes, Nancy says all you do is let them drip dry outside. You'll be amazed at the results! What are you paying for your laundry detergent? Eco-friendly options are up to 72p a wash, supermarket own (not friendly) cost 10 - 13p a wash and my own "eco-blend" is just 10p a wash! I've put it through it's paces,' Nancy says, as she gives her followers a step-by-step guide to making their own.I hope you enjoy listening to this as much as I enjoyed recording it – do let me know if you’re tempted to have a go at some homemade cleaning products, or if you’re now going to make the switch to an eco version of one your usual products! I’m still having to pinch myself a little but I got to spend an hour hanging out and having a chinwag with a past winer of the Great British Bake Off! I met Nancy Birtwhistle, the 2014 winner of my very favourite TV show, virtually, for an event we did together for Glasgow's Aye Write Festival earlier on this year. Nancy has got a book out called Clean and Green, and we were paired up for a talk on Eco Tips for your Home and Family. We are all aware now that the chemical-laden cleaning products encased in excess plastic and lurking under our sinks are not just bad for our health and the environment, they also often cost a fortune to boot. My Pure Magic is not harmful, it kills germs, destroys limescale (which bleach alone doesn’t do) and smells fresh. Most importantly, I feel, are those little hits and tips which make such a difference in the kitchen and within the home. These nuggets of knowledge have proved super popular amongst my followers and I have weaved them in throughout the book. I learned many of these hints and tips from my grandmother, but I have also found other little gems hidden away in very old 19th century literature.