Spring cleaning: these 6, all-natural products are all you need to clean and sanitize your home
The arrival of spring is also your cue to start your spring cleaning.
To do this, you may instinctively reach for/purchase a bunch of commercial cleaning products (which can be expensive, overly "aggressive", full of chemicals and not very eco-friendly). But, did you know that there are numerous all-natural and eco-friendly alternatives you can use for cleaning?
Below we suggest the 6 all-natural products for your spring cleaning chores:
1. Baking soda
Baking soda is one of most useful products for household cleaning, thanks to its whitening and slightly abrasive action and its ability to absorb odors. Baking soda can be used to clean most of the surfaces in the house, as well as bathroom fixtures, stainless steel and upholstery. It is also effective for eliminating unpleasant odors in refrigerators, closets, drawers, shoe racks and other small, confined spots.
Make a thick paste using baking soda and a little water that you can apply directly to the surface to be cleaned. Leave to act few minutes before removing it to ensure it dissolves away any stains.
To use on fabrics (like carpets, sofas or curtains), simply sprinkle the powder on the surfaces of these items and leave to act for a few hours. After this time, vacuum up.
If, however, you want to deodorize you rooms, you can put baking soda in small bowls or breathable bags (for drawers and closets), optionally adding essential oils to act as an air freshener.
2. Citric acid
To remove limescale, using citric acid is recommended and can be used on bathroom fixtures, worktops, stoves and even glass. Even burns in pots and pans can be easily eliminated by soaking them in water and 2 tablespoons of citric acid.
Citric acid is also perfect for carrying out a thorough cleaning limescale from your appliances (including the hidden internal parts): for example, put some citric acid directly into the drum of you washing machine or dishwasher and run an empty wash.
Citric acid can also be used to remove stains from your fabrics and can deal with stubborn stains, like rust. You can also use citric acid as a fabric softener for your laundry.
3. White vinegar
White vinegar is another wonderful, all-natural cleaning aid. Its mild acidity makes it an excellent limescale remover (like citric acid); white vinegar also has antibacterial properties which makes it very effective for combating bacteria, mold and upleasant odors. Given this, you can use white vinegar to deodorize your refrigerator and cupboards.
Glass, mirrors and stainless steel surfaces will shine and gleam again if you use a mixture of water and white vinegar (in equal parts) to clean them.
4. Black soap
Black soap is a completely biodegradable product made from olive and linseed vegetable oils and is a great all-natural cleaning product. Available in liquid or paste form, black soap is a very effective degreaser, and can be used for cleaning floors in any material. Any grease-stained surfaces in your kitchen (and including pots and pans) can be cleaned with this soap. You can even use it as a shampoo for your pets and to get rid of parasites on your plants.
Versatile and biodegradable, if you buy black soap in liquid form, you can easily use it to prepare detergents for many different cleaning chores.
5. Marseille soap
Known as a laundry soap suitable for even the most sensitive of skins, Marseille soap is useful for many other cleaning chores.
Marseille soap is perfect for cleaning glass and mirrors, washing floors and most other surfaces in your home (even the delicate ones). This soap has a non-aggressive degreasing action that will not damage the surfaces in your home.
Buy Marseille soap in flakes so that you can add it more easily to your other cleaning products.
6. Tea tree oil
We finish our list with tea tree oil: this oil has strong antibacterial and antiseptic properties (as well as degreasing and cleansing powers). Using tea tree oil, you can sanitize your home in an eco-friendly manner.
You can also mix a few drops of this oil in a bottle of water, (adding some alcohol to make it dissolve properly), to create a powerful antiseptic solution.
Do you already use these products to clean your home?
