We’ve just come back from a lovely, spur of the moment, week away.
With the trip being last minute, there wasn’t much time to get things in order at home before we left, which means we’ve come back from a perfectly-cleaned-by-housekeeping lodge to a cluttered, messy home with beds that need changing, floors that need vacuuming and surfaces that need a good clean.
So of course I’m sitting writing this instead of tackling it all!
When the house needs a good clean it can be really overwhelming. I know I often don’t know where to start when everything needs doing. This year though I really want to start getting on top of things at home, putting a bit of a routine in place to get the cleaning done.
Like a lot of people I also want to be more mindful of the products I’m using and trying to be more eco-friendly when it comes to cleaning.
Here are some great tips I’ve picked up recently for ways to keeping on top of things at home without relying on too many chemicals.
Let the fresh air in
I really love it when the house smells nice when you walk through the front door, but I don’t really want to be spraying air freshener around too often.
So I try to fling the windows open for a bit each day to let fresh air circulate around the house.
To really then make the house smell nice you can do things like putting out vases of fresh flowers, making a natural air freshener with water, baking soda and essential oils or making a simmer pot to pop on the hob for a bit to fill the house with gorgeous scents.
Look out for eco-friendly products
More and more companies now are producing eco-friendly cleaning products that don’t contain nasty chemicals but are still really easy to pick up with your weekly shop.
If you look around most supermarkets you can find everything from natural washing powders, to floor cleaners and furniture polish.
What’s really great these days is that these kind of products aren’t limited to what we use at home. Business supplier Jangro has a great range of products in their Jangro enviro range so that companies can clean on a larger scale and be happy knowing they’re using more natural products.
Make your own cleaning products
If you want to go one step further, and possibly save money along the way, then you can buy some reusable containers like spray bottles and make your own natural cleaning products.
Vinegar is great mixed with water to clean windows and mirrors. You can use scrunched up newspaper or a microfiber cloth to get a brilliant streak-free finish.
You can also add some essential oils like lavender or lemon to a vinegar and water mix to use as an all-purpose cleaner around the house.
There are recipes for all sorts of homemade cleaning products online, but I love the look of these from clean mama.
Are you trying to use less chemicals when you clean at home? Do you have any other top tips for being more eco-friendly when it comes to keeping your house clean?
DIsclosure: this is a collaborative post