You notice a stain on your sofa. Holy moly, now what?

You rush to your kitchen and find the bottle of stain remover you bought last month. It’s almost empty—but just enough to take care of that stain. Heaving a sigh of relief, you spray it over those stubborn sofa stains. Gently work it in. Wipe the area clean with a damp cloth. And, voila. The stain is gone, and the sofa is squeaky clean. But, wait. What next? You toss the empty bottle into the dustbin. When it leaves your home, the empty bottle will fill up a landfill, or the ocean. The plastic will take hundreds of years to break down. It’s already having severe impacts on our ocean; 1,000 plus species of marine life are impacted by water pollution.

The situation begs for the question—can we clean our homes while being more conscious of the environment?

Good news: Store-bought cleaning supplies aren’t the only way to clean your home. In fact, they shouldn’t be the only way! This is also because overusing harsh chemicals can cause some serious health implications. For example, they release VOCs, which can cause respiratory issues. That said, some tasks do require the big chemical guns. But many problem areas can be tackled with things you already have at home.
In this blog post, we’ll talk about two such cleaning supplies you have in your cupboards, and may not have realised. Let’s put them to good use—and play our part in protecting the environment 🤍

Cleaning Hero #01: Lemons

If you think lemons belong in refreshing lemonades—well, you’re right, but only partly. Lemons can clean up your home in so many different ways, too! Let’s get to the basics to understand how this works.

Lemons are high in citric acid. This creates an “acidic” environment that inhibits the growth of bacteria. So, lemons are naturally antibacterial and antiseptic. They’re also a cheap cleaning idea—compared to the £’s you may spend on store-bought cleaning supplies. Above all, lemons are non-toxic, so they won’t harm our environment.

Give Your Dishwasher a Hand

Even the dishwasher can use a little help in keeping your dishes clean 😉 Place a few lemon slices on the top rack and then run the dishwasher on the normal cycle. Ta-da, you’ll see how everything is a bit shinier.

Brighten Your Whites in the Washing Machine

If you’ve been trying to brighten those whites in the washing machine, a lemon is an easy hack. Squeeze lemons so the juice fills half a cup. Pour it into the washing machine, and add your white clothes and towels. After just one wash, you will notice how your whites appear brighter and have this subtle citrussy scent. But, keep in mind, do not use lemons on colours.

Get Rid of Unwanted Smells

If you’re noticing strange smells, it’s your sign to give your space a lemon cleanse.

Clean your wooden chopping board. Sprinkle a bit of coarse salt over the board. Take half a lemon, and use it (flesh side down) to scrub away at the surface. Let the board sit for about 5 minutes and then rinse it.
Refresh the fridge. Slice a lemon before putting it into a shallow bowl. Place this, uncovered, in your fridge, and the lemon will absorb any unwanted odours.
Deodorise your microwave. Mix lemon juice in a cup of water, and heat it in the microwave until it begins to boil. This might take around 3 minutes, after which you can switch the microwave off. Now, you want to keep it shut for another 5 minutes before wiping it down with a damp cloth
Prevent odours in your kitchen bin. The bin can stink—but not when you place fresh lemon peels at its bottom!

Repel Insects

You know that citrussy scent of lemons we love? Insects hate it! So, you can use a lemon—and some cloves—to make your very own non-toxic insect repellant. Cut a lemon in half and poke around 8 to 10 cloves into each half. Place these lemons wherever you want to keep the flies and bees away.

Clean the Loo

If you’ve run out of ecover, you can use lemons! Take one lemon and squeeze its juice into the toilet bowl. (Alternatively, take half a cup of lemon juice). Let it sit there for 30 to 60 minutes before giving the bowl a thorough scrub with your toilet brush.

Cleaning Hero #02: Washing-Up Liquid

Just for the dishes? Nah, washing-up liquid is a might all-rounder and can be used throughout your home! It has surfactant properties, which allow it to:

Break down grease into tiny droplets
Encapsulate grime and grease
Lift these from the surface

Washing-up liquid may be bottled, sure, but it’s something you already have at home. So, no extra purchasing here.

Get Rid of Stains in the Kitchen and Bathroom

Stubborn oil stains and soap scum don’t stand a chance against washing-up liquid. Add a couple drops of washing-up liquid to a damp sponge, and give those countertops and tiles a good wipe. Rinse—and be amazed.

Clean Your Windows

Of all tasks, cleaning windows feels like the one you can put off for the most time—but once you get to it, making it steak-free can be a hassle. Not with washing-up liquid, though. Create a solution of washing-up liquid (bonus points if you add white vinegar too) and add it to a spray bottle. Spray it on your windows, and use a sponge to wipe it away. If you’ve got notorious smears, rubbing the solution with a microfibre cloth can help.

Take Care of Spills

If you’re anything like us, getting through a bowl of pasta without spilling any of it down your shirt will forever feel like a high-5-moment. Grease stains are particularly tricky to get out of fabrics. But washing up liquid is fantastic at cutting through grease! Remove the excess stain, and then dab it with a warm damp cloth that has a few drops of washing-up liquid. This prevents the stain from lodging into the fibres. (We repeat, dab, not rub).

Clean Your Make-up Brushes

Can you recall the last time you cleaned your make-up brushes? Bet not 😋 Enter washing-up liquid. It will cut through oil whilst being gentle on your skin—and your brushes—making it perfect for cleaning up sticky make-up. Remember that a little will go a long way as it can be stripping to the fibres.

Final Words

And, that’s a wrap. Those were some of our handiest tricks we use for cleaning homes in South Leicestershire! If you want to press reset—while handing over the job to responsible cleaners who are aware of our environmental impact—let’s chat 💚

2 Cleaning Heroes You Will Have in Your Cupboard