Homemade Kitchen Cleaning Products

As we said in last week's post, How to Spring Clean Your Home and Save Pounds, we really enjoy making our own cleaning products - we know what goes in them, they're much more eco-friendly AND they save us a fortune as they are so much cheaper to make than store bought products.

This week, we have decided to focus on the heart of the home, the kitchen. When we are not in our gardens or at the allotments, this is probably where we spend most of our time, cooking up delicious meals and treats to feed our families. However, we both have a tendency to get pretty messy when it comes to kitchen work, let's call it "creative chaos" though our partners would probably call it total annihilation and when they find out we're going to be in the kitchen together, they basically just run away and only come back when it is tasting time.

So let's take a look at our recipes, for homemade cleaning products that are great to use for both a kitchen clean up and for every day use.

ALL PURPOSE SPRAY (Approximate cost 19p)

Elbow (Asda) £1.25

Ecover Multi Purpose surface cleaner £2.50 (Tesco)

And although the ingredients are not the same they all do the same job! But for less than one fifth of the price you would pay in a supermarket.

This spray will dissolve dirt and grease residue from kitchen surfaces and can be used in the bathroom and around the house. It has natural antiseptic properties, and it smells good too!

1 teaspoon of Borax

5 drops of Rosemary essential oils

10 Drops of Lavender essential oil

½ teaspoons natural liquid dishwashing soap

2 Tablespoons of distilled white vinegar

500ml warm water

Method

Add the borax and the warm water to an old clean spray bottle, and shake well. Next add the remaining ingredients and again shake well. And it’s ready to use to clean down surfaces, woodwork and freshen wiping down with a damp cloth or sponge!

Here is a quick approximate costing of the wonderful All purpose cleaning spray. The prices and suppliers we bought from are stated, but with the wonder of the internet you can probably find even cheaper ingredients!

Borax 500g is £1.99, there are approximately 166 teaspoons in a 500g packet = 0.01p per teaspoon ( we bought from the ethical superstore but it is widely available and many supermarkets carry it.

UNSCENTED NATURAL DISHWASH LIQUID 750ml £2.58 approximately 126 teaspoons = 0.02p per teaspoon ( we bought from Ecomate, but again this and similar is available in many supermarkets and if you are fortunate in you area you can find a eco shop near you, it maybe possible to take a container and buy from there at a better price)

Lavender Oil 10ml £2.25 approx 220 drops = 0.01p per drop ( we bought from Amazon)

Rosemary oil 10ml £2.50 approximately 220 drops = 0.01p (EBay)

Distilled white vinegar 568ml approximately 37 tablespoons = 0.01p per tablespoon ( Sainsbury’s)

GLASS CLEANER (Approximate cost 7p)

170 ml water

90 ml of distilled white vinegar

Mix the two together in a clean spray bottle and it’s ready to use. It’s great for windows and mirrors etc. I like mine to smell good so I add a couple of drops of lemon essential oil!

NATURAL DRAIN CLEANER (Approximate cost £1.08)

This can be used weekly to keep your kitchen drains flowing avoiding build up of grease and soap.

60g baking soda

110g salt

125ml distilled white vinegar

Pour the baking soda, salt and then white vinegar down into the plug hole. Wait for 15 to 20 minutes and then put a kettle of boiling water down the drain. Beware of steam

MOULD AND MILDEW SPRAY CLEANER Approximate cost £1.06

400ml Hot water

60ml distilled white vinegar

½ tsp Lavender oil

½ tsp Eucalyptus oil

2 Tablespoons borax

Dissolve the borax in hot water and leave it to cool to room temperature. Pour the liquid into a 500ml spray bottle. Add the vinegar and essential oils and shake well.

HOMEMADE AIR FRESHENING SPRAY Approximate cost 38p

1 teaspoon of vodka

25 drops of essential oil of your choice, this can be a mix eg “Lavender and grapefruit, or bergamot and patchouli. The list is endless!

500 ml water

Add the vodka and essential oils to a spray bottle and shake well. Next add the water, shake well and use it to mist the air. Do not spray on wooden furniture or upholstery.

Be sure to tune in next week when we'll be giving you all the recipes you need to keep your bathroom, clean, fresh and sparkling!