Friend bought me a peace lily few weeks ago and ive just noticed it has white fur looking stuff on the soil, have only watered from the bottom and someone suggested using bicarbonate of soda dissolved in water to spray on the sool but really not sure what to use, want to use homemade remedy if anyone can help
uh oh...get rid of the plant NOW Its mealy bug. I had to get rid of everyhouseplant I owned and scrub all the wooden window surrounds and sills when I brought it in on an orchid https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=201
If it is mealy bug then it's doomed and contagious so do as woofgang said. I had that on a precious bougainvillea and absolutely nothing I tried could get rid of it including painstakingly painting every leaf with surgical spirit. I found the way to tell it was mealy bug is if you squish the furry stuff it will change to dullish orange as you squish the bug that's in it.
It may only be surface mould due to the soil not being allowed to dry out enough. I had a bit of that on a few plants earlier this summer. I just scraped the top bit of soil off...it never returned.
Peace lilies will *tell* you when they need water by drooping.
Mealy bugs often settle in leaf joints and on new growth. A thorough spray with diluted washing up liquid ( a tbsp of fairy in a spray bottle filled with water) can help kill them...it needs doing several times. That and surgical spirit.