Using natural cleaning products to keep our home spick and span is the norm these days, but that was not always the case.
As I embarked upon my New Thing A Day challenge in 2015, I started looking up alternative cleaning methods. Using natural cleaning products instead of harsh chemical cleaners was something I was interested in but I did not really know where to start.
Going Natural
The benefits of going natural are so numerous, but for me, the desire to move away from hazardous chemicals in my cleaning chores stemmed from wanting to keep our animals safe. I was uncomfortable with the idea of using any products which came with health warnings. Check your supermarket bought domestic cleaning products and you will probably see very scary warnings printed on the back.
As well as being safer to use around humans and animals, natural cleaning products are kinder to the environment, and they are almost always cheaper than store bought ones.
Cleaning the Oven
Our oven was suffering from a build up of serious scorching and burnt on food debris. I decided to try out a natural oven cleaner recipe to see if it would work.
I mixed together baking soda and water into a paste, and then spread this out over all of the internal surfaces of the oven. I left this to sit overnight.
In the morning, I wiped away the paste, and then wiped down all of the inside of the oven with a rag and vinegar.
I have to say I was really pleased with the results! Our oven had been desperately in need of a deep clean, and this method did a decent job. It did not remove all of the seriously scorched marks on the bottom, but it was very clean.
The only thing I was not happy about was the smell – I found the smell of the vinegar really offensive, and even with the doors and windows wide open, the acrid smell did not dissipate for hours, and I ended up with a raging headache.
It was only MUCH later on that I realised that I had used the wrong type of vinegar… I should have used 5% white spirit vinegar, but had in fact used MALT vinegar!!!
This “something new” was particularly interesting because of the feedback it generated on my Facebook post about it – I received brilliant tips and advice from lots of my friends about other natural “recipes” to use in household cleaning… so I actually ended up with a heap more ideas of new things to try later in the year, many of which I have used ever since!
Two years on, I now almost exclusively perform my daily household cleaning routines using all natural products. So when I look back on this experience, and how utterly clueless I was back then, it gives me a giggle!