With spring officially starting this month and the sun making a welcome return, many of us will be keen to dust away the cobwebs of the winter and give our homes a thorough clean from top to bottom.
Cleaning may have once been regarded as a tiresome chore, but it’s become increasingly popular in recent years due to the influx of cleanfluencers such as Mrs Hinch and Marie Kondo, and the virals #CleanTok trend on TikTok.
The saying goes “tidy house, tidy mind” and many fans have credited cleaning for boosting their mental health and helping to calm their anxiety and stress levels.
Casey Major-Bunce, or @majormumhacks to her 450k+ Instagram followers, has amassed a loyal following online thanks to her clever tips for quick and effective cleaning.
But she says a common mistake she sees people making is to mix chemical-based products to get their home sparkling clean.
According to the expert, bleach should never be mixed with other chemical-based products when it comes to sprucing up the bathroom as inhaling the fumes can be dangerous.
Instead, Casey says there are so many natural products that provide an effective clean that you probably already have in your fridge or kitchen cupboards.
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The cleaning guru has gone into detail on the exact products to use in your home – plus which cooking staple works best for tackling dust.
Speaking to Stocklytics, Casey shares her top natural cleaners and how to best use them in your home:
White vinegar
Vinegar contains about 5 percent acetic acid, which works wonders at breaking down things like dirt, stains and bacteria.
Casey says: “This is a great product at tackling hard water stains. You can soak fixtures in vinegar and a great tip is to make a mix of vinegar and washing up liquid and use it to clean your shower screen.”
“It will leave it sparkling. You can dilute it with water in a spray bottle for a natural disinfectant on your countertops too.”
Bicarbonate of soda
A natural abrasive, this is amazing at tackling tough stains and dirt while being gentle.
Casey says: “Mixing bicarbonate with white vinegar creates a solution that’s amazing for unclogging drains.
“One of my favourite hacks is to use a fine sieve and sift bicarbonate over a mattress and leave it for a few hours. It lifts the stains and odours.”
Lemons
The acid in lemon makes them naturally antibacterial and antiseptic, and they can also serve as a natural bleach, which is ideal if you’re trying to cut down on harsh chemicals.
There are so many uses for lemons, whether it’s running them over wooden chopping boards to lift stains, or heating them in a microwave to allow the steam to blitz it.
But Casey says her favourite use involves a smelly washing machine and toothpaste.
“Cut a lemon open and apply some toothpaste on it. Then place it in the washing machine on a high setting and let it run. The toothpaste is abrasive and helps to remove mildew, grime and dirt from the washing machine. The acid from the lemon is naturally antibacterial and helps to clean the drum.”
Olive oil
This might surprise you but olive oil is not just a cooking staple.
The oil can be used to polish furniture and care for leather goods, but Casey says it also works to blitz dust and stop it returning.
“You can create a solution with white vinegar and a small drop of olive oil and spray and wipe it around the house. It’s the olive oil that works wonders at tackling dust and stopping it from settling so easily,” she revealed.
