Natural And Inexpensive Cleaning Agents

To remove bad smells in the microwave oven, you can heat a glass of lemon juice. The steam will help loosen the fat.

Natural cleaning agents are excellent for cleaning your home and are usually very inexpensive.

Vinegar, baking soda or lemons do an excellent job and are also environmentally friendly. In this article, you will learn how to use natural detergents  and what their benefits are.

Benefits of natural detergents

These are the main advantages of using vinegar, baking soda or lemon as a home cleaner:

• They are cheap.
• They are very effective.
• Natural detergents are easy to use.
• They are easy to find anywhere.
• They have no toxic ingredients.
• And they are also environmentally friendly.

Apple Cider Vinegar

In addition to numerous health and cosmetic uses (e.g. for skin and hair), vinegar is an excellent cleaning agent. It contains  acetic acid, tartaric acid and citric acid – these make it a powerful disinfectant.

Vinegar can be used to remove grease and other crusted substances, remove odors, and make things shine. There are many other uses. Here are just a few examples:

• In the kitchen: you can mix equal parts vinegar with water and then store it in a spray bottle to clean the countertops, the stove, etc.
• For glass panes: Instead of a special glass or window cleaner, you can prepare a mixture of one part vinegar and five parts water and fill it in an old spray bottle.
• In the washing machine: vinegar can also be used instead of the normal fabric softener in the washing machine, at the same time it removes limescale from the machine.

• Against rust: Simply rub the rusty areas with vinegar and soak in vinegar for a few hours.
• For furniture and wooden floors: The most natural cleaning agent and the easiest polish for all types of furniture and wooden floors is vinegar mixed with water.

If the smell of vinegar bothers you, you can add a few drops of scented oil to the mixture. Essences with cleansing properties such as lemon, tea tree and mint are particularly recommended.

In some cultures, vinegar is used not only as a cleaning agent, but also to rid the house of negative energies.

Baking soda

Baking soda is also versatile and very effective: it can be used for health, as a beauty product or as a cleaning product.

Not only does it keep your teeth white and hair clean, this white powder is also a great detergent and disinfectant. Often, baking soda can also be combined perfectly with vinegar.

• For bathtub and tiles: If you apply baking soda directly to a cloth or sponge, you can use it to clean the bathtub and all tiles. Then you rinse everything off with water and let it dry.
• In the washing machine: When washing clothes, baking soda is very useful as it acts as an emollient, eliminates odors and helps remove stains, especially greasy stains.
• For removing organic odors: Soda helps against the smell of shoes, carpets, garbage cans, pantries or the beds of pets, for example. You simply sprinkle a little baking soda on the smelling areas and brush it off again after a few hours. You can also shake off the powder.

lemon

The lemon is one of the best cleansers for the body. It helps loosen fat and purify the blood. But the lemon is also an excellent natural solution for cleaning your home and provides a refreshing scent at the same time.

• For the bathroom: Since lemon is a great disinfectant, it is perfect for cleaning the bathroom, including the toilet. More heavily soiled areas can be rubbed with half a lemon.
• For the microwave: Place a cup with equal parts water and lemon juice in the microwave and heat for about two minutes. The steam will help remove caked stains. Then you just have to wipe the interior with a cloth.

• White clothes: adding a little lemon juice when washing white clothes can restore the original white color without damaging the clothes.

Images courtesy of David Silver and athriftymrs.com.