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Bargain Basement

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon Sep 14, 2020 10:06 am

Those do look like a plan
Shame they have the usual unnecessary dollop of perfume :(

Edited to add that it seems both Sainsbury and Waitrose and general brands like Duzzit and Domestos make them. All “fragranced” of course. It also seems that there are versions made for professional caterers & cleanersand that have probably been around for a while

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby PatsyMFagan » Mon Sep 14, 2020 10:46 am

I don't recall ever seeing them on the shelves though :oops: (note to self: must try harder)

I haven't been shopping for a couple of weeks now and have also just noticed that my local Tesco (and not the biggest :roll: ) opens at 6 am. This will fit in nicely when I do the 5.30 Taxi run :thumbsup

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby scullion » Mon Sep 14, 2020 10:50 am

Earthmaiden wrote:I've not come across bleach tablets either. Presumably a great way to stop buying plastic bottles.

me neither, but it looks like they still come in a plastic tub rather than a cardboard box - and i wonder if they're individually wrapped, like dishwasher tablets.

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon Sep 14, 2020 11:01 am

Ecozone dishwasher tablets aren’t individually wrapped or scented - and slightly cheaper than Ecover Zero.

They just come in a cardboard box, and I transfer them to a tin

I suspect Hazchem rules might require fizzy bleach tablets to be transported in water resistant packaging but I doubt it requires blister packs

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby scullion » Mon Sep 14, 2020 11:24 am

i've gone back to using ecover dishwasher tablets after buying ecoleaf ones which purport to have a soluble, biodegradable coat to the individual tablets. the coating may have been soluble but it coated the items being washed rather than being removed in the wash, leaving glasses (and assumedly everything else) with an opaque sheen that the chemical content didn't remove. they weren't as good as ecover even with removing the coat before putting in the machine.
i will look out for ecozone - although on googling they also have a 'soluble coat'.

it's a shame ecover don't supply dishwasher powder in a cardboard box like their washing powder.

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon Sep 14, 2020 12:25 pm

Ecover make a very good dishwasher powder - I had some
But for some reason they don’t sell it in the U.K. - warning if you Google it several “U.K.” suppliers come up but all as far as I know ship from the USA incurring customs charges

However my local refill store now stocks a dishwasher powder, I can’t see what the brand is but I’ll try it soon, £5/kg seems reasonable
https://restorerefill.co.uk/collections ... her-powder

But I assume it’s by fill like most of her stuff
https://www.fillrefill.co/product-categ ... me/page/2/

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby scullion » Mon Sep 14, 2020 1:13 pm

yes, i can remember buying it decades ago but they stopped when tablets became fashionable, unfortunately.
i'll check out where i can get a sample of the sesi one and may try some of the 'homemade versions online - they look quite simple.

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon Sep 14, 2020 1:32 pm

Don't bother with bio brand - I got a weird build up on my glasses, a bit like the patches of undissolved powder you sometimes get in laundry but evenly spread

Ah- now I'm on my big screen I can it's sesi dishwasher powder at re:store

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby scullion » Mon Sep 14, 2020 1:37 pm

interesting, i wonder if it has the same constituents as the ecoleaf tablets (not brilliant even without the disolvable layer).

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon Sep 14, 2020 1:47 pm

I have hard water of course, but I use salt, that might make a difference

Bio-D ingredients 5-15%: Oxygen-based bleaching agents, Polycarboxylates, Below 5%: Phosphonates, Nonionic Surfactants.

Sesi ingredients 5% to 15% Oxygen based bleaching agents / Zeolites; 5%: Non-Ionic Surfactants / fragrance (contains d-limonene)

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby jeral » Mon Sep 14, 2020 4:52 pm

Re cloudy glasses, some of mine seem to have that even though the same make of taller ones don't in the same wash. I'll try a different tablet as never thought that the cleaner might be the culprit.

Re bleach tablets, I have some arriving tomorrow night so will report back on how each is packed or loose. As with all such tablets, using the right measure has to be better than sloshing in a generous amount or too little, especially as chlorine isn't exactly a planet-friendly thing, but occasionally a necessity I find when nothing milder (even with its own nasties) doesn't work, stain removal primarily.

Put another way, what else removes stains, e.g. turmeric, from work surfaces? Ta.

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby scullion » Mon Sep 14, 2020 4:58 pm

uv light is meant to work - but unless you have a lamp it's rather difficult to put your worktop out in the sunshine!

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby miss mouse » Mon Sep 14, 2020 6:32 pm

What is everyone using bleach tablets for? They have been available for decades.

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby liketocook » Thu Sep 17, 2020 11:55 am

I buy the Tesco bleach tablets, they are unwrapped in the tub. I like to pop one in the loo before I go to bed.

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby PatsyMFagan » Thu Sep 17, 2020 1:45 pm

But I have never, ever seen bleach tablets :? Yesterday I made a point of looking for them as I would welcome the opportunity not to buy stuff in plastic containers if I don't have to. I have been re-using and re-filling (plastic) milk bottles with washing up liquid when I can get to the only place I know that does this.

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby KeenCook2 » Thu Sep 17, 2020 3:12 pm

PatsyMFagan wrote:But I have never, ever seen bleach tablets :? Yesterday I made a point of looking for them as I would welcome the opportunity not to buy stuff in plastic containers if I don't have to. I have been re-using and re-filling (plastic) milk bottles with washing up liquid when I can get to the only place I know that does this.

Me neither, Pat :D

Really good idea about getting them and putting one in the loo overnight, LTC.

I can see I'm going to have to look out for them now, too! On the other hand, the good thing about the duck shaped containers is that they can get under the rim. Could be a good idea to alternate.

And re the plastic bottles, I haven't really found a way of using fewer, other than when possible, buy the largest size available of whatever it is that I've actually got room to store and then refilling a small, more manageable one over and over again until it gives up the ghost. I've done that with things like washing up liquid, plant food and fabric conditioner. It can also often be cheaper, although not always, depending on offers around at the time.

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby jeral » Thu Sep 17, 2020 3:23 pm

I'm a decanter too (<- reminds me of I'm a teapot), and you're right that bigger size isn't always cheaper.

It annoys me , as well as being stupid, that you can't get the hoods off any spray bottles to refill them now. If I find a successful way, I'll let you know.

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby Stokey Sue » Thu Sep 17, 2020 3:46 pm

I kept my last bottle of all purpose cleaning spray and soaked the bottle and pump in water until the scent dispersed, intending to use it for ironing. The top of Ecover bottles just unscrews, but when I did fill it with filtered water it didn’t pump, so waiting to empty another now, it’s a slow process

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby aero280 » Thu Sep 17, 2020 10:04 pm

Just back from Tesco. They have plain white plastic bags of Tesco Strong White Bread Flour. 1.5Kg for 60p.

It's a clearance offer, so if you want some, you'll need to be quick.

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Re: Bargain Basement

Postby Sakkarin » Mon Sep 21, 2020 1:46 pm

I noticed those, but Lidl's Strong Flour is only 55p for 1.5kg - and Tesco's budget Plain Flour is strong enough for bread too, also 55p for 1.5kg.

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