Farmhouse kitchen DIY kitchen cleaners

They’re cheaper, kinder to the environment, and they leave your home sparkling.

For past few months I have been experimenting with homemade soap, skincare, haircare and other beauty products.

I have very carefully made baby soap and baby laundry powder for my great nieces and nephews. My husband Dave loves the shampoo bars, even though he doesn’t have much hair. He says it makes his scalp feel great. He did have a false start by using the body butter that was in the bathroom, resulting in the top of his head looking very shiny.

Our dog Tessa suffers from dry, itchy skin but is now enjoying a lovely dog shampoo that really helps.

I’ve made kitchen and laundry cleaners, clothes washing powder and dishwashing tablets., and am extremely happy with the results. They perform well when cleaning and sanitising, are considerably cheaper, and I believe kinder to the environment than their purchased equivalents too.

I’d eventually like to replace all the cleaning items in my home with homemade ones, and this meant finding a kitchen cleaning spray and a toilet cleaner.

When you replace a commercially-produced product for a homemade concoction it is important that you are actually making something that is superior in some way, preferably cheaper, better at its job or environmentally kinder. It may benefit members of your family who have skin conditions or allergies. It may simply be that you have the items available and prefer making your own so you are in control of the ingredients and procedure.

Some research is required into the chemical substances you are using and where to source them cheaply. Some experimentation may also be required with the recipes. Ultimately I have found all my home-made products suit my lifestyle and family admirably.

Best of all, they make great gifts. I personalise them in some way on the packaging or even on the item itself. If you look online, you’ll find fabulous, free-to-use websites that will customise labels for you with very little effort.