How to Clean the House With Your Kitchen Supplies

Households cleaning products are not only expensive, you also need a lot of them and they are often bad for the environment. The good news is that for many cleaning tasks you don’t need them and can do as well, if not better, with products you already have at home.

Baking Soda

One of the best substitutes for cleaning products is without doubt the baking soda. A very useful ingredient for baking, it presents the advantages of being non-toxic, multi-purpose and cheap. To get rid of odours in fridges, cupboards and bins, place some baking soda in them (a bowl or box in cupboards and fridges and some sprinkle at the bottom of the bin before putting a new bag). You can also use it on a damp cloth to clean your kitchen surfaces then rinse with clear water.

In the bathroom, pour a weekly dose of baking soda in your sink and wash it down with hot water to avoid clogged drains. A paste made of 3 parts baking soda and 1 part water can be applied for a few minutes on any stubborn stains before cleaning.

White vinegar

The acidic properties of the vinegar make it a great cleaner, especially for stains and grease. You can make a solution of half vinegar and half water to clean the fridge’s shelves and walls, or you can use it full-strength on a grease-splattered oven door. Keep the door closed for about 15 minutes then wipe it clean. In fact, most of the places where grease gathers can be cleaned with a sponge soaked of vinegar. Make sure you use rubber gloves when using vinegar and keep the windows open during and after the cleaning.

Get some more cleaning tips here.

How to see London on a budget

London is crammed full of historic, cultural and entertaining attractions, which vary from being expensive to completely free. Although staying in London is not cheap, there are a lot of easy ways to cut costs. Below are a few tips on how to see London on a budget...

Save on travel with an Oyster card

An essential for any traveller in London is to get hold of an Oyster card. They are valid on all underground, bus and some overground train routes. They are available from Heathrow or from any tube station. You need to put down a £3 deposit but you will get this back if you return it at the end of your trip. They are refillable at any train station and are a lot cheaper than paying cash fares. 

Get free accommodation with a home swap

Hotels in London are very expensive, so paying for accommodation is likely to be the biggest strain on your budget. A great way to save on money is get your accommodation completely free through a home-swapping site such as Lovehomeswap.com.

This gives you the chance to stay in a fantastic central location without paying an exorbitant bill – examples of exchange homes in London can be viewed here.

Buy food from supermarkets

Eating out can be overpriced, particularly for lunchtime snacks and coffees. Stock up in a local supermarket and prepare yourself a packed lunch before heading out for the day. Make sure to buy water too, as kiosks selling water at tourist destinations are expensive. If you do want to treat yourself to a meal out, there are places where you can get tasty cheap eats.

Brick Lane hosts a wealth of good value Indian restaurants and China Town has a lot of cheap venues selling Asian food.

Shop around for ticket deals

There are always discount vouchers up for grabs for most of the tourist destinations, so make sure you look out for them online. Also look for package deals. For example, if you are visiting the Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace and Kew Palace, you can get a deal through Historic Royal Palaces where you pay a one-off fee that will grant you entry to a handful of historic sites.

Make the most of free attractions

There are plenty of great free attractions in London, so make the most of them. The British Museum is full of interesting artefacts, such as the Ancient Egyptian section. The Tate Modern hosts the world’s largest collection of Modern Art and Tate Britain also holds plenty of important pieces.

There are also plenty of beautiful parks, which are great places to spend a relaxing afternoon. Head to Primrose Hill for a great view over London: there is a bakery and grocery shop at the bottom so that you can prepare yourself a picnic.

If you want to do some bargain shopping, there are lots of interesting markets. Portobello Road Market is a massive street market held on Saturdays. It sells clothes, antiques and tasty street food.

London is an exciting place to visit, but it can drain your bank account. By being aware of easy ways to save money, you can make the most of your stay in this wonderfully diverse city – and stick to your budget.

How to get a date

Though it’s nerve-wracking, taking the plunge and asking someone out on a date is a process that everyone has to go through. Whether the outcome is positive or not largely depends on the asker properly preparing the way. While random dating requests are likely to end in refusals, those who have built up a relationship beforehand can be more hopeful. Here are some of the best places to find a prospective date.

Source: Flickr

  

Work
Although fewer couples meet at work than they used to, it’s still one of the most common ways for people to get together. After-work drinks or job-related events provide a good opportunity to get to know someone and arrange a date.
Sex therapist and counsellor, Julia Cole, says that the ‘main advantage of meeting people at work is that they are more likely to have similar attitudes’ – particularly if the job is a vocational one. However, it’s important not to make the mistake of confusing a shared job with compatibility.

Friends
Meeting a prospective partner through friends is a classic introductory method. Indeed, researchers from Stanford University and the City College of New York report that most Americans meet their partners through friends – and have done since the early 1940s.
The great thing about meeting people through friends (and friends of friends) is that there’s no pressure. Relationships can develop naturally, as people slowly get to know the other person. Situations can also be manufactured by those eager to match-make.

Source: Flickr

  
Online dating
Nowadays, online dating is firmly in the mainstream, with more than six million Brits happy to pay to use the services of internet-based dating agencies. Understandably, the numbers joining free sites such as jazzedfreedating.co.uk are even higher. This rise is partly due to the ever-increasing ease with which people can access a ready-made pool of singletons. Joining a site and creating a profile takes a matter of minutes – take a tour to see.
A study reported in Psych Central points out that contrary to what many people think, people who are more ‘sociable are more likely to use Internet dating services than are those who are less sociable’. It also found that those who have high self-esteem and consider romantic relationships an important component of a happy life are also more likely to use online dating sites.

Source: Flickr

For maximum effect, singletons should try the sites when the temperatures outside are at their lowest. According to the BBC, online dating agencies are their busiest during the winter months and at times when the weather is particularly dire.

Resource box
Daily Mail
Revealing the five secrets of compatible couples
Telegraph
London's top ten dates
Glamour
Dating tips from Wimbledon WAG Kim Sears