How to Clean Your Home with Just 3 Essential Household Products

Posted on 05/09/2014

Is it worse than cleaning is monotonous, time-consuming and dirty or the fact that buying decent cleaning supplies really bumps up the total shopping bill each month? Not only this, but it can also be a bit of a headache when you’re faced with the choice of which brand of product you should buy in the supermarket. Now, as we are all for an easy life and making use of what we have, we are here to inform you that for a successful and cost effective clean, there are just three essential products that you really need. Baking soda, vinegar and lemon juice are the three essential items which give a great clean on many surfaces and fabrics. The best part of it is, is that most of us already have these things in our kitchen cupboards at home, or if not they are easy to get hold of and won’t break the bank either!

Baking Soda – Not just for Cakes!
Baking soda (or bicarbonate of soda, as it is also known as) is an excellent and inexpensive ingredient which makes a fantastic cleaning product. For some cleaning jobs you may need to mix the baking soda with water, but on other surfaces and for tough cleaning you can simply just sprinkle the powder on to the problem area.
Here are just some of the ways that bicarbonate of soda can be used to clean a number of things:
Removes grease from ovens = sprinkle baking soda on to a damp cloth or sponge
Cleans silver or gold items = when diluted in water
Works great on cleaning taps, sinks, showers, toilets and baths
Removes odours from carpets = sprinkle directly on to your carpet
Freshens up and removes odours in fridges and cupboards = leave your box of baking soda open and place on the shelf of your refrigerator or cupboard

Vinegar
With its strong smell and strong compatibility with foods such as fish, salads and chips, it is hard to believe that vinegar makes such a great all round cleaning product. There are many other great ways to use vinegar too, such as for: easing sunburn, boosting metabolism and as an insect repellent too. Now, let’s look here at the ways in which it can be an effective cleaning solution:
Soak bright coloured clothes in concentrated vinegar before washing to stop colours from running or fading
Can be used to remove stains by rubbing over the stained area with some vinegar on a toothbrush or piece of cloth
Clean off coffee and tea marks from your cups and mugs by mixing salt with vinegar and scrubbing gently at the stains
Pour on a few splashes of vinegar on to a cloth and wipe over your stainless steel to make it clean and shiny without it tarnishing
Boil vinegar and water together in a saucepan and let it simmer to make kitchen smells disappear
Mix water and vinegar together for a great refrigerator cleaner which will eliminate odours too

Lemon – Giving Your Home Some Vitamin TLC
Fresh lemons usually work best for good quality cleaning, but lemon juice from the bottle can work well too. It may seem strange to you, using a fruit such as lemons to clean your home, but they work surprisingly well and kill bacteria too!
You can use lemon juice for:
Cleaning wooden or plastic chopping boards
Mixed with olive oil, lemon juice makes a great furniture polish
Concentrated lemon juice is a fast and efficient stain removal
Removing grease from ovens
An antibacterial solution for work surfaces, just by wiping over the work surface

So there are your 3 money saving cleaning products to stock up on in your next shop!