As we reach mid-April, it's well and truly time for spring cleaning. But with the grey, rainy weather we have had so far, it is no wonder you have not had the energy to get started. Now's a perfect time, the weather's finally nice enough! What is more, with the ingredients you have in your kitchen, you can clean your home perfectly and even tick the environmental box? We give you some tips on how to perfectly clean your home using vinegar, baking soda, and citric acid.
What can you use vinegar and baking soda for?
Honestly, one article is not even enough to list all the things these two miracle ingredients can do (we have already dedicated an entire article to the multifunctional effects of vinegar), so let us look at our favourite tips:
Use them to clean your fridge!
There is an extra reason to use natural cleaning products when cleaning your fridge: you do not want to contaminate the surface with chemicals where you store your food, do you? Vinegar is a great solution thanks to its natural disinfectant properties! Just pour a little into a spray bottle, spray it on your fridge shelves and wipe it clean. When you are done, add a small bowl of baking soda to neutralize any unpleasant odours in the fridge.
Use them to clean mattresses and carpets!
First vacuum the surface to be cleaned thoroughly, then take out the vinegar in the aforementioned spray bottle and spray it on, and finally sprinkle with baking soda. Leave to stand for a few hours, it's best to cover it up. Finally, vacuum thoroughly again and you're done.
Clean the drain!
You can prevent not only potential blockages but also unpleasant odours with the following tip. To start, pour half a packet of bicarbonate of soda down the drain, followed by 3-4 decilitres of vinegar. Wait until the mixture has stopped bubbling, then pour a litre of hot water down the drain. After a quarter of an hour, rinse with cold water.
Don't leave out the windows either
Window cleaning is an almost obligatory part of spring cleaning. You can easily do this with vinegar, just mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle and spray it on the glass. You can use a microfibre cloth (or old newspaper if you have it at home) to wipe it streak-free. You can also add a few drops of essential oil to the mixture, so as well as removing dirt, you can make it smell nice in one go.
Get to know citric acid too!
Get all the dirt out of your microwave!
All you need is one lemon to completely clean your microwave. Cut your lemon in half, squeeze it slightly into a bowl, then pop it in and it is ready to go in the microwave for a minute. Once the minute is up, leave the microwave door closed for another 3-4 minutes and by the time you open it, you can wipe the inside perfectly clean with a damp sponge. When the process is finished, it is a good idea to leave the door open for a short time to let the citric acid air out before heating food in it.
Make a descaler with it!
Few things are more hated in cleaning than descaling. But as long as the world is still a world, there will be scale in your home. Luckily, citric acid (in powder form) is a great way to combat it! To descale your washing machine, simply start an empty wash with a few Spoonfuls of citric acid in the drum. And for descaling kitchen and bathroom surfaces, make a mixture: take a 100ml spray bottle, put two teaspoons of citric acid in it, and pour warm water over it. Shake well and spray the surface to be treated.
Scrub with lemon!
Use a mixture of lemon and salt to make an effective scrub. Try it on a cutting board: sprinkle a little salt on it, then rub it thoroughly with half a lemon and rinse. This will not only get rid of visible stains but also of embedded food residue.
Make it an effective floor cleaner
Mix a little olive oil with half a cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice and hot water, and you've got your floor cleaning liquid. This super chemical-free mop will even give your hardwood floors a new lease of life!
Make sure the cleanliness of your home doesn't come at too high a price
....at a cost to the planet and your health. Cleaning products in shops usually come in single-use plastic packaging, so by buying them regularly you are unwittingly contributing to plastic pollution.
Moreover, conventional cleaning products contain a lot of chemicals. They go down the drain when you clean your home and poison the environment. Not to mention the fact that you are directly in contact with them, breathing them in.
In our last article, we discussed at length the harmful effects these cleaning products have on your health, especially your skin and lungs. If you haven't read it yet, catch up quickly: that's how you pay the price for a clean home if you're not careful about what you clean with.
For your spring cleaning, switch to natural cleaning products that can give you a sparkling clean home without all the harmful side effects! If you are new to the world of eco-friendly solutions, it will take some time to learn about the best ones. But you can save yourself some time by buying ready-to-use natural cleaning products.
CYCLE's innovative cleaning products are all-natural cleaners, with the much-talked-about acetic acid as one of their main ingredients. They can help you get the whole spring clean done efficiently and quickly while protecting the planet and your health.
