Eco clean your home



All cleaning products damage the environment to some extent, but don't lose heart. Being green and keeping your house clean needn't be mutually exclusive as long as you choose your cleaning products carefully. We take a look at low-impact ways to get rid of grime

The good news is that you've probably got some excellent natural cleaning products stashed in your kitchen and bathroom cabinet. And contrary to popular belief, they're just as effective as shop-bought products; they just take a little effort to concoct and require a smidge more elbow grease to administer. By adopting greener cleaning methods you're not only doing your bit for the environment, you're also actively safeguarding your family's health by limiting the number of questionable chemicals in your home.

Beyond contributing to the long-term build-up of chemicals in the food chain, using chemicals found in many non-environmentally friendly products can give rise to adverse reactions such as irritation of the skin and eyes or mild asthmatic symptoms. It is also interesting to note that both the European Environmental Agency and United Nations Environmental Programme recently stated that widespread exposure to low doses of chemicals may cause harm to certain sections of the population including children and pregnant women. It could be some time before there's any hard and fast scientific evidence, but do you really want to take the risk? If you have pets or young children, opting for natural, non-toxic substances will give you peace of mind as well by limiting the risk of accidental poisoning.

Lemons and lemon juice - pucker up with this weak solution of citric acid which has mild bleaching and antibacterial properties. It can be used alone or mixed with water, salt, bicarbonate of soda and vinegar to remove stains, cut through grease and deodorise.

How to use it

  • Rub a fresh cut lemon on to fabric stains and leave to absorb for half an hour to eliminate stains (always test on an unobtrusive bit of the fabric beforehand to ensure it doesn't harm it).
  • Polish up copper and brass wear by mixing a little lemon juice with salt and applying it to the surface. Wipe off with a dry cloth.
  • Add 1 part lemon juice to three parts water to make a surface cleaner.
  • Lemons are great for eliminating bad odours. Cut one in half and put it in the fridge to absorb food stenches.
  • Can be used as a mild bleach substitute and used to clean tea and coffee stains from the inside of mugs. Squeeze in a few drops of lemon juice or soak the whole mug in a dilute mixture of juice and water and leave to soak for half an hour before rinsing clean.

Bicarbonate of soda - alkaline cleanser and deodoriser. No home should be without a pot of this cheap multifunction power powder. It can also be used to remedy indigestion problems and alleviate cystitis.

How to use it

  • Mix one part bicarbonate of soda with four parts water to make a really effective abrasive dirt-dissolving multipurpose cleaner - ideal for cleaning the bathtub, sinks and showers.
  • Add a small amount of water to make a paste and use to scrub stainless steel, iron or copper pots clean.
  • To eliminate carpet odours, sprinkle on to carpet, leave for a few hours and then vacuum up.

Malt vinegar - limescale remover and surface cleaner. Malt vinegar isn't just something to season your chips; it has powerful and highly effective cleaning properties too.

How to use it

  • De-scale your kettle by pouring in a litre of neat malt vinegar and leaving it to dissolve the limescale (two hours is usually long enough). The results are amazing and, even better, you can pour the vinegar back into the bottle and re-use it to remove limescale more than once (just don't sprinkle it on your chips).
  • Richard Nissan of Staunch & Flow plumbers in London recommends neat vinegar for cleaning bathroom fittings. 'Vinegar is a very weak acid so it will not damage plastics or metal in its neat form' To clean shower heads he recommends placing a kitchen towel soaked in vinegar around the showerhead. Fix it in place by covering with a plastic bag and secure with a rubber band. Leave to penetrate for an hour. Any stubborn bits of limescale can then be tackled using a cuticle stick to scrape away build up.
  • Mix with three parts water to make a window cleaning solution. Apply to the windows with scrunched up newspaper and wipe clean using a clean dry cloth.

Bicarbonate of soda and malt vinegar - mixed together these two are a cleaning tour de force.

How to use them

  • To unblock a sink, remove all the water from the sink and pour a pot of bicarbonate of soda down the plug hole, then tip in a bottle of malt vinegar. Leave for one hour, then pour in a litre of boiling water and get to work with a plunger. Repeat as necessary.
  • To clean a barbeque or grill pan, sprinkle on a thin layer bicarbonate of soda and pour over enough malt vinegar to cover. Leave to soak overnight. The burnt food and grease can be easily rinsed away by morning.

Olive oil - Delicious in salad dressings, a great marinade for your veg, a fabulous body oil...oh, and it's great for polishing tables too. Who knew?

How to use it

  • Pour a small amount of olive oil on to a soft dust cloth and use it to polish up wooden furniture.
  • Oil can also be used to loosen dirt and grime on sticky surfaces or to remove stickers from glass or plastic surfaces. Apply a little olive oil to the entire label, leave for a short while to allow the oil to penetrate the sticker, then gently scrub off using an abrasive sponge or wire wool.

Tea-tree oil - this oil, with disinfectant and antiseptic properties, is known for its use in treatment of dandruff. Available at health food shops, it spruces up your home too.

How to use it

  • Add a few drops of tea tree oil to water and spray onto mouldy bathroom surfaces or areas prone to mildew. The oil's fungicidal properties kill mould spores.
  • Add a drop of tea tree oil to a cup of water and use as spray to revive musty smelling rugs/sofas. Just a drop of tea tree oil is plenty - any more and you may end up staining the fabric.

Choosing eco-friendly brands
If you haven't got time to make homemade natural cleaners, then try to stick to phosphate-free brands whose ingredients are designed to have the minimum impact on aquatic life and the environment. The following established eco brands use plant-derived ingredients and are free from known chemical nasties.

Bio D: www.biodegradable.biz
Faith in Nature: www.faithproducts.comfor stockist information
Ecover: www.ecover.com, available at leading supermarkets and online
Fresh and Green: Endorsed by Anthony Worrall Thomson and supported by the World Wildlife Fund, available from Waitrose

Discover 10 things you can do to make cleaning your home even greener