Make Your Own Eco-Detergent

January is a month when many of us feel the need to focus on a project, to rouse ourselves from the sluggish contentedness of the Christmas holidays and achieve, become, improve. We make lists of resolutions for the new year and we decide to plunge into a detox to atone for the indulgent past few weeks. I have a couple of resolutions, two very modest ones:

1: Treat my body with kindness. No detox during the bleak midwinter, that can wait until spring, which is a better time to put the body's organs through a thorough cleanse. Avoid excess and focus on nourishing and comforting foods.

2: Detox our home. After weeks of lolling around watching too much television and letting things slide it is now time to tidy up, declutter and restore the flow in the house. We sleep better in tidy bedrooms, we feel more at ease in uncluttered surroundings. Tidying up and putting everything away makes for a more restful home. And instead of a gung-ho approach to cleaning (which, to be frank, one is inclined to adopt when faced with three weeks of accumulated dust, glitter particles, molten wax and more...) I will put away those handy cleaning wipes which smell so strong they make me dizzy. Instead I am using an old-fashioned detergent which cuts grease, dissolves limescale and makes glass sparkle: Lemon and vinegar. How on earth did we get into the habit of buying half a dozen different cleaning products for our homes when it's so simple to make our own multi-purpose cleaner? All you need is a lemon and a bottle of plain white vinegar. And a jar with a lid. This is a detox for the wallet as well as the home...

Photo: Pinterest

You will need:

A pint-sized jar with a lid
One lemon
White vinegar, ca 4 dl (400ml, or just under a pint if you're not a metric measurer)

Cut the peel off the lemon and put it in the jar. Pour over the vinegar. Screw the lid on. Leave for a week or more before decanting into an empty spray bottle.

This concoction will cut grease and dissolve limescale and can be used everywhere. So simple, so cheap - and I bet Mrs. Patmore in Downton Abbey would approve :)

Photo: Itssoinevitable.tumblr.com