Sponsored post | A Clean Start with Ecoleaf

Roll up your sleeves and tackle the spring clean with Ecoleaf’s range of eco-conscious cleaning products and accessories

Spring is the time for opening windows and giving your home a thorough deep clean. Longer days motivate us and help us to feel more energised and productive.

If you’re looking for a responsible cleaning brand to get the job done, then Ecoleaf by Suma has got you covered. Back in 1986 (yes, that long ago!), the team at worker-owned co-operative Suma launched the UK’s first recycled toilet tissue. Fast forward to today, and there’s a dedicated brand, Ecoleaf, with everything from laundry, kitchen and bathroom, to plastic-free accessories.

Ecoleaf embodies Suma’s commitment to quality and integrity. Not only are the cleaning products all approved as cruelty-free under the Leaping Bunny programme, and Vegan Trademark registered, but they’re also working hard to minimise their packaging impact on the planet. Most bottles are 100% recycled plastic, including Prevented Ocean Plastics™ collected from coastal areas at risk of pollution. While 5 ltr and 20 ltr containers across the range are ideal for refilling at home and can also be easily recycled.

Accessories matter, too. Last year, Ecoleaf teamed up with @bambuubrush to launch sustainable, zero-waste kitchen brushes. Did you know disposable kitchen sponges release millions of microplastics as they wear down? By simply switching to a bamboo product, you can cut out the plastic. Amazingly, bamboo plants release more oxygen than most trees, absorb more carbon dioxide, require no pesticides and minimal water. With proper
care, products can last for years – it’s strong, durable, lightweight, naturally antibacterial and super sustainable.

The Ecoleaf team also love upcycling and repurposing to get the spring cleaning done. Instead of throwing out old clothes that are too worn for charity shops, consider cutting them up for cleaning cloths, while glass jars can be also be reused and are great for storing your refills. House plants are another way to embrace spring while boosting air quality. Easy-to-care-for, air-purifying plants, such as snake plants and spider plants, are great for freshening up your space and will put a spring in your step when freshening up your home, too.

For more information and inspiration, visit suma.coop/ecoleaf-household

Sponsored post: A summer escape in Somerset

Somerset Yurts is run by husband and wife team, Mark and Emma Cavill along with our two young boys, Will and Tommy. Having spent 10 years in hectic corporate life around the Thames Valley, we decided the time was right to move back to Mark’s family farm and settle down in our beloved West Country. Spending many weekends traveling back and forth from Somerset to Berkshire, while we were still working, we really grew to appreciate the slower pace in Somerset, the countryside, big skies, and peace that the farm provided. We started hatching plans to share this slice of rural tranquillity with people looking for a break from their daily stresses; and knew that yurts, combined with the beautiful Somerset countryside, would provide a really unique ‘glamping’ experience, so Somerset Yurts was born!

Our farm is a dairy farm, with around 120 cows over 300 acres. We love showing guests around our farm, introducing our cows and calves, and showing the milking process. Children particularly love this, and it’s great to see them getting a grasp of where their milk, cheese, butter, cream and yoghurt comes from.

You will find your yurt nestled in a beautiful, peaceful field that boasts stunning, uninterrupted views over Taunton Vale and the Blackdown Hills beyond. In such serene surroundings you’ll soon unwind and find yourself immersed in the countryside.

Our four yurts are all luxuriously furnished with a double bed, double futon, dining table, throws, rugs, and a wood burner to keep you cosy and warm during your stay. You'll also find a BBQ and gas stove in your private picnic area, or you could opt for campfire cooking over the communal fire pit.

The Dutch Barn is the unsung hero of Somerset Yurts. Home to a spacious and fully equipped communal kitchen/dining area, and a large bathroom with proper flushing loo’s and hot power showers – the perfect partner to your lovely yurt!

The Simple Things readers can enjoy 10% off their Somerset Yurts glamping escape using SPRING13 in the voucher code area of the booking form.

Visit www.somersetyurts.co.uk or call 07811 350176 for more information

Sponsored post: Learn a new skill for free with The Amazings

Have you heard of The Amazings? It’s an online platform for skill-sharing, where older teachers (over 50s, AKA ‘Amazings’) teach the younger generation skills for life. Whether that’s carpentry, crochet or jewellery making.Classes have been running in London for over a year now but the exciting news is The Amazings has recently launched online craft classes, meaning you can take part from anywhere in the world.

There are currently 8 online classes available , and you can choose from: Make Your Own Natural Beauty Products Retro Hair Dos Make A Mosaic Flower Pot Make an Heirloom Patchwork Quilt How to Make an Altered Book Upcycle a Man’s Shirt into a Summer Dress Make a Butterfly Pendant From Silver Metal Clay Loom Knit Your Own Beanie and Bobble Hat

Normally classes start from £8 but for a limited time you can get your first class for free if you sign up using this link.

New classes will be added every week and a little birdy told us there’s going to be a Big Knitting class, Wet Felting class and Millinery class coming up soon, so be sure to keep an eye out!

*Sponsored post* A way with windows

*This is a sponsored blog post from Hillarys*

Simplify the process of choosing blinds, curtains and shutters by booking an appointment with an advisor from Hillarys who can advise on style, fittings and proportions as well as colour and patterns. Our Signature Service includes measuring and installation too, perfect for those who can’t quite get the length of their curtains right, aren’t sure where to put the poles or don’t know their recess measurements from their cord tidies!

There’s a massive choice of gorgeous fabrics and styles and we’ll bring our ‘shop’ to your home so you can mix and match with existing furnishings. Simply call us on 0800 389 1659 to arrange your Signature Service appointment.