Ok just bought white vinegar, borax, bicarb - now what do I do with them!!!???

[theexmrsbarryscott]

After seeing last nights program on Channel 4 with Sarah Beeny (cant remember what it was called), I've just given my chemical household cleaners away and bought white vinegar, borax, bicarb, lemon juice and tea tree oil - has anyone got any 'recipes' to put these together to make kitchen and bathroom cleaners?

Many thanks.

I use white vinegar to get rid of limescale. For instance I tie a piece of vinegar soaked cloth around the tap. Also I spray it onto the bathroom tiles in the shower.
The lemon juice - I saw a programme where ther put a bowl of water with a bit of lemon juice into the microwave and turned the microwave on.

I've never tried it, but will now

white vinegar instead of fabric conditioner

think Kim n Aggie have some good tips.

I don't have many but vinegar is good for polishing glass, it cuts grease as well as limescale.

You can use a big spoonful of borax instead of a dishwasher or washing machine cleaner if they are getting gunky, I think you have to run it without dishes and clothes

lemon juice for stained countertops, it has a mild bleaching effect.

You need to get some citric acid too - brilliant for cleaning loos ! (summer naturals online do bulk quantities vinegar etc). For what to use where, try WEN

bump

Hi fellow -ex-cillit-banger!!

I have had anthea turner's book for ages and been meaning to do something with it but that prog really shocked me into it.
Give me a sec and I'm going to copy (all attributed,of course, as don't want to get MN into trouble) her recipes out now.

Anthea turner's ultimate grimebuster:
(c) Anthea Turner

Mix together
2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tsp laundry borax
2 teacups water
3 drops lavender oil
3 drops tea tree oil
Pour into a plant spray bottle and away you go!

We recently cleaned our washing machine with Bicarb and white vinegar from a recipe DP googled. I have never had such fab results from anything I bought in the shops!

If you live in cambridgeshire and can never find Bicarb in the shops it's because I have been in earlier and cleared the shelves

A good tip is for cleaning greasy Kitchen cupboard doors - take a tub of bicarb and a non stick scourer. Wet pad in hot water and dip in the tub so you get a wet clod of bicarb on the scourer. Scrub gently at the cabinets. Leave for a few minutes then wipe with a damp cloth and polish dry with another dry cloth (or Kitchen roll!). I have wooden doors so I then gave then a polish but am looking for an alternative to that if anyone has a tip?

I was absolutely amazed by how much dirt came off

That's fab - thanks PM.

I'm off to make some now & give it a go!!

The program really shocked me too - it's something I was very curious about and it just re-instated what I had been thinking all along.

cmoc - thanks for the tip.

I've seen a 'recipe' for polish - 1 cup olive oil and 1.5 cup lemon juice, mix together in spray bottle, spray over wood and use a cloth to buff up.

My sister makes her own washing powder and washing liquid using some of thos ingredients - will check on recipe. She says it is incredibly quick and easy.

Anthea's top ten cleaning producst (c) Anthea Turner

white vinegar
Use to clear grease, as a bleach, as a disinfectant, and to help prevent the growth of mould, stain remover, deodorizer

lemons
Along with sunlight, lemons are nature's bleach. Mixing the juice with salt or baking soda gives it even more cleaning power. Lemon juice is mildly acidic = excellent stain and grease remover.

baking soda
Mildly abrasive, stain remover, cleaner and deodorizer. Mixed with veinegar = powerful cleaner for bathroom porcelain.

laundry borax
Dissolved in wate it makes a useful disinfectant, and water softener and can be used to remove some stains.
Although natural it is poisonous so take extreme care if there are children/pets around and always wear gloves. Do not use boric acid - it is a different substance and not the same as borax.

pure soap
Containing no animal fats/synthetic chemicals, pure soaps are often made with olive/coconut oil. You can buy soap flakes or make your own by grating a bar of pure soap. Used for washing delicate clothes/in cleaning situations where you want gentle soapy solution.

washing soda
Great for cutting through soap deposits/grease around plug holes etc

cream of tartar
Mildly acidic, excellent stain remover, (e.g. rustmarks/grimy collars).

glycerine
Sticky liquid which helps loosen some kind of stains.

essential oils
Eucalyptus - antibacterial
Lemon/lavender - antibacterial and antifungal

Other oils that work well are rose, citronella, tea tree and orange.
Children shouldn't handle essential oils.

All this (c) copyright Anthea Turner
HTH
PinkMartinix

can i hijack thsi thread and ask where do you buy white vinegar from?

I have only seen a bottle with the words white vinegar in in wilkos and it was a squirty bottle, not just a normal bottle

is it the same as the clear malt vinegar that is in the vinegar section in supermarkets?

if you mix white vinegar bicarb. you will have a fantastic effect! try it.. the word is volcanco

what would you guys use to clean an oven??

have most of the ingredients mentioned so hoping i can do something...there was only cillit bang in two supermarkets which am a bit scared of

sugggestions appreciated by me and oven!

nannyl - wilkinson's was the only place i could find that sold white vinegar, plus they also sold boxes of bicarb and borax too.

This thread is excellent - I could be converted away from my Mr Muscle with these tips.

I got my white vinegar in tescos.

Oven cleaner - I used bicarb on the glass doors and they came up really well, have not tried the interior yet as it is scarey Will be interested to know if anyone has a good suggestion.

which shelf in tescos

Im alwasy lookingfor white vinegar that say white vinegar on the label.... is that right?

I have never found any (except squirty bottle in wilkos) and the closest i have found is clear malt vinegar and dont know if that is the same as white vinegar or not?

have looked in sainsburys / tesco extra / giant asda hypermarket / waitrose etc loads of times

In Sainsburys today I found White Wine Vinegar (500ml 78p) and Sarsons Distilled Malt Vinegar (568ml 68p). I am cleaning my Tefal Steamer, which says to use white vinegar - I have combined the two bottles and it seems to working well.
Anyone know if Distilled Malt Vinegar is similar/the same as White Vinegar?

Nanny I am shortly off to Sainsburys - whilst you were there did you notice if they sold borax, tea tree and lavender oil cos I want to make that Anthea Turner stuff. I am just going to assume that the Sarsons white malt vinegar that I already have in my cupboard will do.

today i have beeen to a massive asda and also a massive sainsburys.... i studied the vinegar eisle again but there was no white vingegar that i could see

the closest was distalled malt vinegar but it dad say on it something like 'for culinary and household purposes'

i didnt notice the other stuff

looked on wilkinsons website and found borax and a big box of bicarb (but no white vinegar) even tho in my store i know they do white vinegar in a squirty bottle but i really dont see the point of paying for a squirty bottle

Borax I got from Boots (£2.19 750g), Oils I got from Holland & Barrett (Lavender 20ml £3.14, Tea Tree 10ml £1.93 - currently on special offer) My local Sainsburys is quite small, didn't find Borax there. Larger out-of-town stores however may well have it.

• Baby Sick smell in car - Any ideas on what to use for that? I am trying - White Vinegar in a small bowl, plus am trying Bicarb on carpets.

The vinegar in a bag and tied round taps works really well.

I did the lemon in a bowl of water to clean the microwave last week. I kept having to put it on, total 5 minutes, but it worked brilliantly.

I also do a very hot wash once a week in the washer using soda crystal to get rid of all the yukky stuff.