Bicarbonate of Soda

Bicarbonate of Soda

When it comes to cleaning naturally then bicarb is where it is at.  Some people (just do a search) think that is probably the only cleaning agent you will ever need.  I personally like a few more weapons in my arsenal against house hold muck and germs but bicarb is a very good place to start.

Warning and Disclaimer

I am not an expert on essential oils.  I tend to follow the guidelines on other people's recipes.  Remember that natural does not mean safe!

The oils I use are:

Lavender, Tea Tree and Lemon oil.  These all have antibacterial and anti-fungal properties

Cleaning the bathroom

Dampen a sponge scrubber, the sort with a darker layer of scrubber on the top, and use a teaspoon to put a small amount of bicarb on.  Rub well into grimy bathroom and then rinse clean.  

This works really well on soap scum marks but, and this a big but, you do need to scrub a bit and water may not be enough to rinse it off.

If you don't rinse it of properly then you get a powdery residue on your bath.  This looks dusty but is nothing to worry about.  On the toilet seat though it leads to a less than satisfactory, gritty sensation.  Not what you want at all.

If you are getting bicarb residue then use a second sponge, spray this one with white, household vinegar and use this to give your bathroom a final wipe down.  This will leave everything shiny, even the loo seat.  You might even find that you hear a nice fizzing noise as the bicarb and vinegar react.

Smelly Carpet and Shoe Mix

I got the recipe from the "How Clean is Your House" programme and it never fails.

Take an old ice cream box or similar.  

Empty in a small box of bicarb.

Add 2 or 3 drops of your favourite essential oil.

Put in the lid, shake well and leave for a few days for the smell to infuse.

To use:

Get an old plastic bottle and use a skewer to make holes in the lid.

This can then be used as a sprinkler.

Shake the mix over your carpet and leave for as long as possible before hoovering.

Or shake into the bottom of smelly shoes, just a little.

Alternatively, use the mix to make up little smell sachets that you put into your shoes while not wearing them.

You could also sprinkle some onto upholstery, leave and then brush off or hoover. 

Important points to remember

Hoover the mix off your carpet before pets or children go on it.  This really depends on the type of essential oil you have used, some are more of a problem than others.

Shake the mix out of your shoes before you wear them.  A few bits of powder won't do you any harm but I don't know about prolonged exposure.