Many years ago I used a product called Goodelf which was made specifically for cleaning garden gnomes. My collection of gnomes was destroyed in a parking incident and I have only just bought a new one but cannot find the product anyway. Any ideas anyone?
Wetblanket. The problem of keeping gnomes clean is more tricky than it seems and I'm glad someone has raised it here. As a keen gnomist I've had to clean many gnomes and learned much from my grandmother. I'm not familar with Goodelf, but really feel you do not need proprietary barnds anyway to solve your problems.
Mt garndmother used to mix up a solution of saltwater with ten drops of household bleach and 20 drops of vinegar. If added cleaning power was needed adding a little bicarbonate of soda did the job. This brought her gnomes up a treat! However , most of her gnomes were made of a hard-glazed pottery, so the bleach element of the mix was not likely to damage the colours of the gnomes hats and tunics. Nowadays, of course, many gnomes are made of plastic and a bleach solution will cause colours to fade. The solution? Extra vinegar and bicarb! The results will be most favourable.
Another tip I learned from my grandmother was to rotate your gnomes. Leaving one gnome in the sun too long would cause colour loss, and leaving him in the shade would encourage mould and mildew problems. Such problems can be avoided by observing a gnome movement regime so that they each experience different parts of the garden. Takes a little efforts but the pay-off in terms of clean and bright gnomes is well worth it.
Hello fellow gnomist! Thanks very much for your advice. My new gnome is not plastic - I think they are an abomonation - so I will try your grandmother's recipe, How lucky you are, my grandmother hated gardening! As for the rotating, I've found he enjoys being in both the front and back garden so after I have had my lunch I give him a change of scenery. Thanks again.
Glad to be of service. Would be very interested in other peoples' experiences of keeping and cleaning gnomes. They are an endless and simple source of pleasure!
