Clean your home without synthetic chemicals...

l Surfaces (kitchen tops/floor, tiles): wipe when dirty with microfibre cloths. About once a week spray surfaces with vinegar/water and wipe. About once a month use grated pure soap in warm water with a capful of white vinegar or a squeeze of lemon. Add a couple of drops of eucalyptus or tea-tree oil as disinfectant; lavender for fragrance.

l Baths and sinks: wipe with washing soda.

l Windows: wipe with vinegar and warm water (or use a vinegar/water spray) and dry with old newspaper.

l Mould: rub with lemon or borax-bicarb mix, with a drop of essential oil.

l Toilets: spray with vinegar or lemon. Leave for an hour or two then scrub off. Borax will deodorise the bowl.

l Kettles: add some vinegar or lemon juice for a couple of hours to remove limescale.

l Pots, pans, ovens: to lift grease and clean burnt pans, soak overnight with a paste of bicarb of soda and water.

l Smells: bicarb of soda deodorises fridges and cupboards. Use a water spray with a few drops of your favourite essential oils as an air freshener.

l Drains: pour in some bicarb of soda and wash through with warm water.

l Carpet spills: cover spill with bicarb of soda, leave to dry then vacuum.

l Clothes stains: spray with vinegar and scrub, or dab eucalyptus oil on the stain and let it evaporate before washing.

l Wooden furniture and stainless steel: polish with beeswax, olive or linseed oil, with a few drops of lemon.

l Laundry powder: mix a cup of grated pure soap with a half-cup each of washing soda, salt, borax and bicarb of soda and shake; 1-2 teaspoons a load. Vinegar in the rinse cycle acts as a fabric softener.

l Dishwashing powder: bicarb of soda or a 50:50 mix of borax/washing soda. You can add vinegar as a rinse aid.

© Mark Mann / EcoDirectory