I have not received any payment of any sort for recommending these products. They are simply the products that I use in my own home
I was asked the following recently by the lovely Alyce on my Facebook page:
As I wrote in my response above, I do use some of my own cleaners but they are easy!
Here’s a collection of my general cleaning products;
- Vinegar Spray – I use this to clean surfaces in the kitchen and around the house. It is just a simple mix of half white vinegar, half water and a few drops of dishwashing liquid. It works as a great sanitiser and works to remove just about all grease and grime and other icky stuff. For the harder to remove stuff I just spray it, leave for a few minutes and then give it a quick scrub. Easy!
- Eucalyptus Spray – Another simple spray that I make up – this time for the bathroom. I would like to use it around the house as well but I’m a little wary as I’ve heard eucalyptus can be posionous so I don’t like to use it in the kitchen. This is a mix of a capful of Bosisto’s Eucalyptus Solution and water. It smells amazing and gives a great clean. I also use the Eucalyptus solution to soak the nappy pails when the nappies are washing – I simply put the pails in the bath, empty a capful of solution in and then fill with water and soak.
- Clove Oil Spray – I use this to clean mould in the bedroom and bathroom. It really, really works! I bought the clove oil from the chemist (it’s good for toothaches apparently) and added just a few drops to the spray bottle of water. You have to make sure not to add too much as it can stain. It removed all of the mould in the bedroom and it doesn’t seem to be reappearing either!
- Earth Choice Floor & Surface Cleaner – Sure I could make my own floor cleaner using the eucalyptus or vinegar cleaners but I had bought a 1 litre of this and it does a great job. It includes eucalyptus as well so smells yummy.
- Bicarb Soda – Bicarb is an eco-cleaner’s best friend. It works for anything! I use McKenzie’s Bicarb, mainly because it comes in the super handy shaker container. I sprinkle it over the carpet, leave for a few minutes and then vacuum and it works to refresh the whole house. I use it to soak up the “bin juice” and stop odours in the bottom of the bin, and in the bottom of the nappy pails. I’ve made a paste of it using water to scrub around the faucets and the stove top. I’ve used it to create a cleaner to use on the walls before using the clove oil – 4 litres of hot water, 1 tablespoon bicarb soda and half a cup of vinegar. I have also heard that it is great for clearing drains – pour in some bicarb, then vinegar, let it fizz and then flush with hot water. I haven’t tried this yet but definitely intend to give it a go.
- Earth Choice Dishwashing Concentrate – yes I like Earth Choice products – they are made of mostly natural ingredients, their packaging is made from plant materials and is easily recycle, and while they do use palm oil in their products it is sustainable palm oil and they are working to find alternative sustainable materials. They also work closely with the Sepilok Rehabilitation Centre. All excellent things in my mind! The dishwashing concentrate is fantastic. It foams up just enough, cuts through all of the icky stuff and smells great. They are a few different “scents” but I just get Lily to chose a new one each time we run out.
- Ikea Dish Brush- Mr Monkey doesn’t like to use this but I find it’s great for washing dishes – I like to have the water *very* hot and this allows me to not put my hands in the water too much. I also have sponges with the scouring back for when the brush just won’t cut it and I also use them to wipe down surfaces.
In the laundry I use:
- Earth Choice 4 Litre Liquid Laundry Detergent” – This is an excellent washing detergent. It comes in a big bulk container, is great for sensitive skin, doesn’t leave any odour on the clothes and I even use a smaller amount on the nappies. We’ve been using this for almost a year now, after switching from the Earth Choice powder and are really happy with it.
- Earth Choice Fabric Softener – I don’t use a lot of fabric softener – mainly only on loads of towels. We use the Jasmine and Lily scented one and it smells great, and only leaves a touch of fragrance after the wash. The towels come out wonderfully soft.
- Sards Oxy Plus Stain Remover with Eucalyptus – I don’t tend to use this much – mostly just on stubborn stains on Lily’s clothes. I just spray, leave it for a little while and then chuck in the machine as usual.
- Woolworths Select Soaker & Stain Remover – I use this as unfortunately Earth Choice does not have a soaker or whitener. I add a lid full of the soaker to my load of whites and set the machine to include a 40 minute soak in the washing cycle. I’m not 100% satisfied with this as it doesn’t tend to brighten a lot of my whites, and the socks look almost as dirty as when they go in! But I don’t want to use bleach and at least Woolworths have a Palm Oil strategy with their Select range.
So there you have it, that’s the general cleaning products that I use.
What do you use? Can you recommend any great eco-friendly cleaning products or can you share recipes for ones you make yourself?
