A lot of people these days are concerned about the chemicals that they use in their homes. Indoor air pollution is a big problem and if you’re using a lot of harsh chemicals, breathing them in can lead to health issues in the long term. Cleaning products, in particular, are a worry because you’re using them often and on most surfaces in the home. That means that you’re constantly surrounded by any harsh chemicals that may be in them. There are a lot of natural alternatives out there that you can buy, but some people prefer to make their own. There are, in fact, a lot of simple things that you probably have in the house already that you can use for cleaning and they work just as well as products that you buy in the shops. These are some of the best cleaning ingredients that you can find around the home.
Vinegar has been used as a cleaning product for years but it fell out of fashion when people started buying chemical cleaners. You can use vinegar to clean pretty much anything around the home but it’s particularly good for cleaning glass and mirrors as it gives you a great streak free finish. It’s also ideal for scrubbing the toilet and bath or even using in your washing machine as a fabric softener. If you dilute it with a little bit of water and use it as you would any other cleaning product, the results will be just the same but you don’t have to worry about any chemicals. It’s also a lot cheaper to buy than most products that you’ll find on the shelves. Sometimes, you do get a slight vinegar smell but if you wipe thoroughly with water afterward and leave a window open for half an hour, it should be fine. If you visit www.thespruce.com, you can find some great recipes for vinegar cleaning products.
Citrus fruits like oranges and lemons are great for cleaning as well, as the juice acts in a very similar way to vinegar. You can get ready made citrus cleaners that work well from sites like www.lemishine.com but you can just as easily make your own. A lot of people like to mix it with sea salt and use it as a coarse scrub for pots and pans or to get limescale out of the bathroom. It’s a great ingredient to add to homemade cleaning products because it gives a nice scent that masks things like vinegar and leaves the home smelling fresh.
Baking Soda
Flickr
Baking soda isn’t just good for making cakes, it’s great for cleaning your home as well. It can be used to lift stains if you rub a bit of baking soda and water on there right away and let it soak in. If you wash it afterward, you should see that stain disappear. You can also use it to clean the grout in the bathroom tiles if you mix it with some water and make a paste which you can then rub into the grout.
There’s no need to use expensive cleaning chemicals when you’ve already got the perfect alternatives in your kitchen cupboards.
