There’s nothing worse than the toxic taste left in your mouth after hours of cleaning. The germs might be gone but your surfaces are now covered in harsh chemicals, leaving your house smelling more like a hospital ward than a home.
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Urszula Zaleska, a cleaner for Hassle.com, uses natural products to clean her home from top to bottom and leave a safe, sparkling environment.
Here are Urszula’s top tips for cleaning in a natural way, that won’t break the bank:
White vinegar
Ideal for use on wooden floors, white vinegar is an effective way to disinfect surfaces and wash away stubborn stains without leaving a nasty odor.
How: Mix 30ml of white vinegar with 3L of water and mop away. Try to choose vinegar with roughly 10% acidity – the vinegar will still work well to remove dirt and the smell won’t be as harsh.
Lemon
Suitable for a range of surfaces, lemon is a clever multi-surface cleaner that will wipe away germs whilst leaving a citrusy clean smell. Use it for kitchen worktops and much more.
How: Add a few drips of lemon juice to 1L of water and shake to mix. Use a plastic sponge and begin wiping.
Salt
A grime-buster for greasy ovens, salt is an easy way to tackle the toughest of jobs and remove sticky, oil patches left in the cooker.
How: Damp your surface and sprinkle salt onto the dirty patch. Leave the salt to work the grime and when the salt becomes crisp, gently wipe away. The tougher the stain the longer the salt should stay on. 10-15minutes is usually plenty of time to remove greasy marks.
Bicarbonate soda
Perfect for dissolving limescale, bicarbonate soda is a stress-free way to remove stubborn limescale and restore tired looking tiles to their former glory.
How: Damp the patch and gradually pour the soda onto the limescale bit-by-bit. Carefully judge how much you think you need, larger limescale marks will need more powder. Leave for half an hour and then dab the patch of limescale, if it does not come off immediately leave to blend for a little longer.
Bread
Brilliant for buffing water stains on leather sofas, white bread is a simple way to remove awkward marks and revive worn leather.
How: Use one slice of dry white bread and remove the crusts. Roll into a small ball and gently rub until the stain you are working against is gone.
When using natural ingredients, always test on a small patch first to check the solution will not discolour or damage your surfaces.
What do you think of Urszula’s cleaning tips? Let us know if they work.