Kitchen Taps

Cut a lemon in half, pop it on the end of the tap. The acidic juice will tackle the scale build up caused by the minerals found in hard water. Then give the tap a wipe, and your taps will be fresh and clean!

Kettle

Cut a lemon into segments and put them in your kettle. Fill it with water and boil – this will descale any of the limescale built up in your kettle.

Once it’s cooled remove the lemons and use the water to help acidic-loving plants like rhododendrons, hydrangeas and gardenias to thrive (always check what your plants need before feeding them – certain plants are not acidic!). Give the kettle a rinse, and it’s clean and ready to use. If you don’t have any leftover lemons in the fridge, other acidic household items like vinegar work too.

Tea

Did you know putting the milk in first can make a better tasting cup of tea? In our region, this has been found to be true. And there’s method in the madness. Pouring milk into your mug before adding boiling water lowers the mineral content in the water because of the proteins in the milk. This means the tannins (a chemical in tea) don’t form solids. So, give the milk-first method a try and see what you think!

Garden

Rain-water should always be the first choice – but hard water can be beneficial for most types of plants. Softened water should be avoided for use in the garden or on plants indoors – the sodium in the water will make it difficult for your plants to take in enough moisture.

If you have a water softener installed at your home, try using a water butt to collect rain-water for your indoor and outdoor plants, to save water in the garden and keep your plants healthy.