5 Frugal, Homemade Cleaning Products

All of those bottles under the kitchen sink can set busy households back some serious pennies when you add them all up. Bleaches, window cleaners, stain removers, polishes, you name it – buying branded (and even supermarket own brand) cleaning products is a costly business. And it’s one cost you can cut out completely with a few, clever home made recipes.

Our house-proud ancestors managed for centuries without harsh chemicals for cleaning, so why can’t we? We may live in the 21^st century with flushing toilets, online bingo and Ryan Gosling, but there are some things that our forebears just did better. So without further ado, here are our 5 favourite eco-friendly, cost-effective home-made cleaning products…

1. Grapefruit & Salt Bath Cleaner

This is an amazing, simple way to keep your bath sparkling clean while you stay totally Green. All you need is a grapefruit and a box of koshering salt (these plus-sized salt granules are a really handy ingredient in lots of home made cleaners so it’s worth stocking up).

Slice your grapefruit in half, sprinkle it liberally with salt, sprinkle some more salt in the bottom of a slightly wet bath and get scrubbing using the salted grapefruit half as a scourer. When you’re all scrubbed out, just rinse and enjoy a clean, beautifully scented bathtub. (This also works brilliantly in showers, on toilets and in sinks).

2. All Natural Kitchen Cleaner

If you hate using harsh chemicals in your kitchen, here’s the perfect recipe. You’ll need:

• An empty spray bottle
• A funnel
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp washing up liquid
• 2 tsp vinegar
• Warm water
• Your favourite essential oil (optional)

Funnel the  soda, vinegar and washing up liquid into your bottle and give it a shake. Top it up with warm water and shake again before adding the essential oil scent of your choice. Then get spritzing!

3. Lavender Water Laundry Freshener

Want to add an extra burst of aromatic freshness to your laundry without using a softener? It’s easy. Pick (or buy) some lavender to make your own lavender water (or buy pre-made). Then simply spritz your laundry before it goes through the washing machine. Your clothes should retain just enough scent to smell fabulous and fresh afterwards.

4. Fresh, Herbal Laundry Softener

If you do like to use a softener, you’ll know how pricey it can be. This recipe is best with fresh herbs (we love using clean-scented basil) but essential oils work well too. You’ll need:

• Baking soda
• Fresh herbs
• A metal sieve

Add bruised or chopped (to release the fragrance), fresh herbs to baking soda and allow the mixture to sit for 2 weeks to absorb the scent. Then sieve out any herbs before using half a scoop in your regular wash.

5. Lemon & Olive Oil Wood Polish

Quick, simple and natural. To polish wood and give it a healthy glow simply mix the juice of one lemon with a tbsp of olive oil and a tbsp of water. Then shake the mixture until it has fully blended before placing a small amount on a microfibre cloth to polish your wood surfaces.

Do you have any special home-made cleaning recipes of your own? Why not share your know-how with Two Little Flea’s bingo lovers via Twitter @twolittlefleas?