CLEAN START 2020 Eco-fr endly

If your new year resolutions are anything like ours, they probably give mention to adopting some eco-friendly habits, and keeping the home clean.

Give your home a fresh feel for the warm months ahead. Making your own environmentally-friendly cleaning products to use around the home is not only cost effective but better for your health. Let’s start with the kitchen.

• Wipe, clean storage: Remove all items from any drawers and cupboards, and wipe them out thoroughly with an ecofriendly solution of the juice of three lemons, three teaspoons of bicarbonate soda, one drop of dishwashing detergent and a drop of oil such as eucalyptus or lavender. Mix together and add to one litre of water.

• Clean the oven: Rather than kitting yourself up in a biohazard suit, try using bicarb mixed with water. Scrape off as much grime before making a paste and spreading it over the walls, top and bottom of a cold oven. Leave overnight. The next day use a cloth with hot water to wipe it all down and finish with a final wipe using paper towels. Spread a layer of bicarb on the oven glass and spray with white vinegar until it fizzes. Finish using a soft scouring pad to clean off the grease and wipe clean.

Moving on to the bathroom, there are a few ways you can reduce the wet and eco footprints, in equal measure.

• Clean the shower door: Fill a clean spray bottle with equal parts water and white distilled vinegar. Spray the solution onto the front and back. Allow the mixture to stand for at least five minutes or up to 30 minutes for tough soap scum.

• Detox the toilet: Pull on some gloves and thoroughly scrub the toilet using one cup of vinegar mixed with a quarter of a cup of bicarb soda. Don’t forget to remove the seat and clean around seat bolts. Wipe with a clean cloth soaked in warm water.

For the bedroom, there’s a number of things you can do.

• Tidy your wardrobe: Sweep and wash the wardrobe floor, or for carpeted areas sprinkle baking powder over the area, leave for two to three hours, vacuum well. Donate items you no longer need.

• Banish bed bugs: Sweep, mop or vacuum underneath your bed. If it’s a sunny day, take your mattress outside and let it sit in the sun. The ultraviolet rays will kill any nasty bacteria.

• Window wonder: Wash the curtains or clean blinds with a damp cloth. Clean the windows with a solution of two teaspoons of white vinegar mixed with one litre of water in a spray bottle. Sparkle up the glass using a clean cotton cloth.

The living room is arguably the heart of the house. There is much you can easily do to spruce it up.

• Couch cleanse: Vacuum all surfaces and wash any cushion covers, blankets or snuggies. Spot clean small stains with a mix of quarter of a cup of eco-friendly dishwashing detergent and one cup of warm water, blended to form a foam. Apply with a soft brush gently working it into the fabric, then use a clean, dry cloth to dab dry.

• Disinfect door handles: Wipe away any grime with a mix of three to four drops of natural soap and 15 drops of tea tree or eucalyptus oil with two cups of water. Spray onto areas that need cleaning and wipe off with a soft, dry cloth.

And ending with the home office; decluttering your physical space can declutter your mental space, leading to increased productivity.

• Keyboard clean: Turn off your computer or unplug the keyboard. Buy a can of compressed air from the hardware store. Attach the nozzle and aim the air in between the keys, blowing away any debris.

• Desk declutter: Clear the top and contents of the desk drawers, and clean with an all-purpose cleaner made from half a cup of vinegar, one quarter of a cup of baking soda mixed with two litres of water. •