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The costs of house cleaning detergents can be very high. However, it is possible to reduce them by replacing commonly available products with natural, more environmentally friendly alternatives. In fact, you just need a few simple basic ingredients such as sodium bicarbonate, lemon juice, salt, essential oils, citric acid and natural homemade soap. Thanks to these, you can get everything you need to clean your entire home.
There are several options for making solid or liquid DIY laundry detergent for hand or machine washing. You can start by making natural soap at home using the cold method. Then you can grate it to make a powder detergent that you can use directly in the washing machine’s basket. For white clothes, you just need to add a spoonful of bicarbonate or percarbonate for each wash. Moreover, you can use a few drops of an essential oil of your choice, such as lavender, to perfume your laundry.
You can also make a liquid detergent out of flakes of soap. You will have to dissolve it in boiling water in a ratio of 1 to 5 (for example 200 grams of self-produced soap flakes per 1 litre of water) and leave it to rest for a whole day.
By following the same steps provided for the liquid detergent for the washing machine, you can also get dish soap. In particular, with the same doses and ingredients you can make about 1 litre of detergent for hand washing dishes. Then just add a few drops of lemon essential oil to increase the antibacterial effect.
You can also avoid the purchase of commercial products when it comes to scale preventers. Among the most effective natural remedies are vinegar, lemon or citric acid for making homemade spray products. Simply dilute small parts of these ingredients in water to facilitate household cleaning. Simple slices of lemon are perfect for cleaning the stove. For the washing machine you can use citric acid dissolved in water against limescale.
It is not necessary to buy special commercial detergents for cleaning glass and mirrors either. If the glasses are not excessively dirty, a simple microfibre cloth soaked in water may be sufficient to clean them. Alternatively, you can wipe the glass with newspaper. Finally, you can get a DIY spray by simply dissolving a spoonful of eco-friendly liquid soap in a litre of water.
No commercial products are needed to clean the oven either. In fact, you can get everything you need from some well-known inexpensive ingredients. With dishwashing detergent, water and baking soda, for example, you can prepare a slightly abrasive paste to clean the inside of the oven – just rub it with a brush.