lifestyle

Stay at Home and do Your Spring Cleaning

With the start of the UK-wide lockdown, we are all finding ourselves confined to our homes for the time being. For many of us, it means that a nice big spring clean has gone from just one more item on our to-do lists to our main form of entertainment. But, given the difficulty of popping out to the shops for cleaning supplies, you may feel as though even your cleaning plans may have to be put on hold. Never fear – natural cleaning alternatives have been growing in popularity for some time now, as a cheap, eco-friendly option for households keen to save some cash on big-name brands. And M&D is here to help, with a handy list of seven products which you can find lurking in your cupboards, and which can now be put to good use!

1.Baking soda

A staple in any household with keen bakers – this mild alkali dissolves both dirt and grease easily. Inexpensive and non-toxic, this product is completely safe to use, even on surfaces such as fridges, microwaves, and countertops used for food preparation.

2. Lemon

Their acidity makes them great cleaning adjuncts, whilst their fresh smell helps to act as a natural deodorant and odour remover. Forget the Febreeze, this little citrus is all you need! Cut lemons are ideal for polishing kitchenware which has developed rust spots.

3. Salt

There is almost nothing this powerful cleaning agent can’t do – its granular texture makes it effective for removing stains, unblocking drains, and even giving you cleaner laundry. We all know about tipping some salt on a red wine stain, but why not try pouring a mixture of salt and hot water down the kitchen sink to help prevent grease build up?

4. Distilled white vinegar

Another non-toxic cleaning alternative, which doubles as a cooking ingredient, this can be used as a great disinfecting agent. For rinse-free cleaning, mix together 2 litres of water and 100ml of distilled white vinegar.

5. Vodka/rubbing alcohol

This natural cleaner kills germs, so it is particularly useful for sterilisation purposes. It can also be used to remove permanent marker stains, clean jewellery, and even remove outdoors from footwear. And, of course, it can also be used to make your spring clean more fun!

6. Hydrogen peroxide

The perfect stain remover: mix two-parts hydrogen peroxide with one-part dish liquid and apply to clothing. It can also be used on carpet, upholstery, and a variety of other surfaces, and acts in much the same way as a mild bleach.

7. Liquid dish soap

This versatile product, which can be found in every household, is particularly great for getting rid of oil-based stains. Equally effective on fabrics, glass, and hard surfaces such as worktops, a bit of diluted dish soap works wonders, and can be used in combination with other products, such as glass cleaner.

Happy cleaning everyone!

35 thoughts on “Stay at Home and do Your Spring Cleaning

  • Tracy Newton

    I never do a full Spring Clean. I believe in cleaning daily. It’s much easier that way and the house does not get dirty.

    Reply
  • Anthony Harrington

    We do it daily, however, we took down all the Christmas decorations and ended up doing a Sami spring clean.

    Reply
  • Barbara McGarrity

    Not sure about the spring cleaning bit 😂 😂
    But I’m staying at home when I’m not working as nurse in NHS

    Reply
  • ashleigh allan

    Lots of great tips!

    Reply
  • Jean Cassell

    I use a mixture of bicarbonate of soda and vinegar to clean my kitchen sink and drains

    Reply
  • Laura

    I have definitely become more contentious about cleaning since the start of lockdown

    Reply
  • Karen Usher

    I love to do a quick clean each day but at least twice a year I get down and dirty and do the walls…..under my sons bed!!! All the above are great non toxic ideas Im going to start using!

    Reply
  • Debbie Ellis

    Great ideas here, thank you. Will definitely be trying some of these.

    Reply
  • Julia Linsley

    With Lockdown I’m going to do a full on spring clean and am building up my DIY list
    I love the idea of using natural cleaning products

    Reply
  • Carley Simpson

    I love spring cleaning . Out with the old in with the new . Some great tips and ideas on this site thankyou

    Reply
  • Janet Ashenden

    We have started to do a good Spring Clean already because of the lockdown. We usually do a fairly good clean, but this year we are putting in extra effort – simply because we have the time. I love using lots of Bi-carb, white vinegar and lemon juice – good job we have lots in .

    Reply
  • Rebecca Walker

    sounds good to me

    Reply
  • Some amazing ideas here 🙂

    Reply
  • Lisa Jones

    Love a deep spring clean, although i do it at any time of the year when the mood takes me!

    Reply
  • Rachel Arnup

    I hate spring cleaning, some handy tips here, thanks!

    Reply
    • Rachael Sexey

      I hate doing a spring clean but I’m going to use these tips thank you

      Reply
  • Michelle Cheeseman

    Some great tips! I will give the baking soda and lemon a go when I blitz the kitchen!

    Reply
  • James Travis

    We started to our spring clean, though we might as well due to us being in lock down, so alot less distractions.

    Reply
  • adrian price

    some good ideas and tips here —and my housework needs all the help it can get

    Reply
  • Lisa MITCHELL

    SOME GOOD IDEAS HERE I DO LOVE A DEEP CLEAN

    Reply
  • Linda Jones

    You always feel better when you have a nice clean tidy house

    Reply
  • Laura Corrall

    I love doing a sprint clean and making everything seem fresh and new again. Baking soda is my fav for everything, works so well.

    Reply
  • joanne coulson

    Some great tips here, I try and keep a clean home anyway but since covid have become a little extra about it!

    Reply
  • Brenda M Bradley

    Some great tips there! I do use baking soda and vinegar but like the stain remover idea of alcholol

    Reply
  • Amy Jo

    Thank you for putting this together! Almost time for spring cleaning again.

    Reply
  • Tracy Nixon

    Some great tips thank you! I have printed off this page!

    Reply
  • amy simpson

    I enjoy Spring Cleaning,very therapuetic

    Reply
  • Helen Best

    Great cleaning tips & they do have a great result in cleanliness

    Reply
  • Laura Wheatley

    great tips. I really need to find the motivation to do a big clean

    Reply
  • Susan B

    Some interesting cleaning products there. I recently had a discussion with someone about the difference between distilled white vinegar and spirit white vinegar for cleaning. I thought they were the same. Apparently not. Both good for cleaning, though, and mixing up our own products certainly reduces plastic waste.

    Reply
  • Wendy Lam-Vechi

    Wow. The power of salt. I just did further research into this and can’t believe I never knew about this. Next time i have a blood stain or grease stain, I will be soaking the garment in salty hot water. Great tips. Thank you so much

    Reply
  • Lucie read

    Having a pre Christmas tidy but delayed due to a broken hoover. Everything crossed that I may win a Henry Hoover as I’ve already wanted a Henry or a Hetty. Thank you

    Reply
  • Francesca Ringrow

    good tips!

    Reply
  • emma kinsey

    great advice

    Reply
  • Good tips here – wonder if salt would work on mould as get damp and mould on our walls – awaiting repairs.

    Reply

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