Eco-friendly and cheap DIY detergents: 4 formulas for cleaning the whole house

The cleanliness and hygiene of our homes are of primary importance for our well-being and the choice of cleaning products is important for these cleaning chores. There are many products available on the market today and they often have very aggressive and/or harmful chemicals in them.

Choosing products that are eco-friendly and biodegradable is always a good idea. But if saving money is also a concern, making DIY detergents could be an option. Using the right "recipes" you can make detergents that will produce results comparable to commercial detergents - while protecting the environment and making savings.

Below, we suggest 4 natural, effective eco-friendly detergent formulas for cleaning the whole house.

Bathroom detergent

Pickpik

To clean the bathroom, you can use 4 natural ingredients (depending on the specific cleaning chore):

• Baking soda to remove stains, whiten and deodorize;
• White vinegar or citric acid to remove limescale;
• Hydrogen peroxide for sanitizing.

You can make an effective spray detergent to use on all surfaces (except marble, terracotta and wood) as follows:

• Dissolve 40 grams of Marseille soap in 800 ml of demineralised water;
• Add 30 grams of washing soda and mix until completely dissolved;
• Finally, add 50 ml of denatured alcohol and mix until you obtain a homogeneous solution, which you can then transfer to a spray bottle.

You can add 20 drops of lemon essential oil if you wish: this will give a pleasant scent and add to the spray's antibacterial power. To clean the bathroom surfaces, spray this detergent on them and leave it to act for 5-10 minutes before rinsing off.

Multi-purpose detergent

Pexels

You can make a very useful multi-purpose detegent for all surfaces in your home (and especially the bathroom and kitchen), by mixing 100 g of citric acid with 500 ml of demineralised water. Add 50 ml of denatured alcohol and finish off with 10 drops of tea tree essential oil for a sanitizing effect.

To effectively clean surfaces from built-up grime, you can make a cleansing paste by mixing sodium bicarbonate with a little water. Again, add 10 drops of tea tree oil to enhance the sanitizing action.

Floors and hard surfaces

Marco Verch/Flickr

To clean your floors, you can make a simple, universal detergent with just 3 ingredients:

• 850 ml water;
• 30 ml of ecological dishwashing liquid;
• 120 g of washing soda.

Add the soda to the water, stirring thoroughly until completely dissolved (you can let this sit overnight to ensure proper dilution), add the dishwashing liquid and use 40-50 ml in a bucket of water to wash all types of floors.

If your floor is made of wood, you can add 10 g of linseed oil to nourish it.

Glass cleaner

To clean glass and windows properly, a squeegee is an essential tool.

To clean your windows, you can prepare a solution of water and vinegar in equal parts, then,adding the filtered juice of half a lemon. Spray this mixture on the glass to be cleaned and remove the dirt with a squeegee.

Thanks to these DIY detergents, your home will always be in pristine condition!