Homemade Cleaning Recipes & Tips

Did you know that you can clean your home naturally and safely using food leftovers? Yes it is true, and you will be amazed by the results. It’s called: ‘Cleaning outside the box’! Try our favourite fridge and pantry finds to freshen and brighten nearly every area of your home.

Dust paintings (or stucco) with bread heels
Don’t let dust or dirt ruin your favourite paintings. Even after years of accumulating on vintage oil paintings, doughy white bread will make them look like new. Simply rub the squishy white part of the bread over the painting to lift off the grime, then use a paintbrush to remove the crumbs.

Clean leather furniture with banana peels
Stop buying leather/shoe polish. The texture and oils in banana peels act as a mild abrasive and polish. To clean, buff or moisturise leather/vinyl or any shiny outerwear use a ripe banana peel. Simply rub the inside over the item to be cleaned and buff with a soft cloth.

Remove water stains from metal or stainless steel with orange peels
Don’t put that orange peel in the bin! If your taps and metal fixtures are tarnished with water stains, shine them up by rubbing the inside of an orange peel over their surface. The citric acid and the oils in the orange peels create a streak-free result. Finish off with a soft cloth.

Condition wooden surfaces with mayo
The ingredients in mayonnaise — oil, lemon juice and vinegar — make it a good furniture polish. Rub it into the wood and buff with a soft cloth. Mayonnaise is also good for removing white water marks from wood also.

Remove rust from tarnished kitchen knives by cutting up an onion
This process will remove the rust from the knife, but you’ll have to throw the onion away. You win some, you lose some.

Freshen up the fridge with coffee grounds
Pour used or unused coffee grounds into a bowl and place in the back of the fridge to freshen and deodorise.

Cover up scratches on wooden furniture by using a walnut
Remove a large piece of nut from the shell and rub it diagonally into the scratch. Pecans, almonds, and Brazil nuts will also work.  Apply the nut across the whole length of the scratch rubbing in a backward and forward motion several times. Leave to sit in the scratch for several minutes before using a soft cloth to polish over the whole area.

Disinfect the kitchen with dry white wine
The alcohol, combined with the acidity, helps remove stains and kill germs. Warning: The acidity in wine may damage certain surfaces such as granite.

Remove mould and mildew with vodka
Spritz neat vodka directly on to mildew-y bathtub caulking, stains, tiles and showers, leave for 15 minutes before scrubbing with an old toothbrush.

Shine windows with black tea
Brew a batch of strong black tea by pouring about 8 ounces of boiling water into a bowl with 3 tea bags. Let steep until it’s completely cooled. Then, pour it into a spray bottle and set to work. The tannic acid in black tea dissolves dirt and grease.

Freshen carpets with cornstarch
Sprinkle cornstarch on your carpets. Leave for 30 minutes and then vacuum. Like Baking soda, corn starch has deodorising properties that will leave your carpets and rugs smelling fresh and new again.

Clean odd-shaped vases and bottles with rice
Mix uncooked rice with water in the vessel to be cleaned. Swish it around vigorously and you’ve used the power of agitation. Magic!

Clean shoes & remove marks with a potato
Rub a raw, peeled potato on a pair of shoes before commencing your normal polishing process to help remove scuff marks.

We just adore these tips and ideas..and would love to hear your favourite ways of using up leftover foods. So please feel free to comment and share..

“Where There Is Tea, There Is Hope”!
We love Green Tea! It cleans far more than just your body.

Green Tea is one of the “Healthiest Drinks in the World” and has been used as a health-promoting drink by diverse cultures around the world for thousands of years. The high antioxidant and nutrient levels make it beneficial to the body in many ways, and research has shown that it can help reduce the risk of certain cancers, promote a healthy weight, and support the brain. Green Tea comes from the unfermented leaves of the tea plant, and has a considerably higher concentration of antioxidants than black tea. It is these antioxidants that play a beneficial role on our bodies by neutralising free radicals and reducing inflammation.

How much Green Tea is good for me?

If you find yourself drinking a cup or two of Green Tea a day, you’re doing things just right! The best way to ensure you are getting the most out of your Green Tea is to make it yourself. That way you can avoid added sugars and over brewing. When making your tea, use filtered water that is not quite boiling, this will prevent a bitter flavour from developing. We think loose leaf Green Tea tends to taste better, however there are some excellent-bagged Green Tea’s on the market also. Keep in mind that this wonder brew contains caffeine and can keep you awake! So avoid drinking it too late in the day.

Green Tea not only cleans your body – It also cleans your home!

Pets
 – Apply Green Tea to a washcloth or cotton ball to clean your pet ears and paws and also clean scratches, as green tea encourages the skin to heal quicker. You can also sprinkle dried, used Green Tea leaves on your pet’s favourite pillow or bed (or anywhere troublesome pet odours occur). The crunching of the pellets releases a wonderful aroma.

Indoor Plants – 
Acid-loving plants such as: ferns, citrus trees and gardenias thrive when you add a little tea-spiked water to their soil once in a while. You can also use tea leaves to increase the nitrogen levels in the soil, creating a welcome fertiliser.

Mirrors & Glass – 
To make mirrors sparkle and shine, brew a pot of strong tea, leave it cool, and then use it to clean the mirrors and glass in your house. Simply dampen a soft cloth in the tea and wipe it all over the surface of the mirrors or glass. Then buff with a soft, dry cloth for a sparkling, streak-free shine.

Carpets & rugs – 
Green Tea leaves are also great at absorbing smells and bad odours. Sprinkle dried tea leaves on an old or musty carpet, leave to sit for twenty minutes before vacuuming them up. You can also put the used, dried leaves in your closet to absorb stale odours.



Toilet Bowls – Rumour has it that used tea bags can magically remove stubborn stains from the bottom of the toilet bowl. Just leave them in the toilet for several hours, then remove, brush the bowl clean and flush.

Straw & Yoga Mats – 
In hot and humid countries it is quite common for straw mats to be washed in tubs of water to which tea has been added. The tea works as a powerful deodoriser, leaving behind a fresh scent, and infusing the straw with a delicate sage colour. You can also use Green Tea to clean other washable surfaces, such as yoga mats and air mattresses.

Refrigerators – 
Place used Green Tea bags or leaves in an uncovered bowl in your refrigerator to help absorb odours from onions and garlic for about three days. No need to throw them out even then, just sprinkle the old leaves around your ferns, rosebushes, or other plants.

Hard wood furniture and floors – Freshly brewed tea is great for cleaning wooden furniture and floors. Just boil a couple of tea bags in a litre of water and let it cool. Dip a soft cloth in the tea, wring out the excess, and use it to wipe away dirt and grime. Buff dry with a clean, soft cloth.

Note: Please be careful: Wet tea leaves can stain, so if you are using wet tea leaves on or near a stainable surface be sure to test in an inconspicuous place first.

So what are you waiting for? Get the kettle on!