Want to clean your home effectively while saving on expensive household cleaners? We’ve scoured (no pun intended!) the web and found a whole lot of cleaning hacks that won't only make cleaning easier, but will save you money too.
1. Make your own household cleaner
Take a spray bottle and fill it a third of the way with vinegar. Add a few drops of dishwashing liquid and top it up with water. This mixture can be used in both the bathroom and kitchen.
2. Get your pots and pans looking new
Clean stained frying pans by boiling up an equal mixture of vinegar and water in them to get them looking like new. Pots that have scorch marks on the bottom can be cleaned by using a paste made from bicarb and water. Simply rub on to the pot and leave for a few minutes before removing the marks with a nylon bottomed sponge.
3. Easy microwave clean
To clean your microwave, place equal parts of vinegar and water in a microwave-proof dish and heat for five to ten minutes. Let everything cool for a few minutes before wiping the inside of the microwave down with a sponge or paper towel.
4. Say bye bye to soap scum and mildew
Remove soap scum and mildew from fixtures in the kitchen and bathroom by mixing 2/3 of a cup of bicarb, ½ cup of dishwashing liquid, and ½ cup of water with two tablespoons of white vinegar. Mix in a bowl, removing any lumps before pouring into a spray bottle. Shake well before using.
5. Hot oven cleaning hack
The worst part about cleaning an oven for most of us is the smell of commercial cleaners. For an easier, less smelly clean try using a mixture of bicarb, water and vinegar. Combine the ingredients in an oven proof bowl to make a paste and apply some of the mixture to the dirtiest parts of the oven and door. Place the bowl with the leftover mix in the oven and heat to 100°C for 45 minutes. Allow oven to cool and wipe down with a sponge.
6. Banish dishwasher dirt
It's important to keep your dishwasher clean, both from a hygienic point of view, and in order to keep it running efficiently. The good news is there's no need to spend money on branded dishwasher cleaners. Simply clean out the food trap and place a dishwasher safe bowl with a cup of vinegar on the upper rack and run it through a heat cycle. Once complete remove the bowl and sprinkle the bottom of the appliance with bicarbonate of soda and run the machine through a short heat cycle.
7. Dry clothes faster
Need an item of clothing to dry quickly? Place a dry towel in the tumble dryer along with the clothing. The towel will absorb excess moisture and your clothes will dry faster. If you're worried about fluff residue from the towel, simply turn the clothes inside out before drying.
8. Unclog a drain
Unclog a drain by using vinegar, bicarbonate of soda and boiling water. Take one cup of vinegar, half a cup of bicarb and around three and a half litres of boiling water. Pour the bicarb down the drain, followed by the vinegar. Cover the drain (a cup will work well) and wait 15 minutes before pouring in the boiling water.
9. Shine your sink
To keep you sink sparkling, wet the sink and sprinkle bicarb over the entire surface. Scrub and rinse then line the sink with paper towels that have been soaked in vinegar and leave for 20 minutes.
10. Make your laundry liquid last longer
Adding half a cup of bicarb to your liquid laundry detergent won't only make it go further, it will leave clothes whiter and brighter.
11. Keep carpets cleaner
To remove grease stains from carpets mix four parts rubbing alcohol with one part salt and rub the mixture into the affected area. Allow to dry before vacuuming up any leftover salt.