Research has found that general household dust contains a rich mix of toxins from a variety of sources such as traffic pollution, lead and many chemicals from cleaning products. There are many different cleaning products available, however they often contain heavy chemicals and are not multi-purpose. One option is to clean your house the old fashioned way using natural cleaning remedies made from ingredients already in your cupboards. These have the advantage of being less damaging for the environment, safer for humans and pets, and cost you less [1].
The Essential Ingredients
Lemons: The citric acid in the juice of lemons makes it perfect for bleaching, disinfecting, cutting grease and deodorising [2] which is why it is well known for its natural cleaning powers. Fresh or bottled lemon juice can be used to clean kitchen surfaces and also to remove limescale from taps. Half a lemon can be placed in the fridge to remove unwanted odours and a paste can be made up using baking soda and water to help remove tough dirt on oven hobs. In testing [3], lemon juice successfully cleaned kitchen work surfaces well and left a fresh smell, however it is important to rinse well as the juice leaves a sticky finish.
Vinegar: Vinegar is a natural disinfectant and stain remover, plus it reduces mineral and lime deposits. The acidity of vinegar makes it perfect for killing bacteria and germs so it is an excellent all-round cleaner. It can be used as a substitute for ammonia-based products such as bleach, so pouring vinegar into your toilet bowl will remove stains. Other uses of vinegar are to remove tough stains from oven doors, coffee cups and the grout between tiles. In testing, a vinegar solution cleaned a dirty oven door successfully, however it is important to rinse well to remove the vinegar odour. It is also important to use distilled vinegar and not malt vinegar as you won’t be able to get rid of the odour!
Baking Soda: Baking soda forms an alkaline liquid when mixed with water, which cuts through grease and dirt on almost any surface and makes it a good all-purpose cleaner and deodoriser. It is often mixed together with vinegar for maximum strength and can be used to unclog sinks or clean the oven. Baking soda has a good ability to absorb and neutralise odours, such as from carpets and dishwashers, but can also be used neat to scrub stains. In testing, a mixture of baking powder and water (or white wine) removed a red wine carpet stain well.
Salt: Salt is known for its natural cleaning properties and can be dissolved in vinegar to create a good all-purpose household cleaner that be used on glass, sinks etc. Mixed with water it can be used on shower curtains to prevent mildew or mixed with lemon it can clean brass items. In testing, salt dissolved in vinegar worked well as an all-purpose cleaner, however the smell of vinegar is quite strong.
Other Ingredients
Newspaper: Newspaper is very good at shining and cleaning windows, mirrors and glass. Wash the windows with a mixture of warm water and vinegar, then wipe dry with scrunched up newspaper until the glass is sparkling. In testing, newspaper worked well on windows although there was still a slight vinegar odour left.
Olive oil: Cheap olive oil can be used as an alternative furniture polish.
Water: Water is perfect for dusting as damp dusting ensures dust is not scattered around
If you don’t fancy using household items in your cleaning then why not take a look at our eco-friendly cleaning range which has every product you need to clean the whole house from washing powder to limescale remover.
[1] http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm
[2] http://www.channel4.com/4homes/diy-self-build/diy-build-advice/a-z-of-diy-building-guides/eco-cleaning-08-05 -20_p_1.html
[3] http://www.which.co.uk/advice/green-cleaning/natural-cleaning-products/index.jsp
