 Nature's Way
with Alan Hayes
Cleaning Your Washing Machine
When it comes to the laundry, there are a lot of products to ensure that clothes are clean, woollens are soft and whites are even whiter. However, most people forget about their washing machines until a problem occurs. Such was the case with one reader who wrote and said: "Can you advise a good method of cleaning a washing machine? Mine occasionally leaves marks on light-coloured sheets and clothes."
There are simple and natural solutions that will help you to maintain your washing machine and save on costly repair bills. To give both the machine and the hoses a good clean, add three cups of white vinegar to a normal warm-water cycle with no clothes in the machine. Repeat the procedure about every three months.
Stainless-steel tubs and taps can be cleaned by scouring with bicarbonate of soda or non-iodised salt. Rinse off then give a final wipe over with a weak solution of vinegar and water to produce a sparkling surface free of streaks.
Another reader was looking for information on how to get rid of milk odour from the carpet in her car and said: "I have tried soapy water and wool wash, but to no avail. The smell is dreadful! Can you help?"
First make a paste with cream of tartar, cover the stained area, leave to dry then brush off. Next add lavender oil, a drop at a time, to a cup of bicarbonate of soda until it is sufficiently scented. Sprinkle over the affected spot with a flour sifter, leave for 24 hours and then vacuum up.
Other unpleasant odours, including the smell of stale cigarettes, can be eliminated by placing a container of dry bicarbonate soda in the car. To remove odours from vinyl seats and lining panels wash with a solution of bicarbonate soda and warm water.
This time of the year we also tend to bulk up with warm clothes and many of us have a favourite woollen jumper that we like to continually wear. However, winter woollens, knitted or woven, often develop little balls of fluff. There's no need to panic! Those little pills can be easily removed and jumpers can be kept looking new.
A piece of dry foam rubber or foam plastic, rubbed over the garment, will usually take them off. Alternatively, use a tea towel wrung out in warm water.
To wash your favourite woollen jumper, mix together four cups of pure soap flakes, one cup of methylated spirits, and 50 ml of eucalyptus oil. Store the mixture in a seal jar for future use.
Unlike commercial products, this homemade wool mixture is thick like mashed potato, so you will need to use about one to two tablespoons of the mixture in a basin of warm water, and proportionately more in the washing machine. Dissolve the mixture in hot water, then add cold water to correct the temperature. Do not rinse out as the eucalyptus oil provides protection against insect damage when the jumper is stored away at the end of winter.
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