I have two dogs, so I tend to get through my fair share of cleaning products if I’m to keep my house somewhat clean. But the thing is cleaning products are expensive, especially if you’re buying the industrious stuff regularly…

But the fact is our Mother’s always had sparking houses and they did it the old fashioned (and cheap) way; one part elbow grease with three parts house hold products you’re likely to have in the cupboard. What’s more, they’re easy to make and completely natural.

White Vinegar

This pops up a lot in the recipes for home made cleaning products. Mixing it with water dissolves dirt and other stubborn scum and can also be used on delicate materials. It’ll also absorb odour and will clean up nearly all surfaces when diluted with water. If you need to remove hard water deposits on your shower head or in the toilet bowel, then using it undiluted and letting it soak will do the job better high priced lime scale remover!

Baking Soda

Another popular ingredient, baking soda is also a natural deodoriser and abrasive enough to take up stains without damaging surfaces. You can sprinkle it onto a damp sponge, which will clean up grime. For tougher marks, you can create a paste by mixing it with water and leave to soak for 15 mins. Mixing it with hot water and pouring down blocked drains will also help remove blockages. Just leave over night and flush out with hot water the following morning. You can also use it as a deodoriser by adding some natural oils such as lavender or eucalyptus and using it like Shake N Vac.

Rubbing Alcohol

This is a popular ingredient for glass cleaners and other surfaces you don’t want smudge marks on like chrome, ceramic or mirrors. Mix equal parts rubbing alcohol, white vinegar and water in a spray bottle and use as normal.

Ammonia

If you need something a bit stronger on grimy windows etc, mix rubbing alcohol with water and ammonia, which will get rid of tougher stains and marks. For an all purpose cleaner, you can also mix ammonia with laundry detergent and water.

Salad Dressing

Lemon juice is also an effective and gentle cleaner in addition to being a natural deodoriser. Mixing with a little bit olive oil creates gentle, but very good furniture cleaner. You know what else will work on scratched furniture? Walnuts. That’s right, rubbing a walnut half against small scratches will remove them.

A deep clean of the house can be a tiresome prospect, but you’ll be surprised how much of a difference it can make or how good it’ll make you feel. Start the job by doing each room at a time and working top to bottom, letting gravity help you, so you don’t repeat cleaning.