Ultimate green spring clean

Ditch shop-bought chemicals for natural ingredients found in your kitchen and both your home and the planet will thank you, says Cinead McTernan

Spring is here – the traditional time to give your home a good clean from top to bottom, especially as it has been more lived in over the past 12 months than ever before.

But pause before you reach for that bottle of bleach.

There are loads of natural products that can be used to clean your home, and the chances are you will find most of the things you need in your kitchen.

If you don’t already have them, stock up on items such as lemons, potatoes, bicarbonate of soda, white vinegar and walnuts.

They make a cheap and ecofriendly alternative to shop-bought cleaning products, which can be full of chemicals and usually come in plastic bottles.

Here’s how to sort your spring cleaning naturally.

Best for… Furniture scratches

Walnuts provide a nifty solution to the problem of nicks and scratches that inevitably appear on wooden furniture after years of use.

The soft nut fills in the dents and colours the wood.

■■HOW: To remove a scratch, rub the peeled nut over the mark, rubbing with your finger to ensure the oil absorbs into the wood. Leave for five to 10 minutes and then buff with a soft cloth.

Best for… Shining silverware

Potatoes will leave silverware, such as candlesticks or photo frames, nice and shiny. They contain oxalic acid, which helps dissolve the tarnishing that builds up over time.

■■HOW: When you boil potatoes for supper, save the starchy water instead of pouring it down the sink. Soak tarnished silver pieces in the water for an hour or two, then remove, rinse and wipe clean.

Alternatively, tackle rusty pans, scissors or other objects by slicing a potato in half and covering the cut side in bicarbonate of soda.

Rub vigorously to remove the rust patch and wipe clean.

Best for… Clear mirrors

Cucumber skin is the perfect way to clean your bathroom mirror and prevent it from fogging up during a steamy shower. And it is a true super-veg when it comes to cleaning, as the flesh can also remove tarnish from stainless steel. Rubbing the skin over marks on walls and surfaces will also remove stubborn stains. ■■HOW: Simply rub the mirror with peel prior to a bath or shower and you’ll have a smear-free, de-fogged mirror. Similarly, you can rub the flesh on to stainless steel surfaces and polish with a cloth to create a shine.

Best for… Burnt-on grease

Onions might get a bad press for making your eyes water and being a bit smelly, but they can actually remove burn marks from ovens as the juice will break down the solidified mass of greasy deposits.

■■HOW: To clean gunky grills, heat them in the oven and then, using half an onion on the end of a fork, cut-side down, rub vigorously over the surface. You can also rub onion halves on the top of the stove to remove nasty stains.

Best for… Sparkling surfaces

The acid in lemon juice is not only antibacterial, but also helps to cut through grease, making it a really effective cleaning agent.

■■HOW: Squirt lemon juice on the counter top and rub to clean.

Alternatively, mix with bicarb to make a multi-surface scrub, making sure you patch test on your more exotic materials.

Try mixing with cream of tartar to polish your brass by rubbing on and buffing with a clean cloth, or use lemon juice directly on shower panels to remove hard water stains.

Best for… Stains

Cornstarch works as an absorbent powder that will help shift oily stains on sofas, tablecloths and even carpets. It also works to neutralise nasty odours too.

■■HOW: Cover the stain with cornstarch and let it sit for about 20 minutes. Vacuum up the powder and clean the fabric as usual.

Best for… Fridge odours

It might surprise you to discover that coffee grounds can help neutralise bad odours.

Scientists have discovered coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, which makes them an effective filter that can absorb gases that smell bad. And you get to enjoy a cup of coffee before you start cleaning too.

■■HOW: Place used grounds in a bowl and keep in the fridge to neutralise unsavoury smells. You can even rub them on your hands to help remove the smell of onions and garlic.

Best for… Gleaming whites

Lemons deserve another mention as they are a natural alternative to bleach, which is good news when it comes to getting whiter-than-white T-shirts or underwear.

■■HOW: Soak the clothing or bedding in a bucket of water and lemon juice. Work with the ratio of one freshly squeezed lemon to one gallon of hot water. After a couple of hours, you can rinse by hand and hang out to dry in the sunshine.

Best for… Descaling

‘‘ Tackle rusty pans and scissors with a potato and bicarbonate of soda

White vinegar is one of the go-to natural cleaning ingredients. Heavily acidic, it can dissolve dirt and grease and is a natural disinfectant. ■■HOW: Pour white vinegar into a plastic bag, and place your shower head into it secured with a rubber band. Leave for three to four hours, then remove the bag and scrub off the residue using an old toothbrush.

You can also use it to clean the loo. Simply add three cups of undiluted vinegar into the bowl, then leave for three hours before scrubbing clean. Or, combine one part water to two parts vinegar and use to clean glass, leaving windows

smear free.

Best for... All-purpose cleaner

Rosemary is one of the easiest herbs to grow, whether it’s in a pot on a window sill or patio, or in a bed in the garden. What’s more, its natural antibacterial and antiseptic properties make it a star eco-friendly cleaning ingredient.

■■HOW: Mix equal parts of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle and add five or six sprigs of rosemary as well as some lemon rind.

Leave to infuse for a week and then use it to freshen your surfaces – apart from granite – and to remove stains and smudges.