Why Mix Your Own Cleaning Products?

There is something quietly satisfying about a cupboard under the sink that smells of nothing much at all. Walk down the cleaning aisle of any supermarket and you are met with a wall of fluorescent liquids, each promising to obliterate germs while leaving behind a scent described as "mountain breeze" or "cotton fresh". In practice, most of those bottles rely on the same handful of workhorse ingredients, dressed up in plastic and perfume. Mixing your own is cheaper, kinder to sensitive skin, and remarkably effective once you know the ratios.

The three heroes of a homemade cleaning kit are bicarbonate of soda, white vinegar and lemon oil. Between them they cover the vast majority of kitchen and bathroom jobs. Bicarbonate of soda is a gentle abrasive that lifts grease and neutralises odours. White vinegar is acidic, so it dissolves limescale, soap scum and hard-water stains. Lemon oil cuts through sticky residue and leaves a fresh, genuine citrus scent rather than a synthetic imitation. Keep a tub of each and you are already halfway to a spotless home.

Your Starter Kit and Where to Buy It

None of this needs to be expensive or hard to find. A large bag of bicarbonate of soda from the baking aisle costs pennies compared with branded powders, and white vinegar is usually sold by the litre alongside the condiments. Lemon oil is the one worth sourcing properly: look for pure essential oil rather than a fragrance oil, which is often diluted with synthetic compounds and will not cut grease as well.

• Bicarbonate of soda — a 500g tub or larger bag
• White vinegar — at least a litre, more if you have hard water
• Lemon oil — a small bottle of pure essential oil goes a long way
• Spray bottles — two or three glass or recycled plastic bottles with fine nozzles
• A jar with a lid — for the abrasive paste
• Microfibre cloths and a small scrubbing brush

Label your bottles with a marker and the date you mixed them. It takes ten seconds and saves a great deal of confusion later.

The All-Purpose Spray for Kitchens and Worktops

Fill a spray bottle with one part white vinegar to one part water. That is it. This simple mix deals with greasy fingerprints on cupboard doors, splashes on the hob and everyday grime on worktops. Spray, leave for a minute, then wipe with a damp cloth and buff dry.

If the smell of vinegar bothers you, add ten to fifteen drops of lemon oil per 500ml. The vinegar smell fades within a few minutes as it evaporates, and the lemon lingers pleasantly. Do not use this spray on natural stone such as marble, limestone or granite, as the acid will etch the surface over time. For those, use warm water with a drop of washing-up liquid instead.

For a thicker, scrubbing spray, mix two tablespoons of bicarbonate of soda with 500ml of warm water and a teaspoon of lemon oil. This is excellent on splashbacks and the fronts of appliances.

Tackling the Bathroom: Limescale, Taps and Tiles

Bathrooms are where vinegar truly earns its keep. Limescale builds up on taps, showerheads and tiles, and acid is the only thing that shifts it without a fight. For taps, soak a cloth in undiluted white vinegar, wrap it around the tap and leave for twenty minutes. Remove, wipe and buff. Chrome comes up gleaming.

Showerheads can be unscrewed and left to soak in a bowl of vinegar overnight, or tied into a plastic bag of vinegar if they do not detach. In the morning, rinse and the spray pattern will be noticeably better.

For the toilet, pour a cup of bicarbonate of soda into the bowl, followed by a cup of white vinegar. It will fizz enthusiastically. Leave for fifteen minutes, scrub with a brush and flush. For the outside of the bowl and the seat, use the all-purpose spray with a few extra drops of lemon oil. Grout responds well to a paste of bicarbonate of soda and water, worked in with an old toothbrush, then sprayed with vinegar to rinse.

The Scouring Paste for Sinks, Hobs and Ovens

Mix bicarbonate of soda with just enough water to make a thick paste, roughly three parts powder to one part water, and add a few drops of lemon oil. This paste is your go-to for stainless steel sinks, ceramic hobs, the inside of the oven and burnt-on pans.

• Kitchen sink: rub the paste around with a cloth, rinse well and buff dry for a shine
• Ceramic hob: apply to cooled spills, leave ten minutes, then wipe away with a damp cloth
• Oven: coat the interior, leave overnight, then spray with vinegar and wipe out
• Stained mugs and teapots: a spoonful of bicarbonate and hot water lifts tannin marks

Keep the paste in a lidded jar and add a splash of water if it dries out. It will keep for months.

A Few Cautions Worth Knowing

Never mix vinegar with bleach or with anything containing ammonia. The resulting fumes are genuinely dangerous. Keep your vinegar sprays well away from bleach-based products, and never combine them in the same bucket.

Do not use vinegar on natural stone, on aluminium, or on the screen of a laptop or television. Test any new mix on an inconspicuous area first, particularly on sealed wood and coloured fabrics. Lemon oil is safe on most surfaces but can dull some plastics and varnishes, so use it sparingly.

Store your sprays out of direct sunlight and away from children, exactly as you would any shop-bought cleaner. Used sensibly, these three humble ingredients will handle almost everything your kitchen and bathroom can throw at them, at a fraction of the cost and with none of the chemical fug.