Green Housekeeping

Tips and tricks to clean your home naturally

WHERE TO START The cleaning cupboard

This is a list of the housekeeping equipment and cleaning products that I find useful. I have no need for anything more

· Beeswax polish

· Baking soda (bicarbonate of soda), in industrial quantities · Borax substitute · Chamois leather, for cleaning windows and rubbing off pet hair · Distilled white vinegar, in industrial quantities · Natural, ready-prepared cleaning fluids and detergent powder

· Enamel buckets –a good selection, preferably vintage. Why buy new ones when so many are available from flea markets and secondhand stores?

· Feather or lambswool duster with a long handle · Jam jars with screw lids · Lemons, for various cleaning purposes · Muslin, for food covers, straining jelly, etc.

· Old toothbrushes, for cleaning awkward corners · Rags, for use as cleaning cloths. Make these from worn-out cotton clothes, towels, tea towels and bed linens. Cut the cloth into squares. Wash or boil regularly. Most people have enough rags to last a lifetime · Refillable spray bottles

· Soda crystals

· Washing line and wooden clothes pegs

· Wooden bristle scrubbing brush

· Wooden-handled, bristle-brushed brooms (these last forever, unlike their plastic counterparts) · Wooden-handled, small bristle brush with tin dustpan (plastic is not eco-friendly and is breakable)