A magic spray to remove wine stains. Wet wipes made from old T-shirts. Jacket potatoes ready in a mere seven minutes...

Just some of the many clever, moneysaving tips from Bake Off winner NANCY BIRTWHISTLE to help give your home an eco New Year spring clean

LONG before ‘eco-friendly’ became everyday speak, people were very good at being ‘budget-friendly’. Today, at the ripe old age of 69 (and a mother, grandmother and greatgrandmother), I look back over my many past decades and realise I often had to make tough decisions about how I spent my money. In my teens I never quite had sufficient funds to do what I wanted to do – which was simply to go out, have fun and buy new clothes. So I decided to make my own clothes. Moving on to the 1970s – in my 20s, newly married and with a home to run – I had to learn fairly quickly how to manage on a tight budget. Along came children and so I needed to supplement that budget by taking a small low-paid job, in addition to making clothes in the evenings, baking, cooking and keeping an eye on the utility bills.

Only now do I understand how resourceful those years have made me. These days I have sufficient funds to loosen some of those purse strings, but I find it near on impossible to do so. I cannot waste food, I will not pay someone to do what I can easily do myself, and there is something very satisfying about achieving a result without having to spend a fortune.

I have learned that it is possible to live a greener lifestyle even when each day may bring another pressure on the household budget. And though you may be lucky for money not to be an issue, better use of the Earth’s valuable finite resources should be on the agenda for all.

My green journey continues as my eagerness, knowledge and understanding of what I want to achieve become ever clearer. I know – from readers who, via social media channels, share their own ‘before and after’ green success stories – that the appetite for living a greener life is increasing, and that people are realising there is a joy in saving money while they’re at it.

If I can do just one thing a day that I know improves my energy consumption and makes a budget-saving choice, I am delighted. So why not try my many tips, hacks and smart swaps for yourself. They’ll soon become part of your everyday habits – and will help not just your purse, but also the planet. What’s not to like?

Don’t cry over spilt milk (or any other kind of liquid accident)

WHEN a carton of milk explodes or you knock over a glass of wine on to the carpet, resist the temptation to grab a bowl of hot water. A spill must be mopped up with kitchen paper first and then dabbed (don’t rub) until nearly dry.

No need for specialised carpet cleaner (which can cost up to €8). Instead, make a solution of six tablespoons white-wine vinegar (around 50c for 500ml from supermarkets) to 600ml tepid (not hot) water and two to three drops of ecofriendly washing-up liquid and, using a cloth dampened in this solution, dab at the stained area, starting from the outside edge, working inwards. The tepid water will help to release the stain, as the vinegar cleans and neutralises and the washing-up liquid helps dissolve any fat (if it’s spilt milk). Finally, dab the area with a dry towel and leave to air-dry naturally.

Use a slice of bread to mop up broken glass

IF YOU drop a glass or bottle on a stone or tiled floor, you might be able to retrieve the larger pieces, but tiny shards can remain hidden. So before reaching for the mop and bucket, cut a few thick (5cm) slices of bread and use this ‘bread sponge’ to mop up the spills – the bread very cleverly absorbs any liquid while at the same time gathering up any minuscule shards of glass (in a way that kitchen paper can’t).

Make your own low-cost eco-cleaning products

I HAVEN’T bought a bottle of laundry detergent in years – they’re so expensive (around €8 for a litre) and inevitably come in difficult-torecycle plastic bottles.

Biological detergents are harmful to the environment, and the ecofriendly alternatives can cost four times as much as their chemicalheavy equivalents.

Try my liquid soap which does a sterling job in both the washing machine and on hand-washed delicates. This recipe makes five litres for around €1.15

● 150g soap slivers or single-use hotel soaps l 1 litre just-boiled water

● 150g washing soda crystals (around €2.30 for 1kg from supermarkets)

● 20ml eco-friendly washing-up liquid l Up to 2.6 litres cold water

● A few drops of lavender essential oil (or fragrance of choice, optional).

Chop the soap into small pieces, then blitz in a blender to form a fine powder.

Transfer to a large saucepan and pour over the just-boiled water.

Stir until dissolved. Add the washing soda crystals and stir through – if it clumps, use a hand blender or potato masher. Once completely smooth, add the washing-up liquid and 1 litre of the cold water and stir well. The detergent will thicken substantially as it cools, so add a further litre of cold water, stir well, then leave to go completely cold.

Once cold, if the detergent remains thick and gloopy, add the remaining 600ml cold water with a few drops of food or soap colour and lavender essential oil (or fragrance of choice).

Pour the mixture into reused plastic bottles and use 100ml straight in the drum for a long, eco, 20°C cold wash or use 80ml for hand-washing of woollens and delicate fabrics.

Green bleach

I NEVER use household bleach because it hangs around in our ecosystem for years, is damaging to aquatic life and especially harmful to pets and children. Plus, it’s yet another plastic bottle under the sink.

Instead, I’m a big fan of natural oxygen bleach, which I call ‘green bleach’. It can be bought online (Oxygen Bleach, around €8.50 for 500g) as small white granules in a paper packet. The bleach is only activated when in contact with water, and then only remains active for a few hours, before decomposing naturally without any environmental impact. A little goes a long way.

All-purpose spray cleaner

YOU don’t need a range of different spray cleaners specially for the

kitchen, bathroom, and other surfaces, each costing anything from €1.15 to €4 and powered by toxic chemicals. My all-purpose cleaner is cheap, contains no nasties and does a great job.

Simply pour 60ml white vinegar, 150ml water, 40ml surgical spirit and a few drops of essential oil into a reused spray bottle, shake to combine. This cleaner cuts through grease, dries to a shine and leaves no sticky residue and is great for bathrooms, mirrors and glass (even computer and TV screens).

Windscreen de-icer

FAR better than the costly and toxic options of leaving the car idling with the heater on or spraying your windscreen with a chemical de-icer is my cheap eco option (around 70c a bottle). Just mix 120ml surgical spirit (about 57c), 25ml water and two to three drops of eco-friendly washing up liquid in an old spray bottle, shake, and you’re ready to go.

Screen wash

CAPTURE 1.5L of rainwater (which doesn’t have the mineral deposits of tap water) filter it through a tea strainer and add 125ml surgical spirit (which prevents freezing up to -5C) and 3ml ecofriendly washing-up liquid (to help dissolve greasy deposits on the windscreen) to a 2L plastic bottle and shake well to mix.

My ‘Pure Magic’ stainremover spray

STAIN removal is an expensive – and toxic – business. Laundry stain remover can cost €7.70 for 500ml, and black mouldremover spray and limescale-remover sprays cost around €5.50 for 750ml.

So I’ve created a powerful but natural blend I call ‘Pure Magic’ with a multitude of uses – including limescale and mould.

Cover 200g citric acid (€2.99 for 250g online) with 150ml just boiled water and stir until completely dissolved. Allow to cool, then add 20ml eco-friendly washing up liquid and a few drops of essential oil for perfume, and transfer to a spray bottle.

Colour runs

SAVE money on colour-catcher sheets (which cost around €5.70 for 40 and don’t biodegrade) by giving any item that combines dark colours with white stripes or collar an overnight soak first in one part vinegar to two parts water to fix the dye.

Cold washing will prevent colour runs thereafter, but if the colour has already run, try adding two teaspoons of green bleach to a bowl with a little just-boiled water to activate the bleach, stir to dissolve before adding sufficient cold water to take the temperature to tepid. Put the garment in the bowl and leave for three to four hours to whiten the white part.

Dishwasher deep clean

EXTEND the life of your dishwasher and save around €5.40 on toxic chemical dishwasher cleaner (and one more plastic bottle) by adding either 100g citric acid crystals (around €1.15) or 4 tbsp white vinegar (around 17c) straight into the machine and running on a hot cycle while empty. Any spent lemon halves can be placed on the top shelf (remove any pips as they can clog your filter).

Freshen up your charity shop finds

YOU can save a lot of money and save items from landfill if you use

charity shops, but sometimes that stale smell of second-hand goods can linger. Remove it swiftly by dusting the item all over with bicarbonate of soda (turn dryclean only clothes inside out first) putting it in a large plastic bag and leaving it in a roomy warm space for a day or two. When you brush off any excess powder, any smells will have disappeared.

If the bag or shoes of your dreams have evidence of mould, fill an old sugar-shaker with bicarbonate of soda and dust the item all over with a liberal sprinkling – inside and out. Using a sugar shaker makes the bicarb go further and enables you to get an even sprinkle into every nook and cranny. Stand the item on an old dry towel or piece of paper and leave in a warm, light, airy room.

Mould spores thrive in damp, dank conditions, so presenting them with dry warm air and bicarb will soon finish them off.

After a day or so, take the item outside and gently shake off the surplus powder, then finish off with a soft brush to remove any residual powder plus the driedout furry mould.

Freezer tips

FOR the budget conscious and eco-friendly, the freezer is an absolute gem. When used well, it means we can buy in bulk and avoid food waste. Buy berries, peppers, leeks, apples and pears in season when they’re cheaper, locally grown (lower carbon emissions) and plentiful. Spread slices in a single layer on a tray and freeze for about an hour before transferring to freezer bags or boxes.

● Egg whites – freeze individually in a silicone mould to pop out when frozen and bag until needed.

● Egg yolks – decant into small plastic pots with a wellfitting lid, sprinkling over a little sugar or salt to prevent the yolk’s skin from thickening.

● Fresh ginger – break a large root into pieces and freeze until required. Ginger can be grated from frozen (skin and all).

The same applies to lemongrass, fresh chillies and peeled garlic cloves.

l Jacket potatoes – don’t be seduced by the quick cook appeal of ovenready jacket potatoes (about €3 for four) wrapped in plastic, when you can oven-cook a large batch (rub each potato in oil first to get a crispy skin, then bake for an hour), and freeze them whole.

Your pre-cooked potatoes can be defrosted and warmed through in just seven minutes in the microwave (cover two with an upturned bowl and cook for four minutes, leave to rest for one minute, cook for a further two minutes).

Five ways to use stale bread

BREAD is the most wasted food. If you don’t eat much bread, freeze your loaf and defrost one slice at a time as needed, and rather than discarding old bread (particularly the crusts), try these ways to upcycle it before it goes mouldy:

● Make breadcrumbs – tear bread into chunks then blitz in a food processor, bag up and use from frozen. These can be used as a speedy thickener – stir in a tablespoon of breadcrumbs in place of flour to thicken stews and sauces – or as a crunchy topping.

Fry a big handful of breadcrumbs in oil with dried garlic and herbs until crisp, then scatter over shepherd’s pie, fish pie, pasta bake or salads.

To make shelf-stable breadcrumbs – spread fresh breadcrumbs on a baking tray in a thin layer to dry out in the oven.

Once cool, they can be stored in a jar indefinitely (perfect for coating Scotch eggs and fish cakes).

● Canape bases – use a rolling pin to flatten slices of bread (ideally seeded or wholemeal) and cut four 5cm rounds out of each slice with a metal cutter (trimmings can be blitzed into breadcrumbs).

Melt 100g of butter and flavour it with ground fennel seed, garlic powder and paprika or black pepper then brush the inside of a muffin tin with the flavoured melted butter, place a bread circle in each cup, pressing it down with the end of your rolling pin to create a bowl shape and brush with another layer of butter.

Cook in the oven for 15 mins. Cool on a wire rack. The crispy shells will keep for two weeks in an airtight tin, ready for filling.

Make your own compostable and reusable wet wipes

SINCE going green, I’ve refused to buy or use single-use wipes of any kind (they take hundreds of years to decompose and if flushed down the toilet, clog up the waterways). Instead, I make my own (fully compostable) wipes for a fraction of the cost: Cut 20 15-20cm squares of thin cotton fabric from old T-shirts, wet thoroughly with cold water and wring out. In a bowl, beat 20ml aloe vera gel (€4.99 for 200m from health shops) with a few tablespoons of water (from 120ml) with a whisk to emulsify, then add 30ml surgical spirit (about €5.79), and a few drops of essential oil.

The solution will turn milky white. Drop the dampened fabric squares into the solution to absorb the liquid, then wring them out. Fold each piece of cloth separately and lay it into a small plastic takeaway box and cover with a folded plastic bag (which you can use for the soiled wipes). Decant any residual liquid into a small bottle for your next batch.

Adapted from The Green Budget Guide: 101 Plant And Money Saving Tips, Ideas And Recipes by Nancy Birtwhistle, out on January 4, €17.28.