Make your own DIY cleaning products

Make your own DIY (Do It Yourself) cleaning products

Time for a house clean? Rather than splashing out on pricey cleaning products, why not make your own easy peasy (lemon squeezy) cleaning products? It’s all good clean fun!

You’ll probably already have everything you need in your kitchen cupboards, such as vinegar, bicarbonate of soda, salt and lemons.

Multi-surface spray cleaner

If you make just one product, make it this. Shop-bought spray cleaners aren’t cheap, especially considering they’re mostly water. Expect to pay between £2.50 to £4.50 per 330ml, whether it’s an own brand or a pricier spray. This recipe works out at less than £1 per bottle and makes enough to fill a standard 330ml spray pump bottle. Re-use ones you’ve already bought or buy them cheaply at a local gardencentre or large supermarket chain.

How to make your own lemon and lavender multi-surface cleaner

Lemon and bicarbonate of soda are the classic cleaners. The acid of the lemon and the alkali of the bicarbonate of soda work together to break down any dirt from last night’s dinner stains on the kitchen work surface to that build-up of dust and grime behind the fridge.

1. Squeeze the juice of three lemons into a mixing jug and add three teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda. Get set for some extreme fizzing action!
2. When the fizzing calms down, add one drop of washing-up liquid, three drops of lavender essential oil (which smells great and is a natural anti-bacterial agent) and enough water to top up the bottle. Stir well and use immediately.

Time Spent: 3 minutes Cost: Less than £1

Top tip: Clean any marks off the bath using lemon juice and salt. Use the juice of half a lemon and half a teaspoon of salt for a gritty cleaner that will leave your bathtub sparkling!

Bathroom spray

Bathroom sprays such as Mr Muscle and Flash typically cost between £1.50 and £3.75 but homemade bathroom spray is not just about the financial benefits. Go green by making your own.

How to make your own bathroom spray

1. Take two heaped teaspoons of borax substitute. Borax is a mineral compound that has been used for centuries as a cleaning agent. However, it’s an irritant and so borax substitute works better. It’s essentially a more powerful version of bicarbonate of soda. You can get 500g for £1.90 or 1kg for £3.10 at Summer Naturals, which will last you years.
2. Mix the teaspoons of borax substitute with about 100ml of white wine vinegar in a jug that will be large enough to contain the furious fizzing that will follow.
3. Add one drop of washing up liquid, an essential oil such as lavender or rose geranium (which is antiseptic) and then top up with warm water.

Time spent: 3 minutes Cost: Less than 60p

Glass and window cleaner

It turns out Grandma was right; nothing beats white vinegar and water for cleaning mirrors and windows. Wipe with a dry microfibre cloth for extra shine. Simple, yet so effective.

How to make your own glass and window cleaner

1. Mix 50/50 white vinegar and warm water in a jug.
2. That’s it.

Seriously, that’s all there is to it, white vinegar and warm water!

Time spent: 1 minute. Cost: Less than 20p per clean