Chemical-free pre-holiday house cleaning? Let me you help you out!

This time, I'm going to recommend detergents which can help you save money, as well as let you banish harsh, irritating chemicals from your home for good.

I'm sure you already know that the basic ingredients of a chemical-free household include washing soda, baking soda, sodium percarbonate, citric acid, lemons and vinegar.

Post the following list on your fridge so you could always check up on stocks running low:

• 100% Manna essential oils
• vinegar
• baking soda
• lemon
• table salt

Vinegar

Let's see what you can use it for:

• As a general disinfectant and descaling agent

• The most effective window cleaner

• Baking soda and vinegar are great for cleaning and removing smells and stains from cutting boards: sprinkle the cutting board with baking soda and then spray with some vinegar. Let it set for 10 minutes and then rinse with clean water

• It's great against mould and mildew

• For washing floors, add 100 ml of apple cider vinegar to a bucket of water followed by 10 drops of your favourite essential oil.

• A mixture of vinegar and water can be effectively used to descale your steam iron. Pour the mixture into the water container of the iron and press the steam button. You can also wipe the bottom of the iron with some vinegar and water

• It can help remove the salt and muck building up on shoes: spray a little water and vinegar on some fabric and use it to wipe the surface of the shoes or boots

• You no longer have to scrape the ice from the windshield of your car if you spray it with a mixture of 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water

I also use more complex, self-made detergents which help make my home squeaky clean and provide a comprehensive chemical-free solution.

Alcohol-based disinfectant spray

Mix 100 ml of water with 100 ml of 70% alcohol available at pharmacies and add 10 drops of essential oil - I prefer tea tree, lavender or lemon essential oils. This mixture isn't suitable for degreasing or removing stains, but it's a superb disinfectant.
I shake up the mixture in a spray bottle (for example, an empty bottle of flower water) and seal it with an air-tight cap when not using it.

What is it good for?

• disinfecting plastic food containers or lunchboxes

• refreshing bed linen or carpets

• you can even spray it in your shoes to removal unpleasant odours

• to clean bathroom sanitary ware

Lemony natural furniture polish

This furniture polish will breathe new life into wooden surfaces with an amazingly fresh fragrance to boot.

You'll need the following:

• 10 drops of lemon essential oil
• 2 tablespoons of strained lemon juice (or the same amount of apple cider vinegar)
• 1 teaspoon of jojoba oil

All you have to do is mix the ingredients, dip a microfiber cloth into the liquid and wipe the surface of the furniture.