Anyone watch 'Who Wants a Clean House'?

16 years ago

This show on BBC is a hoot! The hosts are described as Britain's dream cleaning team. They receive requests from homeowners themselves, and sometimes from their families or friends, who are tired of the dirty houses and flats and want them cleaned up but are overwhelmed by the magnitude of the problem. Many of them are hoarders, so the first order of business is persuading them to throw away all the clutter.

I don't know why I'm so fascinated by the show. I have an average house which is mostly clean. I'm not a fanatic but the food in the fridge is safe and I routinely pick stuff up and put it away.

My mother finds the show distasteful, but I've gotten some good cleaning tips. For example, to blast open a slow kitchen drain, mix one quarter cup salt and one quarter cup borax and pour into the drain, then pour in one half cup white vinegar. The chemicals combine and have a mild reaction that blasts loose all the gunk.

The hosts use a lot of natural cleaners that won't bother people with allergies.

One thing puzzles me. They sometimes will use "biological powder" dissolved in a little water to clean up stovetops covered with grease. I'm not sure if they mean a dishwashing product or a clothes cleaning product. Any one got a clue? (We really don't speak the same language, at least, not all the time.)

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Comments (6)

ebear1271
16 years ago
I love that show! Those two are a hoot and it makes me feel a lot better about my house!! I love the natural cleaning tips too. I only use natural cleaners so the tips really help.
I googled biological powder and washing powder keeps coming up. That must be what we call laundry detergent.
bud_wi
16 years ago
1.) Just because something is common does not mean it is safe. Borax is a poison and is commonly used as incecticide.

2.) Washing powder is not 'laundry detergent' it is sodium carbonate, often used in place of sodium hydroxide which is better know as lye.
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ebear1271
16 years ago
1.) No, just because something is common does not mean it's safe. Drinking too much water at one time will kill you. I'd rather take my chances with water than with bleach. The ladies offer tips on using ingredients found in the kitchen to clean. Vinegar can be used as a disinfectant or a salad dressing. How many other cleaners would you put on your salad?

2.)When I googled "biological powder" biological washing powder came up.

From the Persil website: "ItÂs no wonder Persil is the UKÂs favourite washing powder"

From Wikipedia: "Laundry detergent, or washing powder, is a substance which is a type of detergent that is added when one is washing laundry to help get the laundry cleaner".

Sorry I didn't know the "technical" term for it but it sure sounds like what we call "laundry detergent".
bud_wi
16 years ago
"From Wikipedia: "Laundry detergent, or washing powder, is a substance which is a type of detergent that is added when one is washing laundry to help get the laundry cleaner"."

That sentence makes my head hurt. The trouble with using Wikipedia is that any third grader can add what ever they wish to post there.

The entry which you site at Wiki has this disclimer above it:
The tone or style of this article or section may not be appropriate for Wikipedia.
Specific concerns may be found on the talk page. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions.
ebear1271
16 years ago
To put an end to this already and get back to the main topic: shoppingfrombritian.com. All of their detergents, including the better known American brand "Surf" are listed as washing powder or washing liquid. Any Brits out there who can clear this up?
bmmalone
16 years ago
yes, washing powder is laundry detergent

Anyone watch 'Who Wants a Clean House'?

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