3 Natural Vegan Cleaning Products Made From Kitchen Staples

Baking Soda

Sodium Bicarbonate

Baking soda is something that we all have in our homes. It can be used for cleaning, polishing, whitening and for removing unpleasant odours.

• In combination with distilled vinegar, we can clean stove plates, the refrigerator, taps, burnt pans & grills, as well as stains on the clothes. These two ingredients greatly cleanse and remove stains.
• It can be used to polish steel, copper, silver, marble, porcelain and glass. To clean these surfaces, all we need is a sponge spread with baking soda. Later it can be wiped with a cloth moistened in lukewarm water.

Note: It is not recommended to clean aluminium due to the softness of this metal.

• For whiter clothes, add 1 tablespoon baking soda along with detergent to the washing machine. This also helps get rid of sweat odours in the clothes.
• To remove the sweat smell from your shoes, place a cloth bag filled with baking soda in each shoe.
• To remove unpleasant odours from the fridge, place 3-4 tablespoons of baking soda in a bowl. Change it every 2 months.

Vinegar

Cider vinegar

Vinegar has universal application - it can be used for cleaning almost everything due to its disinfecting properties. Alcoholic vinegar is the most common choice for cleaning. Although it has a strong smell, this smell only lasts until the vinegar has dried.

Note: It is not recommended to use vinegar on marble, stone surfaces, tile joints, and with plastic, first try it on a small surface to ensure there is no colour change. It is perfect for cleaning bathrooms, glass, mirrors, wooden surfaces, kitchen elements.

• To make a natural universal cleaning product, place 1 litre of alcoholic vinegar in a large glass jar of 2 litres. Add orange, lemon and apple peels to it. Let this mixture sit for 10 days, then strain it and add 200 ml distilled water. This solution has a weaker vinegar smell and is rich in natural oils from the peels of the fruits.
• Vinegar can act as a great floor cleaner to keep ants away.
• Clean the toilet by pouring alcoholic vinegar in it and let sit for 15-20 minutes. It will leave your toilet bowl sparkling clean.
• Remove the limescale from kettle by placing half a litre of vinegar and leave it for 5 minutes. Same applies to clean your coffee machine and dishwasher.

Lemon

Fresh lemon juice

Lemon is an excellent cleaner for soap residue; it is great for disinfecting wood surfaces, cleaning limescale and grease. It is an excellent replacement for vinegar.

• Clean the cutting board and wooden tools in the kitchen with lemon.
• A great detergent? A mixture of lemon and baking soda applied using a sponge.
• Lemons are excellent for cleaning metal surfaces.
• Adding 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice in your laundry detergent will give your clothes a fresh smell.

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