Natural Cleaner

A while ago I promised to post the recipe of some of the natural cleaners we use here, and I have finally got round to it. We made the decision quite a few years ago to ditch the many chemical cleaners due to my allergies... sneezing and itching your way through the cleaning everyday really takes its toll.

The recipe is really simple just dilute white vinegar with an EQUAL amount of water in a squirty bottle... and that's it... yes, really. (For example if you use half a litre of white vinegar you need to add half a litre of water.) White vinegar is a natural cleaner, disinfectant and deodoriser, so far we haven't found anything we haven't been able to get clean naturally. There is a slight smell of vinegar but this dissipates as the surface dries and you can add a few drops of essential oil if you prefer, to give your cleaner a nicer smell. We have used tea tree or lemon for the extra cleaning abilities in the past.

Alternatively, we have a jar which we fill with the white vinegar before it is diluted, then simply add all the citrus peel from the fruit eaten and leave to infuse for a week or two before straining and diluting the vinegar with an equal amount of water, as above. This makes the vinegar smell more like oranges and lemons negating the need for essential oil and making the house smell lovely.

We have also been utilising lemon juice for it's natural cleaning and bleaching effects and bicarbonate of soda can be mixed into a paste and used when you need something a little more abrasive.

I would never go back to conventional cleaners now as I find it very effective, very cheap and it doesn't make me sneeze but if you decide to try out any new cleaners do a patch test first and check online for anything you shouldn't use it on... for example you can't use vinegar on marble.