Bathroom essential can help to clean your patio and deter pests at the same time – add it to your outdoor furniture too
IF you're giving your garden some touch ups before the summer this DIY hack may be for you.
A bathroom staple can help to leave your patio gleaming and free of pests.
2
It can be pricey to restock your cleaning caddy and with the cost of living constantly on the rise, many people are coming up with creative alternatives.
You can now cut costs even further by repurposing a bathroom essential to revamp your patio paving.
Your paving stones go through a lot of wear and tear and need to be cleaned often.
The experts at Infinite Paving shared the DIY step they recommend for scrubbing your patio without breaking the budget.
"Normally, we would recommend using a power washer, however, with the water and energy bills skyrocketing power washers are no longer very cost-efficient," they explained.
The professionals suggested using mouthwash to clean your patio in time for summer.
"To many people, this is one of the most bizarre cleaning hacks for paving stones," they said.
"A usual remedy to keep bugs away from your paving is rubbing alcohol.
"Mouthwash also contains a level of alcohol and can be commonly found in most households."
According to the experts, this step can also prove "surprisingly effective" at both cleaning and deterring pests.
B&M shoppers are giving their gardens a summer glow up with £12 bargain
"Pests can carry countless diseases that can spread throughout your paving and to your garden," they pointed out.
"The household product is extremely effective at helping to keep away nuisances and pests such as mosquitos, cockroaches, and more.
While mouthwash normally contains enough alcohol to deter the pests, it does not have enough to cause damage to the stones.
To carry out this unusual hack, simply add the mouthwash to a spray bottle and spray all around your patio.
According to the paving pros, this step can also prove useful for your outdoor furniture.
How to repair broken patio slabs
THE paving specialists at Simply Paving told Fabulous how you can repair broken patio slabs, without the faff.
The experts advised: 'If you have a loose paving slab, then it's unlikely it can be lifted straight by hand. Instead, you will probably need a hammer and chisel to prise the paver free of your patio.
'To remove loose paving slabs without damaging your flagstones, carefully chip away at the mortar around the paving slab with the plugging chisel and rubber mallet until the slab comes completely loose.
'Then, slide the spade into the gap left by the mortar and prise the paver free of the patio.
"As you lift it up, place a short piece of timber underneath the spade to act as a lever, making it easier for you while protecting the slab underneath.
'When the paver starts to give, place the cylindrical wood underneath it and roll the slab out of the patio.'
"It could also be worth spraying your paving furniture in addition to this as these can be a breeding ground for bacteria and dirt," they explained.
You can pick up a bottle of Chlorhexidine Mouthwash from Asda for just £1.48.
You can also use soap and tights to repel flies from your home this summer.
A budget-friendly hack can help to banish slugs and snails from your garden.
You can also use a £1.40 household item to deter ants from entering your home.
A 49p hack helps to keep wasps from your garden, but you'll want to act soon.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE 'My friend the King is so brave', says gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh as he reflects on the monarch's battle with cancer
Gardening guru Alan Titchmarsh has spoken of his admiration for King Charles for 'battling on' despite the inevitable fatigue caused by his cancer treatment. The veteran broadcaster is a long-standing friend of the monarch, who is still undergoing treatment for an undisclosed cancer which was diagnosed in 2024. In March the King was admitted to hospital with temporary side effects from his cancer treatment but was back at work just 10 days later as he conducted a state visit to Italy in April. Speaking exclusively to The Mail, Mr Titchmarsh said: 'He has had his share of ill health. 'I feel for him hugely, to battle on as he has through that and still be as resolved to make a difference as he is, when he must be incredibly fatigued. He's a man with an enormous sense of goodwill and kindness.' The two men, who are both 76, share a love of gardening and concern for the environment. 'He very kindly calls me a friend,' added Mr Titchmarsh. 'We first met 40 years ago so I've known him for a long time. I designed some gardens for people with mobility issues and he came to open them in 1985 when we were both in our 30s. The pair, who are both 76, first met 40 years ago and now consider each other friends 'He told me he used to listen to me on the radio. You don't imagine the future king would even know who you are. 'But he did, and we've kept in touch all these years.' On Thursday, Mr Titchmarsh was at the King's Foundation Awards ceremony at St James' Palace. The charity, founded by the King in 1990 and based at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, has trained more than 115,000 students in traditional crafts and environmental education. Mr Titchmarsh said: 'The gardens at Dumfries House were a wilderness but King Charles has invigorated the place, helped by local enthusiasm. 'He is a man who gets things done. He genuinely cares about people. 'We both believe in handing on the baton to the next generation, bequeathing skills to them and leaving the place in a fit state. 'He used to be such a voice in the wilderness and people thought he was from left field, but now his views are mainstream.'
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
'In shock': British Indians mourn crash victims at London vigil
LONDON, June 14 (Reuters) - Dozens of members of Britain's Indian community gathered at a Hindu temple in London on Saturday for a vigil mourning the victims of this week's Air India crash, many of whom had personal connections to the temple. Leaders from the Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Muslim, Parsi, Zoroastrian and other communities offered their prayers, as those in attendance, hands folded, recited chants. A representative of Britain's King Charles read out a message from him and offered Christian prayers. Rajrajeshwar Guruji, head of the Siddhashram Hindu temple in Harrow, likened the grief of those who lost family members in the crash of the London-bound flight to the wait for a loved one's return from an endless journey. "They're just waiting and waiting, now they are not going to come back again," he said in an interview. Guruji, who comes from the state of Gujarat where the plane crashed, said the temple had helped family members in Britain get information about their loved ones. "Some of the members ... I have spoken to them, and ... they don't have the words," he said. "They are in shock." Britain has one of the largest Indian communities outside India, with nearly 1.69 million people - or 3.1% of the population - identifying as ethnically Indian. "We believe that everyone who is born has to go one day. But I hope nobody goes the way these ... passengers, as well as the medical students, have gone," said Harrow Mayor Anjana Patel, who lost a family member. Only one of the 242 passengers and crew on board survived the crash, while others were killed when the plane struck a medical college's hostel. Patel told Reuters that the council was offering grief counselling. "We just cannot bear how people must be feeling," she said. Jyotsna Shukla, 66, said her son's childhood friend was on the plane with his wife and three children. "I feel very bad because he was so young," she said, before breaking down into tears. Among those killed was Vijay Rupani, a former chief minister of Gujarat, who had visited the temple.
Times
an hour ago
- Times
Trooping the Colour 2025: royals pay tribute to Air India victims
It was the instinct of a monarch who is a deeply emotional man. It was also the action of a sovereign who spent decades watching his mother lead by example. The King changed the age-old script for Trooping the Colour to remember the victims of Thursday's Air India crash during his official birthday celebrations. Echoing Queen Elizabeth's decision to alter proceedings in 2017 for the 72 victims of the Grenfell fire, Charles requested a minute's silence to be observed at Horse Guards Parade and black armbands to be worn. Buckingham Palace said the King had personally requested the change, which was highly unusual, 'as a mark of respect for the lives lost, the families in mourning and all the communities affected by this awful tragedy'. For the second year running, Charles, 76, who is still receiving weekly cancer treatment, travelled in a carriage with Queen Camilla, rather than riding a horse to and from Buckingham Palace. Before leaving the palace, Charles was seen feeding carrots to the Windsor greys pulling their carriage. On his left arm, against the brilliant crimson tunic of his Coldstream Guards tunic, he wore a black crêpe armband. Escorting their carriage up the Mall, all in black armbands, were the Sovereign's Escort of the Household Cavalry and the royal colonels: the Prince of Wales, colonel of the Welsh Guards; the Princess Royal, colonel of the Blues and Royals and Gold Stick-in-Waiting; and the Duke of Edinburgh, colonel of the Scots Guards. All three rode horses gifted to the royal family by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Prince William rode Darby, Prince Edward rode Sir John and Anne was back on Noble, a feisty mare nicknamed 'naughty Noble' after proving a handful for Anne last year and for the King, who rode her in 2023. It was the first time that Anne, 74, has ridden in public since being admitted to intensive care in June last year with concussion and head injuries believed to have been caused by one of her own horses. Perhaps finally weary of stealing the show, Noble behaved impeccably. Both William and Anne's uniforms bore cyphers of the King and gold aiguillettes, indicating they are personal aides-de-camp to the monarch. William's Welsh Guards uniform also bore the cypher of Queen Elizabeth, whom he served as aide-de-camp. Please enable cookies and other technologies to view this content. You can update your cookies preferences any time using privacy manager. To cheering crowds lining the Mall, the Princess of Wales, who is in remission from cancer, accompanied her children — Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 10, and Prince Louis, 7 — in an open-topped Ascot Landau carriage from the palace to Horse Guards. Last year, it had rained on their parade and they were partly shielded from view in their Glass Coach carriage. But this year, under brilliant blues skies and sunshine, the Waleses were a picture-perfect happy family unit. Kate wore a striking aquamarine dress coat by Catherine Walker, a hat by Juliette Botterill, and her Irish Guards regimental brooch and ear-rings that belonged to Queen Elizabeth. Matching her mother's colour scheme, Charlotte opted for a mint-green dress. And just as her father's outfit paid tribute to his grandmother, so Charlotte kept the memory of her great-grandmother close, with a diamond horseshoe brooch pinned to her dress — a gift from Queen Elizabeth that Charlotte wore to her great-grandmother's funeral in 2022. A gap-toothed Louis, always full of high-jinks at Trooping the Colour, beamed at his big brother throughout the procession, waved vigorously to the crowds and twinned his brother's outfit, both in smart navy suits and red ties. Joining the royal contingent were the Duchess of Edinburgh, in a green Beulah dress and Jane Taylor hat, who travelled in a carriage with Anne's husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, and the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester. After seeing her children into the Major General's office above Horse Guards — from where they watched the parade under the supervision of their longstanding Norland nanny, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo — Kate returned to the parade ground. She stood alongside the King's side on the dais, in her role as colonel of the Irish Guards. Last year's parade had marked her first public appearance since announcing last March that she was undergoing treatment for cancer. Then, she had watched the parade from the Major General's office, but retaking her place on the dais, as she did in 2023, will be an encouraging sign that Kate's recovery continues in the right direction. More than 1,300 soldiers, 200 horses and 400 musicians gathered on the parade ground, where the colour of No 7 Company Coldstream Guards was trooped. To the tunes of Bonnie Tyneside and The King's Guard, performed by the Massed Bands, the King inspected the troops from his carriage before taking his place on the dais. Then, at 11.10am as seated spectators were asked to stand, a lone trumpeter signalled the minute's silence with the Last Post. At 11.11am, the trumpet sounded the Reveille, and celebrations resumed. • The India plane crash victims from Britain — what we know so far While the Princess of Wales stood alongside the King on the dais, a high-spirited Louis remained perched above them on a window sill of the Major General's office, providing a lively running commentary to his kin watching with him. By his side at the window, the Duchess of Edinburgh, 60, who is close to the Waleses, appeared to enjoy 'the Louis show'. Back at Buckingham Palace, the King, who shows little sign of reduced stamina despite his illness, stood again on a dais at the Centre Gate taking the salute of the troops returning to their barracks after an impeccable parade. At 1pm, cheers went up again from the Mall as the palace balcony windows opened and the royal contingent, joined by the frail but determined Duke of Kent, 89, emerged on to the balcony for the RAF flypast. Last year, Kate was by the King's side. This year, her youngest son snuck into that spot, prompting smiles and laughter from the King as Louis, rubbing his eyes in the bright sunlight, chatted constantly to his 'Grandpa Wales' as 29 aircraft flew overhead. George, who had his first flying lesson last September at White Waltham Airfield in Berkshire, appeared captivated while Charlotte was laser-focused on following protocol during the national anthem. Louis, less of a stickler for protocol, turned back for another natter with his grandfather during God Save the King and, in a final flourish, gave yet another royal wave to the crowds while being ushered inside by his mother. For the first time, in a special nod to the King's enduring environmental campaigning, the RAF's Aerobatic Team used a 40 per cent blend of sustainable aviation fuel [SAF] and normal jet fuel for the propulsion of the Red Arrows, and a renewable biofuel made of hydrotreated vegetable oil for their red, white and blue smoke trails. It is thought to be the first time anywhere in the world that two environmentally friendly fuels have been used at the same time by a national aerobatic team. A palace aide said of the King: 'He has been encouraging wider use of SAF on royal flights where possible and practical. His Majesty hopes to be an 'early adopter' whose example will help encourage wider availability and use across the aviation sector.' Before the flypast, Squadron Leader Andy King of the Red Arrows said: 'Hopefully the King will be looking up with a smile on his face.' A palace aide said Charles, who beamed throughout, was 'delighted'. Mission fulfilled.
