As most of you probably know, I’ve long since stopped buying commercial household cleaners that are full of nasty toxins, much preferring simpler, safer ways of keeping the house clean.
One of the cleaners I love the most is one that you can easily mix yourself from really inexpensive ingredients that will go a looooong way.
Here’s what you need:
1 litre Spray bottle
White vinegar
Water
About twenty drops tea tree oil
2-3 drops eco-friendly washing up liquid (eCover or even one of the mainstream supermarket own brands)
Mix it all together and use it to clean worktops, mirrors, windows, floors, chrome, cooker tops, the inside of the fridge, wood and plastic chopping boards, stainless steel, and porcelain. And because of the antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal qualities in the tea tree oil, it can also be used to clean the toilet, bath and shower tiles. The only place you shouldn’t use it - because of the vinegar content - is on marble. It’s even good at loosening up stains on the laundry. Just spray it on, leave it for about 10 minutes then wash as you normally would. It cuts through grease well, too.
Once it’s mixed it can be stored for ages although it’s best to store it away from direct heat because it can go kind of ikky otherwise.
Life’s so much easier when you have a true multi-purpose cleaner at hand, and one that you know isn’t doing scary stuff to the environment. Gone are the myriad bottles and packets that used to live under my sink and come crashing out at me everytime I needed something and in their place are just a few cleaning essentials that do the job very nicely, thanks.
Sadly, most commercial cleaners are full of polluting chemicals that destroy our water based eco systems and can also have a negative impact on our own health but judging by what I see at the supermarket, they're still being bought by the barrel load. The fact that the law doesn’t insist that manufacturer’s list their ingredients because most are considered to be secret doesn't help, either. (would Cif be better than Flash otherwise? Assuming it is, of course. Though I doubt it).
Sharon J
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Other posts that may be of interest:
- Washing Day
- 20 Uses for Vinegar
- Proctor & Gamble’s Latest Gimmick
- Why My Fingers & Toes are ‘au naturelle’
- Blowing In The Breeze - How To Hang Out Your Washing
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9 comments:
Orange juice very good for getting rid of sticky/greasy marks
Do you think it'd get the oil off my shorts? Either way, it's worth a try.
Thanks for the "recipe" that is so helpful.
Top post, I'll be making some of this.
Thanks Sharon!
I hope you both 'enjoy' it :)
I have a couple of books you might be able to find at the library about uses for baking soda, I'll dig them out and email it to you!
I already use bicarb (that's baking soda, isn't it?) for a number of things around the house but I'd certainly be interested in the book titles as I'm always happy to learn something new. I've particularly found it useful for lifting stains off of carpets and, mixed with vinegar, for getting cag out of sink drains.
Thanks for the recipe, just wondering about relative proportions of vinegar & water. Pint of each? Litre? Gallon? Or what?
Sorry if they're really obvious quantities & I'm being dumb, I'm new to this 'mix your own' thing.
Hi and welcome and thanks for your question. I'm sorry that I didn't make the proportions clear but 50/50 water to vinegar is what I use - how much in actual volume depends on the size of the spray bottle you're using. Hope that helps and that you get on alright with it :)
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