For years we’ve been told that cleaning products like bleach are the best way to keep our homes free of germs and dirt and keep our families in good health. The cleaning aisle of your local supermarket is likely stocked full of expensive chemical products that claim to eradicate 99.9% of germs, buff your woodwork to an unnatural shine, and keep your plughole free from limescale.
But how did people keep their homes clean before the days of bleach? Have a rummage around your cupboards and you might just find you’ve got all the cleaning products you need, and not a synthesised chemical in sight!
Non-toxic, natural cleaning products are not only better for our homes, they’re better for the environment too. These six items are all you need to keep your home looking and smelling fresh:
- Olive oil – a natural way to polish wood and metalwork
- Castile soap – cuts through grease like a charm
- Bicarbonate of soda – cleans, deodorises, and brightens
- Essential oils – a wonderful way to fragrance your home
- Lemon juice – tackles mould, mildew, and grease with ease
- Vinegar – gently yet effectively cuts through grease and grime
Most of these products can be mixed together in order to enhance their cleaning capabilities, but some of them such as castile soap and vinegar cancel each other out on the pH scale! Here are a few simple recipes and applications to get you started:
Toilet cleaner
For a heavy-duty toilet scrub that will deodorise as it cleans pour half a cup of bicarbonate of soda and around 10 drops of tea tree oil directly into the toilet, followed by a quarter cup of vinegar. Pop on some rubber gloves and scrub away whilst the mixture fizzes the limescale clean off the toilet bowl.
Bath and shower cleaner
Your bath tub can leave you facing some of the toughest grime around, but vinegar will make easy work of it every time. Mildew can be tackled by spraying pure white vinegar onto the area and letting it sit for 30 minutes before rinsing away with clean water and a sponge. Get rid of soap scum by mixing one part water with one part vinegar and spraying onto the area, leave for a few minutes then wipe away.
Disinfectant
Tea tree oil is nature’s disinfectant – two cups of water, three tablespoons of liquid soap, and around 30 drops of tea tree oil is enough to banish germs and keep your home clean and healthy. Spray the mixture onto work surfaces or use it to mop the floor to kill germs the natural way.
