Two Common Household Substances Can Make Your Life Easier
Baking Soda and Vinegar are the two substances that can make your life easier...
Moving away from the use of toxic chemicals for doing those various chores in your home can only be a good thing. You can change to a range of naturally produced cleaning products or you can save money by using white vinegar and baking soda instead which are totally natural and toxin free.
In addition, vinegar is a natural disinfectant. The high acidity kills germs, mold and bacteria.
And if you don't like the smell of vinegar, you can always mask that by adding a few drops of essential oils. We have a range of single oils such as Lavender Oil, Lemon Oil or Tea Tree Oil with their different scents.
The Tea Tree Oil is a great oil for deodorizing.
For example pour white vinegar and baking soda down a blocked drain and then let the chemical reaction do it’s magic!
Or wanting to clean a dirty oven? Mix up a paste with the vinegar and baking soda. Making sure your oven is off and cool before applying this paste to the inside. Leave overnight and then clean off. You may need to still give a good scrub while rinsing for those really stubborn spills.
We share twenty more top tips
1. DIY multi-purpose cleaner
Make up a natural general cleaner with half vinegar and half water in a spray bottle with a few drops of essential oil to give your home a lovely smell.
2. Sanitize cloths and mops with vinegar
After rinsing cloths and mops with water, put them to soak in a bucket for 15 to 20 minutes with one cup of vinegar to two gallons of water. Rinse off with water afterwards.
3. How to give your shower head a good clean
Remove the shower head and soak overnight in white vinegar but if it proves difficult to remove, put a plastic bag filled with vinegar over the shower head tied securely with a rubber band and leave overnight. Turn the shower on after cleaning and run for a while to rinse before showering.
4. Cleaning a dishwasherEmpty your dishwasher then run a hot cleaning cycle with just a cup of white vinegar inside, placed on the top rack.
5. Cleaning a microwave
If you have marks that are hard to clean off as well as a bit of an odor, turn it on high with a cup of white vinegar in a micro-wave safe container. Leave running for about a minute before removing the container and wiping down the inside of the oven with clean water.
6. Window cleaner
Use that spray bottle with a half vinegar, half water solution to clean windows and rinse. Using a squeegee with give you a great finish.
7. Cleaning tile grout
When these get dirty and really yucky, soak them in vinegar for several hours. Add a few drops of essential oils for a lovely aroma.
9. Spot cleaning stains on carpets, rugs and upholstery
Using newspapers is a good way which should be wet slightly and then sprayed with vinegar before using to clean mirrors and windows for a streak-free finish.
11, Cleaning cooking and oven trays and pans
Fill a large sink with hot water to cover the pans. Add half a cup of vinegar and leave soaking for two hours before rinsing and adding an extra scrub for any lingering marks.
12. A natural cleaner for floors
Fill a bucket with hot water and add half a cup of vinegar. Use to clean and disinfect your floors, naturally.
13. A cleaner for drinking water bottles
Give these a good clean regularly by pouring in some straight vinegar with a little hot water. Give the bottles a good shaking before rinsing thoroughly.
14. How to deep clean your toilet
Use straight vinegar inside the toilet bowl making sure you cover the sides in vinegar too. Leave to soak while you clean the rest of the bathroom. If it needs a super deep clean you can even leave overnight. Spray the outside of the toilet with vinegar and wipe down with a damp cloth.
15. Clearing a blocked drainJust pour white vinegar and baking soda down a drain then let the chemical reaction do its work.
16. How to clean your oven naturally
Mix up a paste with vinegar and baking soda. When your oven is turned off and cool, apply to the inside and leave overnight before cleaning off. Your oven may need a bit of a scrub to get rid of stubborn spills and stains.
17. How to get rid stubborn marks on worktops
18. Suffering from a ring of soap scum in your bath?
Wipe your bath with vinegar before sprinkling with baking soda. Give the bath a good scrub and then rinse off. You should have a sparkling clean bath once more.
19. How about a shiny stainless steel sink once more
Rinse the sink out with water and make sure the drain hole is free of any debris. Sprinkle the whole sink with baking soda. Wipe a dry cloth around the sink, getting into the corners and around the faucets and using an old toothbrush if necessary. Leave for a few minutes and then spray undiluted white vinegar over the baking soda residue left in the sink. The vinegar and soda will fizz when they come into contact with each other. Vinegar is a good disinfectant and great for removing water spots. Once the sink’s looking clean, rinse using warm water from the faucet and buff dry with a soft, clean cloth. Rub in a little coconut oil for an extra shine!
20. How to eliminate unwanted odors in your home
You can leave a small, open container of baking soda in your fridge to soak up odors. Or you can make your own air freshener with a tablespoon of vinegar, a teaspoon of baking soda and a few drops of your favorite essential oil in a spray bottle. Add one cup of water and you have a natural fair freshener you can spray anywhere in your home.
These twenty plus tips will help you save money on cleaning, make you feel better about avoiding all those chemicals and give your home a much healthier and more natural feel and smell.
Written by Jane Chitty
Jane writes for Healing Natural Oils, a producer and retailer of high-quality, all-natural treatments for a variety of conditions as well as a range of beauty products. Apart from writing about those various conditions, she also covers general health, environmental and other subjects of interest. She has lived in Kenya as well as Cape Town, South Africa and spent time in San Diego, USA. She now lives in Somerset, England with regular visits from her far-flung children and grandchildren. She is a keen gardener and enjoys growing fresh fruit and vegetables with her husband on their joint allotment. As a result, there is something available to use in the kitchen virtually all year round. Her regular posts can be found on our blog.