Natural Cleaning Products

If you want to live in a natural home or have allergies / sensitivities to chemical cleaning agents it’s best to use the following products to clean your home. These are versatile and natural yet inexpensive products that can be used alone or mixed with each other to make effective cleaners..

Bicarbonate of soda

It’s a white granular powder used mainly in baking food. Its proper name is sodium bicarbonate, and commonly known as “bicarb” or baking soda. Try to get it from a pharmacy where you can buy large quantities. It can be used for grease & stain removal – it does not scratch surfaces. Just mix some with water to create a paste and use it with a sponge (for very dirty surfaces add some vinegar too). You can clean most surfaces with this paste – windows, oven, sinks, plastic etc. It can also soak up smells so it’s ideal as an air freshener in the fridge, in the bottom of your trash/bin, or even in your shoes! You can also use it as a carpet cleaner!

White vinegar

Try to get distilled vinegar. Mix it with some warm water to clean windows, mirrors and glasses. You can also use it to remove spots from glass. Mix 2 tablespoons with 1 cup of bicarbonate of soda and 1 cup of water – this will make an excellent bathroom cleaner. Mix it with some white spirit and water (each equal part) and a couple of drops of essential oil – use this as furniture cleaner. Boiling some vinegar mixed with water in your kettle will help to descale your kettle and remove grime! Vinegar also removes tea and coffee stains from mugs, cups and china.

Borax

Borax, also called as sodium borate, is a soft white crystal that dissolves in water. It has been used for household cleaning for a long time because it’s very effective as an anti-bacterial, fungicidal and cleaning agent. It can be used for general cleaning around the house, for laundry, for removing carpet stains and for removing odor. You can make your own dishwasher detergent by mixing it with the same amount of bicarbonate of soda and some lemon. Warning: Borax can be toxic to people so it should not be used around food!

Lemons

Why do you think most cleaning products have an added lemon fragrance? Lemons smell fresh and clean – and naturally anti-bacterial. Just add a bit of lemon rind to your dishwasher to freshen it up (but remove it after the cycle!) A quick squirt can make your bath and toilet sparkle. It can also be used to polish silver and, mixed with some olive oil, makes an excellent furniture cleaner.

Tea tree oil

Tea tree oil is the essential oil from the leaves of the Australian Melaleuca Alterifolia tree. It is naturally antiseptic with antibacterial properties and ideal to use in areas where you need anti-bacterial products. Just mix a few drops with water and use to wipe toilet seats, kitchen work surfaces, chopping boards, kids’ rooms etc. It is also a good grease remover and room freshener (particularly if mixed with lavender or other essential oils).

Soda crystals

Soda crystals have been used to clean for more than a century! They are similar to bicarbonate of soda but coarser. They are used to dissolve grease, remove dirt, soften water, flush out drains, get rid of blockages and neutralise odors. Use it to clean greasy worktops, dirty floors and add some to your laundry.

In the next article read about natural cleaning remedies and recipes to create your own cleaning detergents.