5 hacks that will make you clean quicker and better

Don’t you love coming home to a clean, tidy living environment? It’s no secret that a little organization can make your house and you feel like a million bucks. But cleaning isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, and we tend to tackle cleaning jobs with a less-than-enthusiastic demeanour for several reasons. Perhaps you dislike using the various chemical concoctions found in traditional cleaning products. Or you find yourself facing a gigantic mess even though you seemingly clean every day of the week. Whatever the reasons are, it can be tough to motivate yourself to clean sometimes.

Everyone may seem to have a bunch of tricks and tips for cleaning hidden up their sleeves, a secret recipe for household products, or a wacky bit of long-standing family knowledge for cleaning certain things.

While having a bottle of natural, good quality All Purpose Cleaner in the cupboard is always useful, certain situations simply call for applying some basic everyday items. In this blog post, we will show you some secrets of cleaning fast that don’t involve spraying chemical-laden disinfectant all over everything.

Here are our top five favourite cleaning hacks to brighten your space that you can try at home today.

1. Baking soda

Baking soda has long been revered for its cleaning abilities. It can be used as a non-harsh cleaner to boost your laundry detergent and brighten clothing in the wash (you can find baking soda in our Oxygen Bleach). It can also polish silver and stainless steel, cut through oil and grease, and even remove crayons and markers from your walls.

In addition, baking soda has traditionally been used as a deodorizer for things like kitty litter, refrigerators, and sweaty gym shoes. It can even be mixed with vinegar to form a powerful solution that will unclog your drains and sinks. It’s a powerful eco-friendly replacement for unhealthy chemical agents for you and your home.

2. Lemons

Mixing pure lemon juice into your cleaning routine yields impressive results. Like vinegar, it’s an antibacterial and an antiseptic agent. It can even act as a natural bleach. Lemons are cheap, portable, and easy to pick up at your nearest supermarkets, so squeeze some fresh lemon juice on your countertop stains.

Lemons can also be used to brighten your white linens and degrease the interior of your stove and pots, and pans. And if you’re into making your own cleaning solutions, then lemon is a pretty good glass cleaner.

3. Vinegar

Vinegar has been used as a cleaning product for generations. It’s a natural acid that helps to clean and eliminate germs from surfaces and works as a brutish grease-cutter.

Skip the toxic chemicals used on your kitchen countertops where you prepare food, and instead, try a combination of vinegar and lemon juice to clean your food preparation areas. Adding a cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle of your laundry acts as a great fabric softener. The lemon helps to counteract the harsh smell of vinegar that most people aren’t too fond of.

To learn more about cleaning with vinegar, just read our blog here.

4. Tackle stainless steel with mineral oils

Stainless steel is a staple material of many modern kitchens and bathrooms, but greasy fingerprints, food spills, grime and general wear and tear can easily tarnish it. Luckily, stainless responds well to a plethora of household cleaning products that we wouldn’t usually think to use on the fridge or dishwasher. Olive oil, baby oil, and any mineral oil refurbish the finish of stainless steel beautifully, as do most furniture polish and even the carnauba wax that we usually reserve for the car.

Trusty old vinegar also acts as a great polish and cleaner for stainless, as does flour, strangely enough! Flour acts as a buffer and absorbs dirt and grime - just make sure your sink is completely dry before starting, or you can end up with a doughy mess. Rubbing alcohol is no slouch when it comes to cleaning stainless as well.

Just like wood, stainless steel has a grain to it. Therefore, be sure to polish and clean your surfaces in the direction of the grain for optimal results. Never use steel wool or abrasive material to clean and shine your stainless-steel appliances; instead, use a microfiber cloth that will protect the finish.

5. Rubbing alcohol

Usually found in the first-aid kit or the bathroom medicine cabinet, rubbing alcohol is a mighty-fine cleaner. Made with ethanol, or isopropyl alcohol, rubbing alcohol is a solvent, meaning it dissolves dirt and oil and can be used as a disinfectant.

Dilute by mixing one part rubbing alcohol and one part water; this concoction can then be substituted for a general disinfectant around the house. It’s also very effective at removing marker and ink stains from just about everywhere - a great cleaning hack for those with little ones running around.

Rubbing alcohol dries almost immediately, making it a prime substance when cleaning your computer mouse, keyboard, or cell phone. It cuts bacteria and grime, and you don’t have to worry about water damage.

Natural cleaners: the versatile solution

While the above ingredients will allow you to save time when tackling your home, you should also keep some healthy, green cleaning products on hand. That’s why our online store has a full range of all-natural, EWG verified, EcoCert Certified cleaners to equip you for every home cleaning area. These are essential for keeping you healthy and perfectly suitable for use around children and pets.

Finally, if you want to know more about sustainable lifestyles and natural cleaning tips, don’t hesitate to check out our blog.