Pop the article in a plastic bag (a used one) to keep everything moist. Leave for an hour – or overnight – then remove from bag and pop in the washing machine set at 20°C (yes, 20°C!) The complete guide to growing your own veg from former Bake Off winner and Sunday Times bestselling author Nancy Birtwhistle. The bicarbonate of soda cleans and gently rubs away stains, the washing-up liquid, while assisting with the clean, also emulsifies the ingredients, and the vegetable glycerine, as well as having gentle cleaning properties (it is used in many skin products), treats and feeds. Here, Nancy shares some natural swaps to boost your budget and banish harmful toxins from your home. Toilet cleaner 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.

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

Like this article? Sign up to our newsletter to get more articles like this delivered straight to your inbox Nancy Birtwhistle at home … ‘I made the point of making it affordable.’ Photograph: Richard Saker/The Observer Bulk-buy ingredients In a sink large enough to take your oven shelves, or a sturdy plastic box, measure 2–3 cups of washing soda. If your shelves are really grubby, make a double concentrate and use 4–6 cups. Pour in sufficient boiling water to cover your shelves. If you do two shelves your water needs to be about 3 inches (7cm) deep. Great British Bake Off winner Nancy has plenty of sustainable tips to share (Picture: Elizabeth Clarke) After a run-in with a rubber parking bollard (“These things happen”), Birtwhistle dabbed some bicarbonate of soda on the mark with a damp cloth and it was as if it had never happened. It also works on walls, skirting boards and appliances. Home-brew pesticideBirtwhistle 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 And my homemade cream cleaner is perfect for granite worktops and sanitary ware, being non-acidic and only slightly abrasive. 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. 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. 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.

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

Pop your metal shelves into the hot solution making sure they are submerged and leave them overnight. Conkers … contain natural detergent. Photograph: Katie Shires Photography/Getty Images Remove scuff marks 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 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. 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...