Welcome to the first of our eco-friendly cleaning features, starting with brilliant bicarbonate of soda (available from the monthly eco-hub)

- Add 2 heaped tablespoons of bicarb to regular eco liquid laundry detergent to refresh whites and reduce yellowing

- Wash towels with a tablespoon of bicarb to increase fluffiness and absorbency

- To get rid of the smell of onion, garlic etc on wooden chopping boards, make a paste from 3 spoonfuls of bicarb and one spoonful of water. Rub onto the board and leave for 10 mins, then rinse well

- Remove tide marks from glass vases by mixing 4 tablespoons of bicarb with warm water and allow to soak for half and hour, then wipe clean and rinse

- To remove a stain from a rug or carpet: sprinkle bicarb over the stain and cover with some kitchen roll that has been rinsed in hot water and wrung out.  Leave overnight, then remove the kitchen roll and scrape off the surface bicarb.  Once the  remaining bicarb is completely dry, vacuum it up.  For persistent stains, repeat the process.  Always test on an inconspicuous section of carpet first. 

- Add a heaped tablespoon of bicarb to your washing up water and regular detergent to cut through grease more effectively.

- To remove burnt food from a pan, sprinkle a spoonful of bicarb into the pan and add a little water.  Soak for 10 mins before washing.  For stubborn burnt marks, scrub with a scourer dipped in bicarb. For very stubborn marks, make a thick paste of bicarb and leave in the bottom of the pan overnight.

- After cooking fish, clean the pan with a sprinkling of bicarb to remove lingering smells.