Posted in Green Cleaning; Posted 18 months ago by Bunmi Scott

My Top Eco Green Cleaning Tips

Growing up I was brought up in a home where my mum was quite conscious about the cleaning products we used. I still remember helping her to clean with bicarbonate of soda, white vinegar, simple warm or hot water with soap and essential oils at times too. Very rarely my mum would buy the odd bottle of dettol. When I left home for university, I still remember my first shopping trip with university friends who picked up bottle after bottle of cleaning products, shampoos, shower gels and much more. I joined the bandwagon of buying and throwing away cleaning spray bottles amongst other plastic items like shower gels, washing up liquid and more.

Fast forward 10 years to after I graduated from university and I started to look at the products I was using in greater detail. I was shocked about the amount of chemicals each bottle contained and the amount of plastic I was really throwing away and contributing to landfill. This really put me off but like it or not, I knew I still needed to clean. I started to research and learn about other ways of cleaning more naturally and eco-friendly. Remembering back to my childhood and growing up, I started to really find lots of amazing products that were so easy to use and that also went a long way.

When it comes to using more green and eco-friendly products for cleaning, I’ve tried and tested a wide range of products and found that just a few simple ones can clean every inch of your home. My tips for eco cleaning include a bit of a return to the older simpler ways of cleaning with a modern twist. You too can also remove chemicals from your home and still get the same quality clean.

My Top Eco Cleaning Tips

White Vinegar

White vinegar is an amazing natural cleaning product that can be bought from supermarkets, can be refilled in eco stores or it can be bought in bulk to allow you to be able to decanter it from home.

It can be used as an ultimate multi-purpose spray infused with herbs like rosemary and or fruits like oranges and lemons to clean around your kitchen, bathroom and other surfaces.
White vinegar can be used as a brilliant glass cleaner.
Alongside other ingredients, it can be used to make cleaning products such as dishwasher powder or tablets.
One of my favourite uses for white vinegar is an alternative natural fabric softener. It helps to soften your clothes whilst helping to flush out and help to keep your washing machine clean. A dash of white vinegar can be added to your laundry to soften fabrics, particularly jeans and towels.
Washing a load of towels with a vinegar wash instead of laundry detergent cleans all the gunk from towels and leaves your washing machine clean too.
Mixed with other natural ingredients, you can also use white vinegar to make a natural weed killer to use around the garden.

Bicarbonate of Soda

Bicarbonate of soda is a household staple that you may use during baking. Bicarbonate of soda shines though, when it comes to neutralising odours and it’s great for cleaning too.

It can help to remove tough stains from granite, bathroom tiles and it cleans up grout brilliantly too.
It is excellent for cleaning difficult items such as your fridge, oven and microwave.
Simply mixing bicarbonate of soda with water and nothing else, can help to clean all of the above. Make a paste to clean your oven or microwave and a lukewarm bowl of water with a couple of tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda and a cloth will help to clean your fridge whilst removing smells too.
Use bicarbonate of soda as an alternative to shake n vac and clean your carpet by simple sprinkling some on a carpet or rug, leave for a bit and then vacuum it up. I love mixing the bicarbonate of soda with essential oils like lavender to help give an add natural smell too.
Bicarbonate of soda can even remove smells from shoes and old boots too.

Citric Acid

Citric acid is a natural cleaning product that naturally helps to break down stains. Lemons naturally contain citric acid and this is why this trustee fruit is so often called upon when it comes to green cleaning.

Citric acid can be used to sanitise chopping boards and wooden utensils.
It can also be used to descale kettles and coffee pots. A couple of tablespoons of citric acid and hot water will get rid of stains.
It’s even great for removing oil stains from plastic Tupperware and other plastic containers.
Citric acid is also brilliant for cleaning your toilet. Simply add one to two tablespoons of citric acid to your toilet bowl. Leave it to settle for 15 to 20 minutes, scrub with a toilet brush as usual and then flush.

Percarbonate of Soda / Oxygen Bleach

Percarbonate of soda is a natural disinfectant and stain remover. The ingredients are derived from raw materials (salt, water and chalk). It can remove tea stains, red wine, fruit stains and even blood.

Percarbonate of soda can kill a wide range of bacteria, mildew, algae, viruses and fungi.
It is colour safe and fabric safe. Use it in your laundry to brighten colours and to prevent fabrics from becoming yellowed or darkened.
It is also very effective as a laundry pre-soak for heavily stained clothing.
Inside the home, you can also use it to clean stubborn mould and mildew stains, use it to lift marks off carpets like felt tip pens.
Add percarbonate of soda to your mop bucket with hot water plus a dash of eco washing up liquid to mop your floors.
Outside, you can use it to clean your garden furniture, patios and even your decking.

Alongside these great cleaning ingredients, you can also use natural products such as -

Old toothbrushes to scrub and get into small, harder to reach areas.
Natural compostable sponge cloths and sponges are great for wiping round your surfaces.
Eco-friendly coconut scourers are great for targeting more stubborn stains and are fully compostable when they’re worn out.
Old leggings that can’t be donated to charity are great when cut up to use as a thicker cloth for cleaning around your surfaces.

Eco green cleaning doesn’t have to cost the earth. Using simple products can mean less chemicals in your home. These cleaning products don’t affect our water systems and in-turn don’t affect marine life too.