Scottish Government welcomes study, co-authored by Edinburgh Napier University academic, that highlights the societal advantages of walking and cycling
A new report from the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that swapping driving for cycling just one day a week saves the equivalent emissions of a flight from London to New York – about half a tonne of carbon dioxide.
The report, co-authored by Dr Adrian Davis, Professor of Transport and Health at Edinburgh Napier University, provides the latest evidence on the benefits and risks of active travel. It clearly shows that for individuals and societies, promoting active travel is good for population health and the environment.
For example, if just one in five urban residents can be convinced to permanently swap the driving seat for the saddle one day a week, it would cut emissions from all car travel in Europe by about 8%.
The health benefits of active travel are also laid bare with the report showing that active travellers have as much as a 40% lower risk of dying from cancer and a 52% lower risk of dying from heart disease compared to those commuting by car or public transport. They also have a 46% lower risk of developing heart disease and a 45% lower risk of developing cancer at all. This means a poorer quality of life.
The report also contains the latest evidence on the benefits of e-bikes which are bringing more people to cycling, including older adults for whom there is a positive impact on their health and wellbeing.
The report has been warmly welcomed by the Scottish Government. Minister for Active Travel Patrick Harvie said: “I’m pleased to welcome this new report from the World Health Organisation on the many benefits of active travel.
“This peer-reviewed publication – co-authored by Dr Davis from Edinburgh Napier University – provides the latest evidence base for policy makers across the globe on why investment in walking, wheeling and cycling is so important for our health, our cities and our environment.
“The vital role active travel can play in building healthier and happier lives is well recognised in Scotland. That’s why I’m proud the Scottish Government has committed to spend at least 10% of the transport budget on active travel by 2024/25, enabling a transformational investment in communities across the country. This report sets out all the benefits that we will see as we make that shift.”
Professor Adrian Davis outside the Scottish Parliament with his Transport Policy Paper.
Neil Hanna Photography
www.neilhannaphotography.co.uk
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Co-author Dr Adrian Davis said: “This report clearly shows that for individuals and societies active travel is good for health and that we can all play our part in tackling climate change. As Individuals, we can take actions which benefits our own health and that of others.
“People who walk or cycle as well as use cars have lower carbon footprints from all daily travel. More people switching some of their journeys to active travel would lower carbon emissions from transport on a daily basis.
“The report provides timely evidence to support policy makers and practitioners, coming as it does shortly after the Scottish local government elections.”
Over 1,300 children waiting more than a year for treatment
The Scottish Children’s Services Coalition (SCSC), an alliance of leading providers of specialist children’s services, has warned of a mental health emergency and called for greatly increased investment as the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on the young become clearer.
It notes that the mental health of children and young people is set to further worsen given the cost-of-living crisis, as more people are driven into poverty.
The SCSC has also warned of the devastating impact of cuts in public services on those with mental health issues, as outlined in the Scottish Government’s Resource Spending Review, with an estimated £3.5 billion spending shortfall by 2026/27.
The call comes as new figures published by Public Health Scotland yesterday (7th June 2022), indicate that over the quarter covering January to March 2022, 9,672 children and young people were referred to specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) for treatment.
This includes issues such as anxiety and depression and represents a staggering 22.4% increase in numbers from the same quarter of the previous year when the equivalent figure was 7,902.
With already under-resourced and overstretched services facing overwhelming pressure due to increased demand, the SCSC has raised concerns over a potential “lost generation” of vulnerable children and young people whose mental health is being impacted by Covid-19.
Even before the pandemic, cases of poor mental health were at unprecedented levels with services in crisis, and there are a growing number of vulnerable children who cannot access adequate support. The pandemic and cost-of-living crisis has exacerbated this, with more children and young people driven into poverty, with the resulting impact on their mental health. This has led to unprecedented demand and backlogs, with services struggling to keep up.
In total, 5, 016 children and young people started treatment at CAMHS during the period January to March 2022, an increase of 7.7% from the previous quarter (4,659). Just over a quarter (26.8%) were not seen within the Scottish Government’s maximum waiting time for the NHS of 18 weeks from referral to treatment (to be met by at least 90% of patients).
A total of 1,322 children and young people had been waiting over a year for treatment at the end of March 2022.
A spokesperson for the SCSC commented: “We have been warning for some time that we are facing a potential lost generation of vulnerable children and young people, whose mental health is being impacted even further by the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.
“Adding to this are cuts in public services, which will impact especially on local government and the third sector, responsible for many of the preventative and early intervention services supporting those with mental health problems.
“Faced by such a devastating series of factors, there must be a radical transformation of our mental health services, investing in specialist services and with a renewed focus on preventing such problems arising in the first place through intervening early.
“This is a crisis we can overcome, but as the country comes to terms with the biggest hit to its mental health in generations, it will require a similar energy and commitment to that demonstrated for Covid-19 if we are to achieve this and prevent many young people giving up on their futures.”
4.68 million unpaid carers concerned for physical and mental health
2.2 million carers worried about ability to cope financially
More care is being provided than ever before – even more than during the height of the pandemic
Overwhelming public support for more Government action to help unpaid carers
Carers Week charities are calling for an urgent 12-month plan of targeted support for unpaid carers, as many struggle with the ongoing impact, as well as the legacy, of the pandemic, together with the strain of the social care and cost of living crises.
For the first time, the impact of caring on their own physical and mental health has topped carer’s concerns, closely followed by money worries.
The research, released for Carers Week 2022 (6-12 June), reveals that 84% of the general public think that the UK governments should provide additional support to unpaid carers including increased financial support and investment in care and support services so that unpaid carers can have a break. Only 3% disagreed.
The report also shows that the number of unpaid carers remains higher than before the pandemic with one in five of the UK’s adults (approximately 10.58 million people) now supporting a relative, close friend or neighbour because of chronic illness, including mental ill-health, dementia, disability, or older age.
The intensity of care they are providing has grown since earlier in the pandemic, with several factors possibly having an impact: Many services remain reduced or closed, vulnerable people continue to shield, pressures on primary health care and the chronic shortage of social care. The numbers of people providing over 50 hours per week has risen by 30%.
At the same time, carers with lower household incomes were much more likely to be providing significant amounts of care (i.e, over 20 hours per week). Providing more care also reduces the chance to cope financially as carers are less likely to be able to juggle work and care.
The seven charities supporting Carers Week 2022; Carers UK, Age UK, Carers Trust, MND Association, Rethink Mental Illness, Oxfam GB and The Lewy Body Society are calling for a recovery and respite plan dedicated to the needs of carers including: specific investment in their mental health support, carers leave a priority, help with food and energy costs and ahead of the winter, prioritisation in the vaccination programme.
Commenting on behalf of Carers Week charities, Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK said: “Clearly, whilst society has opened up for many people, it’s a very different picture for significant numbers of carers.
“So many have sacrificed their physical and mental health caring for their loved ones over the last two years and as this report clearly shows, it is absolutely essential that carers get the support they need to stay well to be able to continue to care for their loved ones, that working carers are helped to stay in employment and that all carers can feel visible, valued and supported.”
@scotgov has introduced 2 new and unique benefits, Young Carer Grant and Carer’s Allowance Supplement – additional support of over £42 million to more than 90,000 carers this year.
Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK
Healthy Heart Tip: Cooking from Scratch
Cooking from scratch can be more nutritious, tastier, cheaper, and it doesn’t have to take long. Give it a go and enjoy the sense of achievement once you’ve cooked a delicious meal:
Keep It Simple!
If you are new to cooking from scratch, try to keep meals simple to start with. If time is an issue, prep your meals in advance. For example, you can measure out your ingredients the night before or practice batch cooking.
Utilise Your Freezer
The freezer can be an important extension to your store cupboard. Did you know you can freeze herbs, fruits and vegetables? These can be very convenient to grab when you need them, and can help you cut down on food waste!
Staple Ingredients
Always keep ingredients for a few staple meals in the pantry and freezer so that there is always a meal just 30 minutes away. This may include dried pasta, quinoa, rice, lentils, canned tomatoes, frozen veg, herbs, spices and olive oil.
We hope we have inspired you to give cooking from scratch a go!
Leading Scottish social enterprise, Scran Academy, has embarked on The Big Scran Care Tour, a six-month tour of more than 100 social care sites across Edinburgh to deliver a token of ‘foodwill’ to as many as 4500 health and social care workers across the city, in celebration of their hard work throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.
The youth charity based in North Edinburgh is delighted to be teaming up with Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership and Edinburgh City Council’s Thrive Edinburgh for The Big Scran Care Tour.
The essential funding has enabled Scran’s young people and staff to prepare and deliver either Scran Munchy Boxes, a Scran Lunch Table, or hot meals from the Scran Van to workers at 73 GP surgeries and 30 social care sites across the city, with more sites being scheduled.
Working with Scran Academy’s innovative business model, the Big Scran Care Tour is being co-designed and enabled with a team of inspiring young people at its heart. All the young people engaged have faced poverty-related barriers or life challenges such as care-experienced, risk of homelessness, poor mental health, disengaged from mainstream school or unemployment.
Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership Staff Wellbeing Group decided to use some of the funding allocated by The Scottish Government to engage Scran Academy to provide celebratory treat meals and snack boxes delivered on-site to GP practices, health centres, community hospitals and community care services to say a huge thank you to staff for their commitment, dedication and hard work during the pandemic.
Dr Linda Irvine Fitzpatrick, the staff wellbeing lead for the Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, said: “Thrive Edinburgh has a long-standing partnership with Scran Academy. They have an exceptional model that is a win win for all involved, and by partnering with them, all we’ve done is extend it to a win win win!
“It’s fantastic to be able to use our staff wellbeing fund in a way that delivers benefits to all, and we’re already receiving fantastic feedback and thanks from all colleagues who have been visited by the Scran team so far.”
This pioneering programme of events will see young people empowered with the skills and confidence to lead in the hospitality industry, fostering huge social return as well as promoting staff wellbeing.
Will Bain, Scran Academy Catering Manager, said: “The Big Scran Care Tour is such an exciting programme for the young people we work with. They get involved in everything, helping us to plan, cook, deliver and evaluate the whole thing, so each event on the tour is something they really get behind.
“It’s such a big confidence and skills boost – and when they meet the healthcare staff and get great feedback, they know they’ve achieved something meaningful.”
Faye (15), a Scran Academy attendee, said: “I like working on the van and it makes me feel happy that I am doing it to say a big thank you to all the hardworking doctors and nurses”
Kacey (15), a Scran Academy attendee, added: “I think it’s really good that we get to talk to all the healthcare staff when we serve them. I think we do a really good job.”
Approximately 29,000 people wait more than 16 weeks for eye care services in Scotland after initial referral1
The situation has worsened following dramatic falls in outpatient activity during the COVID-19 pandemic2
National partnership, The Eyes Have It, call on Scottish government to prioritise eye care services as part of NHS post-COVID recovery plans
Nearly 30,000 patients are waiting more than 16 weeks on NHS waiting lists for specialist ophthalmology treatment in Scotland, Members of the Scottish Parliament have been told during a reception at Holyrood.
And, according to NHS figures, these patients make up more than 50% of the entire ophthalmology waiting list.
Scottish parliamentarians from across the political spectrum who attended the event in the Scottish Parliament on 1st June learnt about the challenges patients with deteriorating eye health face in Scotland. The event was sponsored by Stuart McMillan MSP and hosted by the The Eyes Have It (TEHI) partnership with Sight Scotland.
Sight loss, the complete or partial loss of vision not correctable by usual means such as glasses, affects 200,000 people in Scotland3, more than the number affected by dementia4. Ophthalmology is now the third busiest outpatient specialty in the Scottish NHS and accounts for 10% of new outpatient appointments in Scotland2.
Cathy Yelf, CEO of the Macular Society, speaking on behalf of TEHI, which is made up of The Royal College of Ophthalmologists, the Macular Society, Fight for Sight, the Association of Optometrists and Roche Products Ltd, said: “Capacity shortages can have very serious implications for patients, with delayed follow up (both at the time of diagnosis and during ongoing care) found to be a factor in sight loss.
“The progressive nature of conditions such as wet age-related macular degeneration means that delays to treatment can result in poorer outcomes for patients with sight loss.”
Craig Spalding, CEO of Sight Scotland, one of Scotland’s oldest charities, said: “Eye conditions are estimated to cost the Scottish economy £2bn annually3, and despite the introduction, in 2006, of free primary eye exams in Scotland and strategies to identify priority areas for action to improve eye care services, Scotland continues to face challenges.
“The situation has worsened due to the Covid-19 pandemic which led to a dramatic fall in outpatient activity, but there is now an opportunity to improve efficiency, effectiveness and patient experience as the healthcare system looks towards COVID-19 recovery. Reducing waiting lists must be a key priority.”
Stuart McMillan MSP, Convenor of the Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Visual Impairment, said: “Sight loss can have a devastating effect on a person’s quality of life and emotional well-being.
“The implementation of free primary care eye examinations by the Scottish Government in 2006 helped to reduce pressures on secondary care but the Covid-19 pandemic has created new challenges meaning there is still more to do to improve patient access and expand capacity.
“It has been a pleasure to host this event with The Eyes Have It partnership to raise awareness of this important issue”
The Eyes Have It partnership, with Sight Scotland, has drawn up a series of recommendations calling on the Scottish government to prioritise eye health within NHS service recovery.
Cancer Research UK’s has responded to the latest diagnostic test waiting times statistics published by Public Health Scotland. Eight tests are considered in the report, including several that are relevant to the diagnosis of cancer.
These latest figures show that more than 155,000 patients in Scotland were waiting for a key diagnostic test at the end of March 2022. This is a 10% increase compared with the previous quarter and a 74% increase compared with pre-pandemic levels.
The report also tells us that, of those people waiting, 50% had been waiting more than six weeks for their test at the end of March 2022.
This is similar to the proportion waiting at the end of the previous quarter and more than three times the proportion pre-pandemic, which was 16% at the end of March 2019. The figures also show around 5,400 (3.5%) patients waiting for a test had been waiting over a year, with almost all of these patients waiting for an endoscopy test.
The Scottish Government standard that no one should be waiting more than six weeks for a diagnostic test hasn’t been met since June 2010.
David Ferguson, public affairs manager for Cancer Research UK in Scotland, said: “It is unacceptable that people in Scotland are waiting too long for a test to determine whether they have cancer. Early diagnosis followed by swift access to the most effective treatment can save lives.
“Despite the best efforts of NHS staff, the delays are due to Scotland’s chronic staff shortages in the areas key to diagnosing and treating cancer. These shortages have hampered progress for years – well before the pandemic.
“The Scottish Government must set out long-term, properly funded plans to address workforce shortages and improve cancer services so patients get the care they need and deserve.”
Miles Briggs MSP has praised the invaluable role of volunteers during a visit to BHF Scotland’s shop in Dalry Road, Edinburgh – seeing at first-hand how their efforts help raise vital funds for the charity’s lifesaving research into heart and circulatory diseases.
The visit took place ahead of Volunteers’ Week, marking the annual contribution of volunteers up and down the country. In Scotland, around 14,000 volunteers regularly give up their time to help the BHF in its 75 Scottish shops.
During the visit, Miles heard more about the role of volunteers taking in donations from the local community and the incredible benefits of shopping preloved, preventing good quality items from going to landfill, creating a sustainable, circular economy and saving money, while also funding the BHF’s lifesaving research.
In a year, the BHF saves around 71,000 tonnes of goods going to waste and through the reuse and recycling of donated items, helps prevent 135,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions being released into the atmosphere. The charity will also sell over half a million pieces of living room furniture and 14,000 tonnes of preloved clothes from its stores.
Heart disease is a major cause of ill health in Scotland and the BHF is currently funding around £60 million worth of projects in ten Scottish universities. This work is only made possible thanks to the huge generosity of the Scottish public.
Lothian MSP, Miles Briggs, said:“Volunteers are essential for the running of British Heart Foundation, raising money for such a worthwhile cause and reusing and recycling household goods, which is also beneficial for the environment.
“People donating their time his hugely valuable for the British Heart Foundation and I would encourage anyone who has been considering volunteering to offer their services.
“British Heart Foundation continue to pioneers lifesaving research, which would not be possible without the thousands of volunteers who give up their time.”
Kym Kestell, BHF Scotland’s Policy and Public Affairs Coordinator, said:“It was great to welcome Miles to our Dalry Road shop in Edinburgh and talk about the crucial support of our fantastic volunteers here and right across Scotland.
“It goes without saying that volunteers are the lifeblood of our shops. Every hour donated makes a difference. It helps us raise money to power lifesaving science to save and improve more lives. Across Scotland around 700,000 people are living with heart and circulatory diseases. Your gift of time can help us, help them.
“For more than 60 years, your support has helped the BHF turn research that once seemed like ‘science fiction’ into reality and we need your help now more than ever.”
Continuing to support people in adult care homes to connect with others
New guidance reinforcing the expectation that people in adult care homes should be able to see their friends and family without restrictions has been published.
The refreshed Open with Care guidelines say that people in care homes should be able to see their friends and family without restrictions such as limits on how often visits can take place or on how many different visitors a person can have.
Booking systems for families should only be required when a home is managing a COVID-19 outbreak. Where there is an outbreak, residents should still be supported to see one of their three named visitors.
To reinforce the guidance, the Care Inspectorate will receive an additional £186,000 this year and £90,000 in 2023 to support visiting rights, including dedicated resources for care homes.
Minister for Social Care Kevin Stewart met staff, residents and relatives at the Erskine Park Home in Bishopton to see how easing restrictions has made it easier for residents to have contact with loved ones, both in and out of the home.
Mr Stewart said: “The restrictions on visiting introduced early on in the pandemic were necessary to protect staff and residents and curb the spread of the virus, but I am under no illusions as to just how difficult and painful it has been for staff, residents and their loved ones.
“We are pleased to be in the position to move to a ‘new normal’, with the latests Open With Care guidance setting out much less restrictive measures in care homes.
“As we move towards seeing visiting rights embedded in legislation through Anne’s Law, our recent strengthening of rights within the Health and Social Care standards means the right to visit loved ones is already in place.
“I am also happy to confirm a total of £276,000 additional funding to the Care Inspectorate over the next two years to further its work supporting care homes to get back to a more normal footing and protect visiting rights.
“I am very pleased to be here to thank the staff and hear from them, the residents and their loved ones about how they have managed over the last two years and the difference that it is making now we have been able to open up care homes more.”
Erskine Director of Care Derek Barron said: “Care homes have been at the forefront of the country’s provision of excellent care to our most vulnerable citizens during the pandemic, a fact often missed by many.
“The Minister is the first minister to have ‘social care’ in his job title, coming to visit us helps to visually underline the integral part we play in delivering health and social care in this country.
“We were very pleased that the Minister chose to visit Erskine for his announcement. He took the opportunity to meet our amazing staff, who have worked quietly and relentlessly through the pandemic.
“They have not only delivered compassionate and quality care, but fundraised to support that care – whilst adapting the charity and its services to the economic, demographic and policy changes, which we anticipate.”
Edith Macintosh, interim Chief Executive of the Care Inspectorate, said: “For residents who live in a care home, having contact with loved ones in what is fundamentally their own home is essential for good mental health and wellbeing.
“The release of today’s revised guidance highlights the importance of people experiencing care having face-to-face contact with their loved ones and provides the framework to support them to do so.
“We welcome the additional funding for the Care Inspectorate to support the implementation of this guidance and to support visiting.
“I want to also thank care services and their dedicated staff for their commitment and professionalism in supporting people through the most challenging of circumstances.”
As millions plan their jubilee parties, research reveals the average Briton has not cleaned their grill in 8 months
A new study has revealed as many as six in ten of us are planning to have friends and family over for a BBQ this Bank Holiday weekend – yet many are unaware that guests could end up with food poisoning, due to poor hygiene and dirty equipment.
38 per cent of Brits admit the grill on their BBQ is dirty, with almost a fifth (19 per cent) describing it as absolutely filthy – yet one in ten (11 per cent) have no plans to clean it before they use it next.
In fact on average, it’s been eight months since Brits took the grill off the BBQ and gave it a good clean, despite Britons cleaning their indoor oven every six and a half weeks on average.
16 per cent of the 1,500 Britons polled admit they’ve left the BBQ dirty over winter and then instead of cleaning it as recommended, have simply wiped at the mould or leftover burnt bits before starting to cook.
One in ten (12 per cent) admit the cleanliness of their BBQ equipment hasn’t been given a second thought, despite the Food Standard Agency advising that warm weather and outdoor cooking create the perfect storm for food poisoning.
GP and TV doctor, Dr Sarah Jarvis, comments:“When the sun is shining there’s nothing better than firing up the BBQ with family and friends, but food poisoning can easily become an unwelcome guest.
“Leaving grills unwashed could lead to harmful bacteria such as campylobacter, salmonella, listeria and some types of E. coli to form so it’s imperative to make sure that you clean down your BBQ each time you use it.
“Even if you’ve used your grill recently, it’s good hygiene practice to clean and dry your grill regularly before every time you use it. We all know that barbecued food can be a source of food poisoning – that’s why it’s so important to store it in the fridge until just before cooking, keep raw meat away from other foods and consider cooking pork and chicken in the oven first, to ensure they’re cooked right through. But if you’ve cleaned your hands and then put the food onto a dirty barbecue, you can completely defeat the object.”
When it comes to the reasons why people put off cleaning the grill on their BBQ, 34 per cent admit it takes so long, while 34 per cent say it’s a total nightmare cleaning between all the bars.
31 per cent claim it’s the messiest household task, while 27 per cent hate it so much that they describe it as the worst job ever. Almost a fifth polled confessed to having thrown a BBQ away and buying a new one instead of cleaning it.
The research by Kärcher further reveals that a third of the nation admits they have no idea what the temperature of their BBQ should be before they begin cooking – despite a high temperature being essential for killing off bacteria. One in ten admit they’ve often undercooked sausages and burgers, while eight per cent are guilty of undercooking chicken.
And food hygiene standards drop even lower when it comes to preparing a typical British BBQ, with over a quarter (26 per cent) confessing to leaving food that needs to be kept cool – like butter, mayo and cheese, to bake in the sun all afternoon.
14 per cent don’t wash their hands after putting raw meat on the grill and cook their veggie and vegan dishes in the same spot they used for meat products. More than one in ten (12 per cent) have kept tongs or accessories stored on the BBQ without ever washing them.
So it’s no surprise that almost a fifth of Britons (18 per cent) have been unlucky and suffered from food poisoning at a BBQ – whether at a friend or family’s house or at their own. One in two Brits (51 per cent) think many people are completely unaware of the potential health dangers of not BBQing safely.
However, 80 per cent say they would be racked with guilt if they made one of their guests ill – although 15 per cent claim that “these things happen”.
Harry Turner, Product Manager atKärcherwho commissioned the poll, said: “We know that cleaning the BBQ is never anyone’s favourite task however, we were surprised that so many Brits were unaware of the health dangers that can come from leaving their grills grimy.
“We wanted to put together this handy guide to help the nation clean their BBQs as quickly as possible so they can get on with enjoying the bank holiday weekend.”
The research also reveals that over a quarter of couples (27 per cent) fall out over the BBQ, with nine per cent admitting to bickering about it all the time. One third admit these rows are about who should be manning the BBQ, while 31 per cent clash around how much time they are taking to cook.
Three in ten fall out over who should clean the grill once guests have left, while 29 per cent can’t resist having a dig at their other half about how much of a mess they’re making.
To help the nation make light work of cleaning their BBQ and avoid potential health hazards over the Platinum Jubilee Weekend, Harry and Dr Sarah Jarvis have put together their top tips to make light work of cleaning the BBQ:
Up the pressure – Once you’ve emptied the leftover charcoal ash from your BBQ, use a pressure washer to spray it down using sweeping motions. When using a Kärcher pressure washer choose the vario lance and set it to a medium – this should remove any ash and sticky substances leftover at the bottom. Set your grills up against a flat surface, like a sturdy wally and turn the pressure up to hard to dislodge any stubborn sticky leftovers. Give the BBQ a final rinse down, working from top to bottom ensuring water doesn’t get trapped, to get the best results. Sarah says, “this is such a fast way of effectively cleaning a BBQ, you can get it done in under ten minutes and leave it to dry in the sunshine.”
Get steamy – For an intense deep clean use a steam cleaner on the grill, such as Kärcher’s SC 2 Easyfix – this also has the added benefit of getting rid of any bacteria. Sarah says: “Steam cleaners are such a versatile piece of equipment to keep around the house. They make light work of grease, and dirt, delivering deep cleaning results with no chemicals or scrubbing. They also penetrate into nooks and crannies in barbecues that cloths and brushes won’t reach. Kärcher’s steam cleaners are independently tested and proven to kill 99.99% of bacteria, making them perfect for cleaning both inside and outside the home.”
Grease up – Use sunflower oil every time you cook to prevent burnt food from getting stuck on the BBQ. Once finished cooking and rub vegetable oil on the grills to prevent them from going rusty. Sarah says: “This is one of my tried and trusted hacks, and it works every time.”
Try a household remedy – Don’t let leftover beer from Jubilee celebrations go to waste, pour it onto the grill while it’s still warm and tackle with a wire brush for sparkling results. If you don’t have stainless steel cleaner, try using white vinegar. Use a left-over spray bottle and fill it with half white vinegar, and half water. Spray it all over the grill, wait 5 minutes, then wipe it off with a clean, dry cloth. This also works well to get the outside of your BBQ shining.
Don’t forget to cover up – Now that you’ve got your BBQ looking spotless keep it covered throughout the summer to reduce cleaning time before each use.
Kärcher pressure washers are currently available with up to £100 off and customers can claim up to an additional £50 cashback on selected models.
