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The benefits of steam cleaning your home

Steam cleaning is fast becoming the preferred method for keeping homes dirt and grime free. As well as saving you money, it is easy, non-toxic and highly sanitary. As we age we can sometimes become more susceptible to germs, allergies can be more common and cleaning thus becomes all the more important. Here are the many reasons why you should consider steam cleaning. Non-toxic: Not only is steam cleaning an effective way to clean, sanitise and deodorise almost every surface in your home, it will also kill 99 per cent of bacteria and doesn’t require the use of toxic and potentially harmful chemicals such as bleach or ammonia. Only heat and water are used, so as a result your house remains free from chemical residue and pollution. Say goodbye to E.Coli, salmonella, and staph, as well as dust mites and bed bugs. Easy peasy: Most steam cleaners are lightweight and therefore easy to maneuver so you can easily clean hard-to-reach areas and also clean cushions, pillows, pet bedding, curtains and other soft furnishings. Child and pet friendly: The non-toxic nature of steam cleaning makes your home a much safer environment for children and pets. Allergies: As steam cleaning only uses water and heat to create an all-natural steam that removes dirt and grim from any non-heat sensitive surfaces, it won’t aggravate allergy symptoms or cause respiratory issues. Penny pinching: On top of the initial purchase, the only money outlay for steam cleaning is for the water and electricity used to heat it. Thus, it can end up saving you money in the long term that you would’ve spent of detergents, cleaners and other products used throughout the home. Effective: Steam cleaning, unlike bleach, will actually kill mould in your bathroom, which could otherwise cause all sorts of healthy problems. While bleach just turns mould white so it blends in with the surface, steam cleaning kills the mould from the cracks and hard to reach places. Image credits: Getty Images

Home & Garden

Homeowner’s savvy Kmart kitchen hack that saved her $100

A woman has shared how she restored a rusty stovetop to pristine condition without paying for an expensive cleaning service. The happy customer shared two images of her stovetop on Kmart Mums Australia, along with a third image of a $25 steam cleaner from Kmart. The woman explained that she needed to clean her stovetop ahead of a house inspection. <img width="499" height="460" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7818015/1_499x460.jpg" alt="1 (131)"/> She used various household cleaners and every cleaning trick in the book, but found nothing was removing the marks. With no success, she received a quote for it be cleaned professionally but was told it would cost her a staggering $120. When she went to the shops in a final attempt for a remedy, she found the perfect product. “Off to Kmart, I went to purchase the Hand Held Steam Cleaner for $25. BAM,” she said. “If you don't own one of these already you must purchase one!” Using Kmart’s steam cleaner, she did the job herself and saved $95. <img width="500" height="324" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7818016/2_500x324.jpg" alt="2 (71)"/> Loyal Kmart shoppers were quick to praise the woman for getting the job done on a budget. Fellow shopper Rhonda said, “Love my hand held steamer.....I keep looking for stuff to clean.” Jessica added, “W'oooo! I'm definitely going to get one. Thanks for sharing!” <img width="498" height="360" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7818017/3_498x360.jpg" alt="3 (31)"/> After receiving plenty of questions from sceptics about whether she used expensive cleaning products to restore her cooker, the woman revealed the process. She said that she didn’t need to spend time scrubbing and the job was done with just the steam cleaner, the brush attachment and water.

Home & Garden

Chinese steamed fish

Cuisine's Ginny Grant demonstrates a quick and tasty steamed fish dish. Ingredients: <ul> <li>1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine</li> <li>2 fish pieces, skin on</li> <li>3 spring onions</li> <li>5cm piece ginger, peeled</li> <li>2 tablespoons soy sauce</li> <li>2 tablespoons sunflower oil</li> </ul> Method: 1. Drizzle the Shaoxing rice wine over the fish and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for a few minutes. 2. Thinly slice two spring onions. Cut half the ginger into thin matchsticks. Roughly chop the remaining spring onion and ginger. 3. Put the roughly chopped spring onion and ginger on a plate and top with the fish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce. 4. Put the plate with the fish in a steamer and cook for 6-7 minutes (longer if the fillets are thick). 5. Put the fish onto serving plates, discarding the spring onion and ginger it was sitting on. Top with the thinly sliced spring onion and ginger. 6. Heat the oil in a small saucepan then pour over the fish, along with the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce. 7. Serve with rice or noodles and steamed greens. Written by Ginny Grant. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a>. Image credit: Jason Dorday via Stuff.co.nz. Have you ordered your copy of the Over60 cookbook, The Way Mum Made It, yet? Featuring 178 delicious tried-and-true recipes from you, the Over60 community, and your favourites that have appeared on the Over60 website, <a href="https://shop.abc.net.au/products/way-mum-made-it-pbk" target="_blank">head to the abcshop.com.au to order your copy now.</a>

Food & Wine

Steamed date pudding

As featured in the Over60 cookbook, The Way Mum Made It, Jennifer Ellen Fildes says of her steamed date pudding recipe, “I still have the handwritten recipe from my late mum, which was given to her by my dad’s sister, my auntie Jean. This recipe means a lot to me; looking at my mum’s handwriting brings tears to my eyes.” To get this recipe and 174 others, you can purchase the Over60 cookbook, The Way Mum Made It by <a href="https://shop.abc.net.au/products/way-mum-made-it-pbk" target="_blank">clicking here</a>. Serves: 4–6 Ingredients: <ul> <li>1½ cups finely chopped dates</li> <li>1 cup milk</li> <li>¼ cup caster sugar</li> <li>2 tablespoons unsalted butter</li> <li>1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda</li> <li>1 cup self-raising flour</li> </ul> Method: <ol> <li>Combine the dates, milk, sugar and butter in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat. Add the bicarbonate of soda and while still frothing, add the self-raising flour. Stir until combined.</li> <li>Grease an 8 cup capacity metal pudding steamer. Add the mixture to the dish. Cover with baking paper, then foil. Cover with the lid and secure with rubber bands.</li> <li>Place in a large saucepan. Carefully pour boiling water into the saucepan until halfway up the side of the steamer. Cover with a lid. Place the saucepan over medium heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour, topping up with boiling water when necessary.</li> <li>Remove the pan from the heat. Carefully lift the steamer from the water. Stand for 10 minutes, then remove the lid. Turn the pudding out onto a plate. Serve with cream and or custard.</li> </ol>

Food & Wine

Rail tour picks up steam after tow start

A South Island rail tour on board a restored World War I locomotive looks set to run out of steam in Marlborough, before it even leaves the station. But tour organisers have a more modern plan to keep the centenary tour on track. The 1915 steam train, called Passchendaele, will be towed from Picton to Kaikoura by a diesel engine. Tour organiser John Bovis said the train needed four certified crewmen to run, but they only had two for part of the journey's first leg. The company Steam Incorporated usually found steam drivers through KiwiRail. It was "possible but unlikely" they would find two extra drivers before setting off on the two-week trip on Monday, Bovis said. The Picton to Kaikoura stretch behind a diesel engine would not be as impressive from the outside, but it was still a "great ride" for passengers, he said. From there though, it was full steam ahead for the locomotive, making stops at Christchurch, Oamaru, Dunedin, Invercargill, Bluff, Middlemarch, Greymouth and Westport. The AB 608 engine was built in 1915 and given its name in 1925 to commemorate the lives of about 450 New Zealand railwaymen lost in WWI. It had already travelled around the North Island, and was scheduled for a WWI centenary tour of the South Island from October 19 to November 2. Restoration of the train was completed in April last year, and cost the company $500,000. Between 150 and 180 passengers would be travelling on the train each day, Bovis said. The majority were from overseas. Steam crewman Wayne Mason said the diesel engine would only be used from Picton to Kaikoura. "After that it's fine for the rest of the way." He and his fellow crewman Alastair Maciver would still be manning the train in "light steam" mode but control would be in the hands of the diesel engine up front. Restoration of the Passchendaele began more than 20 years ago and had been a "full-time job" for the past few years, Bovis said. The engine was built in the South Island and had been used on freight trains, passenger trains, and even on two royal tours; the Prince of Wales' tour in 1920 and the Duke of York's tour in 1927. Image credit: Facebook /Steam Incorporated Written by Elena McPhee. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz" target="_blank">Stuff.co.nz</a> Related links: <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2015/08/classic-rail-journeys-around-the-world/">All aboard! Classic rail journeys around the world</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/news/news/2015/09/80-year-old-man-builds-dog-train/">80-year-old man builds custom train for stray dogs</a> <a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/travel-tips/2015/08/tips-for-packing-for-holiday/">Great tips for packing for overseas trips</a>

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