The only downside of the welcome spring sunshine is that it cruelly exposes the slothful habits of winter: grimy work surfaces, dubious sticky patches inside food cupboards and hastily wiped hob tops. Time to fling open doors, windows and curtains and get out that jar of elbow grease for some spring cleaning.
Readers of past columns will know of my various attempts at making alternatives to shop-bought furniture polish, stain remover and glass cleaner .However, the holy grail of domestic hygiene, the multi-surface spray cleaner, has, until now, eluded me.
Shop-bought spray cleaners aren’t cheap, or not as cheap as they should be considering they are mostly water. At a price range of £2.50-£4.50 per 350ml unit, depending on the brand you buy, these kitchen cupboard regulars are pound for pound more expensive than a bottle of decent pinot grigio. In addition, some of the synthetic fragrances are pretty revolting.
So with the help of a few readers’ tips and some experimentation, I tried making my own. Most recipes take just a few minutes. All worked out at less than £1 per bottle. Each recipe makes enough to fill a standard size 350ml [amazon asin=B000HMBJ74&template=*lrc ad (right)]spray pump bottle (I keep used ones in my kitchen but they are available from garden centres or kitchen equipment stores).
Recipe One
Lemon and lavender: Lemon and bicarbonate of soda are classic cleaning partners, the acid of the lemon and the alkali of the bicarb producing vigorous fizzing. Lavender essential oil not only smells divine but is a natural bactericide. Squeeze the juice of three lemons into a mixing jug and add three teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda. When the fizzing dies down, add one drop of washing-up liquid, three drops of lavender essential oil and enough water to top the bottle (around one part lemon mixture to two parts water). Stir well and use immediately.
Verdict: A sublime natural scent of lemons and lavender made this spray a real joy to use. I made it in around three minutes at a cost of about 97 pence. It works well for wiping down lightly soiled work surfaces and dining tables but is not heavy-duty enough for tea and wine stains.
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