How To Clean Your House

It’s important to remember that homemade cleaning products don’t last indefinitely – they only have a life span of around 3 months. Make small batches and replace them frequently. If you are using fresh lemon juice, you will only get one use from the cleaning solution, as the lemon juice will go off and not be effective thereafter.

Try to use smaller bottles when mixing your own products. I love to use 500 ml bottles – this size will give me enough product to last for a few weeks.

BENEFITS OF MAKING YOUR OWN PRODUCTS

You control the ingredients.

They are cost effective (especially if you buy the ingredients in bulk).

Fewer chemical toxins means safe cleaning (particularly if you have pets or children).

Improved air quality.

Reduced probability of triggering asthma and allergies.

You will need:

Spray bottles (these can be recycled from existing store-bought products. Simply remove the labels, wash them out well and allow to dry)

Adhesive labels

Water

Lemons

Bicarbonate of soda

White wine vinegar

Soda crystals

Essential oils

TIPS FOR HOMEMADE PRODUCTS

Use 500 ml spray bottles for your homemade products.

Label all products clearly.

Use single-use products immediately and discard any product left over.

Other products will keep for a few weeks, but discard after 3 months.

ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER

Mix 120 ml/½ cup white wine vinegar and 50 g/¼ cup bicarbonate of soda into 2 litres/8 cups water. Mix until completely dissolved. Decant into a labelled spray bottle.

Use this solution for the removal of water marks on shower panels and bathroom chrome fixtures, and to clean windows and mirrors. Spray directly onto surfaces and wipe with a damp microfibre cloth.

WOODEN FURNITURE POLISH

I am often asked about how to clean real wood surfaces. Some of the products on the market are just far too abrasive and can take the colour out of the wood or damage fine polished surfaces. Using a natural cleaner will ensure your wooden surfaces are well looked after.

This simple, quick and easy polish won’t cause any damage at all. Simply fill an empty spray bottle with 4 teaspoons olive oil, 4 teaspoons white wine vinegar and 10 drops of lemon essential oil and shake really well. A few sprays and a rub with a soft microfibre cloth and… voila! You will be left with the perfect finish.

NOTE: this polish is single use. Do all your woodwork on the same day to get full use of the solution.

AIR FRESHENERS

Air fresheners are commonly used to mask bad smells within the home, however they don’t actually get rid of the smell altogether. Many of my natural solutions will absorb and remove the nasty odours for fresher, healthier air.

Dot bowls of fragrant dried herbs and flowers around the house.

A mixture of bicarbonate of soda or white wine vinegar with a hint of lemon juice placed in small dishes around the house will absorb unpleasant odours.

Put 3 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda and 8 drops of your favourite essential oil into a spray bottle and top up with water for a homemade deodorising spray.

House plants help to reduce odours in the home.

Prevent cooking odours by simmering 1 tablespoon vinegar in 1 cup water on the stove while cooking. Alternatively, simmer some cinnamon or other aromatic spices.

To remove particularly pungent smells like fish and onions from utensils and cutting boards, wipe them over with vinegar, then wash them in soapy water.

A halved onion left in the corner of a room will help absorb odours quickly.

Keep fresh coffee grounds on your kitchen worktop.

Freshen up your kitchen bin by dropping in slices of lemon.

FABRIC REFRESHER

You can make your own fabric spray to refresh your sofas, carpets, curtains and other fabric surfaces. Half-fill a spray bottle with boiling water, add 2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda and a few drops of your favourite essential oil, shake to mix and leave for about 30 minutes for the mixture to infuse. Always spray items from a distance of at least 20 cm/8 inches and be careful around pets and children.

CARPET REFRESHER

For the freshest carpet, add 15 drops of your favourite essential oil to 200 g/1 cup bicarbonate of soda. Using a sieve, liberally sprinkle the mixture all over your carpet or rug, leave for a few hours, then vacuum it up.

This is one of my favourite tips; I do it myself once a week!

CARPET STAIN REMOVER

Mix equal parts white wine vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray directly onto the stain, let sit for several minutes, then clean with a brush or sponge using warm soapy water.

For fresh grease spots, sprinkle cornstarch (cornflour) onto the spot and leave for 15–30 minutes before vacuuming.

For a heavy-duty carpet cleaner, mix together 50 g/¼ cup salt, 50 g/¼ cup soda crystals and 60 ml/¼ cup white wine vinegar. Mix into a paste then rub into the carpet stain and leave it for a few hours. Vacuum it off.

DRAIN CLEANER

This is something I recommend you do weekly to prevent nasty odours and blockages.

Pour 100 g/½ cup bicarbonate of soda into the drain, then add 120 ml/½ cup white wine vinegar and leave for 15 minutes. The chemical reaction will help to break down fatty clogs. Flush with boiling water from the kettle.

Caution: Plastic pipes can be damaged if excessive boiling water is used. If you don’t have metal plumbing, use warm or even cold water to rinse instead.

DISINFECTANT

Fill a spray bottle with 2 teaspoons soda crystals and 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar, then top up with hot tap water. Spray directly onto surfaces and wipe off with a damp microfibre cloth for powerful cleaning.

CROCKERY STAIN REMOVER

Remove coffee and tea stains from cups and mugs by adding 1 heaped teaspoon bicarbonate of soda to each, then filling with boiling water. Leave for about 30 minutes, then drain and rinse. You’ll be amazed by the results!

CHOPPING BOARD CLEANER

Rub a slice of lemon over wooden or plastic chopping boards to disinfect the surface.

For tougher stains, squeeze some lemon juice directly onto the stain and scrub in a little salt. Leave for 10 minutes, then rinse clean.

CERAMIC OR GLASS HOB CLEANER

To save your hob becoming a sticky mess, make a point of cleaning it after every use. To remove stuck-on food, wet the area with hot soapy water and sprinkle with bicarbonate of soda. Cover with a damp towel or kitchen paper and leave for 30 minutes, then wipe with a clean damp cloth.

Microfibre cloths

I use a lot of microfibre cloths; I love how easy they are to clean with. Microfibre is a blend of polyester and polyamide (nylon) and each fibre is up to 50 times finer than a human hair. Ideal for high powered cleaning, the fine hairs in a microfibre cloth pick up and trap more dirt than standard cloths. General purpose microfibre cloths also have a small electrostatic charge, which makes them very effective for picking up dust.

Microfibre cloths can be used for almost any cleaning job and work particularly well if you clean with the ‘S’ action. Making an ‘S’ shape with the cloth means that you more effectively cover the entirety of the surfaces you are cleaning.

Dusting

Used both damp and dry, microfibre cloths make ideal dusters.

Electronics and glassware

Microfibre cloths are particularly good for cleaning electronics and glassware, including television and computer screens and tablets. As microfibre cloths don’t pick up debris, they will not leave scratch marks.

Stainless steel

With just water and vinegar and using the ‘S’ action, microfibre cloths are great for giving stainless steel a shiny finish.

Chrome

When cleaning your chrome taps, use a microfibre cloth dipped in a solution of vinegar and water. This will remove any water marks, ground-in grime, and soap scum, leaving your taps beautifully shiny.

Eyewear

To clean glasses, rub them really well with a little rubbing alcohol on your microfibre cloth.

Grout and tiles

Grout can be very hard to keep clean and bright white. After scrubbing grout with a small hard brush or a toothbrush, use a microfibre cloth to wipe away any soapy suds and buff the grout and tiles clean and dry, leaving them super shiny.

Washing up

Another great tip is to use your microfibre cloths for the washing up. Microfibre cloths don’t cling onto bacteria, so they don’t end up smelling. When you’re finished, make sure to wring out as much water as possible and hang up to dry.

Drying dishes

Microfibre cloths soak up water really well so are also great for drying the dishes. Use a separate cloth for drying after you’ve finished washing up.

Top tips to keep your microfibre cloths working for you longer

COLOUR-CODING CLOTHS

When cleaning your home, it’s important to clean away the germs, not spread them around. Please don’t use the same cloth for multiple household tasks. Imagine using the same cloth for the loo and the bath! Yuck! Try using a colour coding system for your microfibre cloths – this will stop cross-contamination of dirt and bacteria around the home.

Here’s my system:

PINK for the SINK

BLUE for the LOO

GREEN for CLEAN

YELLOW for DUSTING

I use pink cloths for cleaning sinks, draining areas and work surfaces in the kitchen. In the bathroom, I use pink to clean the bath, shower and sinks.

Blue is for the toilet and only the toilet.

Green is actually for cleaning glass: mirrors, picture frames, windows, TV screens and glass-topped furniture (Green for Clean just sounds better!).

I use yellow for general dusting: furniture, skirting boards and banisters.

You can of course create your own system – just make sure it works for you!

WASHING

Wash your microfibre cloths between uses.

You may also want to wash the cloths before using them for the first time to remove any stray fibres.

You can either wash cloths by hand or in a washing machine. If you opt to use the machine, try to wash them separately from any other laundry.

Make sure to dry cloths out before you leave them in a laundry bin, as wet cloths will encourage mildew and bacteria growth.

Machine washing

Pop them in the washing machine at 60°C, with liquid detergent but no fabric conditioner and they will come out as good as new! I opt for liquid detergent over powder as powder can sometimes damage the delicate cloth fibres.

Hand washing

Wash with warm soapy water, adding in some washing detergent or even washing-up liquid. Leave to soak for about 1 hour and occasionally stir around with a wooden spoon. Rinse under cold running water.

Drying

One of the great things about microfibre cloths is how quickly they dry! All you need to do is hang them up to air dry. If you want to dry them in a tumble dryer, use a low heat as a high heat can damage and shrink microfibre cloths.

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