Green clean

These three items form the basis of what I clean the house with.

Spurred on by a dislike of under-sink clutter and a preference for natural ingredients, I've come up with a few standard mixes of these products. The only other things I regularly use are eucalyptus oil, Method's shower cleaning spray, Chux magic eraser sponges and no-brand metallic-looking mesh scourers (as the magic eraser stuff rips apart too easily when scrubbing tiles - but is great on glass shower screens and stainless steel sinks).

For a general cleaning spray, including benchtops, I mix water, a dash of eucalyptus, a squeeze of washing-up liquid and half a cup of vinegar and it works a treat.

For floors, into a bucket of warm water goes a squeeze of washing-up liquid and half a cup of washing soda (it's a great degreaser, bit like a natural sugar soap).

For glass and mirrors, it's a half-water half-vinegar mix. A professional window cleaner once told me the best way to wash dirty windows is with soapy warm water, the soap being washing-up liquid, a sponge and a squeegee. That all I've used on the windows ever since and it works every time.

I know some people swear by bi-carb soda but I find it too gritty. I do toss some of it in an empty dishwasher with a cup of vinegar from time to time to give it a clean, though.

Now I need to go and actually do some cleaning rather than write about it.