Time to shrug off the gloom of winter and be a green hero

Green Clean
Ditch those chemicals and embrace more natural cleaning products.
You’ll find that lemons (a natural bleach) and white vinegar (a natural disinfectant) become your new cleaning buddies. And by adding salt (a bacteria killer), olive oil (a wood polish) and baking soda (a deodoriser), you’ll have your new cleaning kit ready to go.

Let’s get green cleaning

• Pop equal parts of white vinegar and water into a spray bottle and use old newspapers to clean windows, mirrors and glass to a sparkle.
• 4 tbs of olive oil, ¼ cup of white vinegar and 2 tsp lemon juice (optional but adds fragrance) mixed in a spray bottle and you have a wood cleaner and a polish
• For an all-purpose floor cleaner, mix equal parts of white vinegar and warm water and mop.
• To clean your microwave simply heat a small bowl of water with a few drops lemon juice then wipe the interior with a cloth
• Equal parts of white vinegar and water with a few drops of lemon juice will be perfect for cutting through any grease and grime on kitchen work tops.
• Clean your toilet by sprinkling ½ a cup of baking soda around the bowl then pouring 2 cups of white vinegar around, watch it fizz! Leave for ½ an hour, give it a good scrub and flush.

Whites Clean
After a time we all notice our whites start to look a little grey and dingy but forget reaching for the bleach, instead opt for the lemon juice. Wash your shirts, towels and bedding on your usual wash but just add 60 ml of lemon juice. If you can dry them outdoors on a sunny day, even better.

Remember, just because your clothing labels give you a wash temperature, these are the maximum temperatures to wash them at. Washing at 30 degrees is better for the environment and costs less per cycle, so saving you money, too. Even with whites you can get great results by washing at just 30 degrees, give it a go.

Get Organised
While you’re going about your spring clean, take a hard look at each room and see if there is ‘stuff’ that has accumulated that you just don’t need anymore. Decluttering is good for the soul and, possibly, the pocket. If you decide there are items that you would like to get rid of, have a think if they can be sold, upcycled, passed on to someone else, given to charity or recycled before you simply put them out for refuse and the landfill.

Spring is a popular time for home owners to put their homes on the market, and for buyers to decide to look for a new home.

If you would like a free valuation of your home, please give us a call on 079 1000 4321. We’d love to talk about your moving plans.