If you have seen me on Filthy House SOS, you may have noticed my love for using natural ingredients, or everyday items you can find around the house. It isn’t all about fancy products, sometimes the most unexpected items can give the best clean! As you know, my passion is cleaning smarter not harder, so here are my top #smartcleaning tips using everyday household items…
1. Bicarbonate of Soda/Baking Soda and White Vinegar
Both baking soda and white vinegar are staple cleaning items in our house that we always have in- in fact we keep it in both the cleaning cupboard and the kitchen! Baking soda is mildly abrasive which makes it a great gentle scouring powder that can be used on everything from glass and metals to wooden chopping boards(see below!). Combined with white vinegar the two products form a gritty paste that is excellent and removing stains.
Of course, white vinegar alone is a powerful cleaning product that can clean and disinfect and unlike bleach, as a natural product it can be used on most surfaces.
2. Lemons
Lemons don’t just smell fabulously fresh, they are a great natural antiseptic and antibacterial with acidic properties, making them the perfect natural cleaner. There are many different ways you can use lemons in your cleaning routine, but two of my favourites are to remove limescale, and to create a homemade humidifier!
3. Onions
Yes, I’m serious! The smell may make you cry, but onions are an amazing natural product to remove rust! Simply cut your onion in half and rub it onto the rust and it should begin to break down and flake away. Check out my video below to find out how to do it and why it works…
4. Newspaper
Ever wondered how to get your windows sparkling? Begin by spraying window cleaner, but instead of using a cloth try scrunching up a ball of newspaper and rubbing in circular motions. Your windows will never have been cleaner!
5. Salt
Pretty much everyone has salt in their kitchen, and I absolutely love using it to clean. There are 3 ways salt can be really useful… firstly, salt absorbs water so when applied to spills it can prevent stains! Secondly, as demonstrated below, salt is a natural abrasive and finally, when combined with an acid such as lemon juice or vinegar you can create a powerful homemade cleaner that is safe to use on all surfaces.
6. Tea bags for treated wooden flooring and worktops
Steep 6-7 black tea bags in boiling water and leave to cool for 3-4 hours.
Pour into spray bottle for easy use.
Spray liberally onto surfaces and polish!
Tea contains tannic acid which deodorises, breaks down grease and grime and also helps wood shine!
TOP TIP: Do not use on untreated wood as the tea will soak into and stain the wood.
7. Toothpaste/Mouthwash
8. Tomatoes
Tomato based products such as tomato puree or ketchup contain an acid that removes tarnish on brass and other metals! Simply apply and leave it for an hour or so to work it’s magic, and then wash away with some soapy water.
9. Banana Peel
Banana peels are another mild abrasive that are safe to use on any surfaces and not too rough so as to cause damage to delicate materials. This makes them perfect for cleaning and polishing.
10. Acetone
Whilst not ‘natural’, acetone is a product most people have lying around the house (nail varnish remover) and it is really useful! In this video I explain just 3 of the may ways it can be used to make stubborn cleaning tasks super easy!
I hope you enjoyed my top smart cleaning hacks and they help you clean smarter not harder! Don't forget to keep an eye out on my blog and social media for more hacks and cleaning tips.
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