The household items that could clean your garden
As Spring is on the horizon, it’s time to think about getting our gardens ready for the warmer weather, including a garden cleaning session.
Experts at Pergolux UK have shared how kitchen cupboard stapes like tomato sauce can remove tarnish, and fizzy drinks can help to break down rust.
Rather than spending our hard-earned cash on expensive cleaning products, it seems everything we need for refreshing our gardens is already in our homes.
Sam Stevens, garden design expert at Pergolux UK told us: “Spring is on its way and a lot of people will be looking at their gardens to get them ready for the brighter and longer days ahead.
“Garden cleaning doesn’t need to be an expensive job. We all love a cheap and cheerful hack, so whether you’re buffing away stains, achieve a streak-free finish on glass or eliminate rust, you’ll find something in your house.”
Break down rust with fizzy drinks
The acidity in a fizzy drink reacts with rust and breaks it down.
This makes it easier to remove. You can use this on everything from rusty tools and furniture, to hinges and the metal parts of your barbecue.
Small tools can be soaked in fizzy drinks overnight.
For furniture and other parts of the garden, pour some of the fizzy onto a cloth and wrap it over the rusty area for a few hours or overnight, if needed.
Ketchup to remove tarnish
Tomato ketchup is an unsung hero when it comes to removing tarnish and oxidation.
This is great for brass or copper garden décor including patio furniture, garden gates or old metal watering cans.
Simply apply a thin layer of ketchup to the affected area and let it sit for around fifteen minutes before gently scrubbing it away and rinsing with water.
Tea bags with streak marks
Keep your tea bags back from your next tea round and use it on any dirty glass to achieve a streak-free shine.
This will work for your greenhouses, glass patio furniture, and garden mirrors.
Achieve shine with aluminium foil
Crumple up some aluminium foil into a ball and gently rub it over any metal to give it a shiny finish.
While foil won’t polish it up, it does remove any surface rust and build-up to give tools and furniture a temporary shine.
Remove plant pot scuffs with a pencil eraser
If you’ve noticed scuffs and marks on your plant pots try buffing over them with a pencil eraser.
If the mark isn’t too stubborn it should come away quite easily.
Place a penny in bird baths
Algae in bird baths can occur from debris falling into the water.
This is why it’s important to refill them every couple of days.
If you notice this is happening repeatedly, give your bird bath a thorough clean and place a copper coin in the fresh water.
This can help to slow down the algae growth.
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