Home made cleaning products – tips and recipes
With more and more households not wanting to use harsh chemical cleaners within the home, cleaners with natural ingredients are now being stocked fairly widely in supermarkets and shops. But, most people don’t know just how easy and cost effective it is to make your own home-made cleaning products at home. All sorts of cleaners can be made using simple natural ingredients, with simple store cupboard products that most people have at home already, such as baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil and more. Here are just a few of the vast amount of cleaning products that can be made at home;
1 – Washing the windows and mirrors – there is no better cleaner for glass than vinegar. Cleaning windows and mirrors with vinegar will make them sparkle and shine, and if you buff them up with newspaper, brown paper, or a microfibre cloth it will leave them fantastically smear free. 1 part vinegar to 4 or 5 parts warm water is all that is required, however you can add in some lemon juice too if you prefer the scent as it is in itself a wonderful degreaser.
2 – Vinegar also makes a great multi-purpose cleaner. Mix it with baking soda and some essential oils (for a natural scent), and dilute with water 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water and keep in a spray bottle for wiping down counters and units, and any other surfaces that need tending to.
3 – Home-made carpet freshener – this can me made easily with some Bicarbonate of Soda and a few drops of essential oil. Sprinkle the dry powdered mixture over the carpet and simply vacuum it up to leave a fresh smell in the room and a fresh clean carpet.
4 – Olive oil makes a great natural wooden furniture polish. An essential oil such as lavender or citrus can be used to leave the room smelling extra fresh and clean, simply add a few drops to a small amount of olive oil. The oil can be then buffed into the surface to both nourish and polish the wood.
5 – Lemon juice is a natural bleach and so is a very useful stain remover. Mix some salt or baking soda with lemon juice so it is slightly abrasive, and gently scrub on a light fabric if it has a stain. This is useful for upholstery in the home.