Natural Cleaning Challenge - Week 3 - Eco friendly jewellery cleaner #NatClean2012

Jubilee fever may be over, but we're still wearing our best sparkly jewels in honour of Her Majesty the Queen!

If your jewellery is looking a bit dull and lifeless, today's #NatClean2012 challenge is for you - let's get those sparklers sparkling and make you look like a Queen once again!

It's important to clean your jewellery regularly if you want to keep it in tip top condition - everyday wear and tear can make it look dull and lifeless, and who wants a lifeless bit of metal upon their person?

So, let's get cleaning - naturally!

Clean Silver Jewellery naturally

You will need:

• aluminium (tin)foil
• baking powder
• boiling water

Firstly line a bowl with the foil - make sure the bowl is something that can cope with boiling water or this could get a little messy!

Then put in your silver jewellery.

Cover the jewellery with baking powder. Make sure it's covered but don't go mad!

Now the fun bit; pour on boiling water until it covers the jewellery. It will fizz and foam a little - don't panic!

Leave it for around 5 minutes to perform it's fizzy magic.

Lift out the jewellery (we'd recommend using a fork if you don't want to be branded) and rinse under cold water.

Buff with a soft cloth and gaze in wonder at your new sparkly items :)

(Note of caution - be careful with costume jewellery, as leaving for too long in the boiling water could melt the glue - we'd advise soaking for a minute at a time)

Clean Gold Jewellery naturally

 You will need:

• cider vinegar

In a bowl, place the gold jewellery you wish to clean.

Add the cider vinegar until it covers the items.

Let it sit for 15 minutes, then take it out and buff with a soft cloth.

Bask in the knowledge that everyone will soon think you have a whole load of new jewellery and all for the cost of a bit of cider vinegar!

So there we have it - 2 great eco recipes for cleaning gold and silver jewellery - now you can look good and save the planet at the same time!

Will you take us up on our NatClean2012 challenge? If you missed the previous posts, click here to find them!

Let us know in the comments below (and on Twitter using hashtag #NatClean2012) if you have any other jewellery cleaning tips, and how you're getting on with our Natural Cleaning Challenge!

Natural Cleaning Challenge - Week 1 - Oven Cleaner #NatClean2012

It's a task we all hate - cleaning the oven. But those chemical laden cleaners have made it so easy haven't they?

"Just spray on, leave, then wipe", says one brand.

But just exactly what are you 'spraying on'?

When the warning on the back tells you to well ventilate a room, not to get the product on your skin, and not to breathe it in, it can't be good can it?

That's because the most common basic ingredient in oven cleaners is lye; either sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. This can burn your eyes and skin, and can be fatal if swallowed.

Some oven cleaners can also contain butane, monoethanolamine and Dithylene glycol monobutyl.

We don't know about you but we feel pretty icky spraying our oven with things we can't even pronounce!

And that's before we think about the residue left behind on an item we use to cook food for our children!

But help is at hand, with our Natural Cleaning Challenge Week 1 Oven Cleaner!

Try the following recipe, and let us know in the comments what a difference it makes for you. Or tweet about it using the hashtag #NatClean2012!

NATURAL ECO FRIENDLY FUME FREE OVEN CLEANER

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate)
• Half a cup of washing soda (most supermarkets stock this)
• Tablespoon white vinegar (not malt!)
• Hot water

Method:

1) Turn your oven off and allow it to completely cool

2) Wipe off any excess dirt or spills with a cloth dipped in very hot water

3) Add the baking soda to the washing soda and mix

4) Gradually add the hot water until you have a thick spreadable paste

5) Add the vinegar - it will fizz at this point, don't be alarmed!

6) Spread the paste all over your oven surface (rubber gloves and an old paintbrush would come in handy for this part!)

7) Leave it overnight (make the most of it, order takeaway!)

8) The next day just wipe off with warm water

9) Admire your sparkly oven and feel smug that no parts of the planet were harmed in the cleaning of your oven!

If your oven is particularly greasy (don't worry, we won't tell!) then use an additional cup of washing soda in the initial mix.

The great thing about this oven cleaner is that it doesn't scratch your oven and so can be used on enamel and porcelain, and if you wanted that lemon fresh smell you could add a few drops of lemon essential oil.

That's it - it's really that simple!

Grab your ingredients, cool down your oven and... 3...2...1...GO!

(Don't forget to tell us how you get on in the comments! And on Twitter using hashtag #NatClean2012)

Natural Cleaning - will you take the challenge? #NatClean2012

With the advent of shops such as Poundland and The 99p Store, buying cleaning products has never been so cheap. Add into that the millions of pounds that manufacturers throw into their advertising campaigns, and you'd be forgiven for thinking that you had the best bargain in the world with a £1 toilet or kitchen cleaner from a well known brand.

But most of us know life isn't just about money or glamorous brands; it's about being eco-friendly, about staying healthy and about avoiding the chemicals and additives that most modern cleaning products contain.

So, with that in mind, we at Bathbomb.biz are issuing a challenge - a natural cleaning challenge!

Over the next few weeks we're going to challenge you to replace one of your cleaning products a week with a natural alternative. Even better than that, we're going to give you the recipes and guidelines you need for that alternative, using things you probably already have around your home.

Think about it; currently you probably use a lot of the following:

• Chlorine
• Phosphates
• Caustic cleansers
• Hydrocarbons
• Benzisothiozalinone

Without even thinking about it - they're found in toilet cleaners, oven cleaners, kitchen sprays, detergents and more. And that's just the start.

Yes they make things clean and sparkly. Yes they make things smell good. But these chemicals (and more) are also linked to a  variety of health and environmental problems, due to the way they are manufactured as well as the impact they have once they're washed down the drain.

We owe it to ourselves and our environment to avoid them.

So we're going to show you how to use:

• Vinegar
• Baking soda
• Essential oils
• Salt
• Olive oil
• Bread
• Walnuts
• And more

to make your home shine, smell fresh and most of all BE CLEAN.

No more toxic chemicals, no more fabricated smells that don't last, and we'll even bet that our natural cleaning challenge recipes are cheaper too!

So are you up for it?

Let us know in the comments if you're in, and look out for our next post or watch Twitter for the hashtag #NatClean2012

Natural Cleaning Challenge!

Spring! And what am I thinking about?! Yep, how dirty are those windows, when was the last time the fridge was cleaned out, how do I get the limescale off the sink...

BUT...


There's a whole host of reason why you might want to "clean up" your cleaning.

Like me, I am sure you are concerned about your own personal environment.  Many of us make our own Bath & Body products simply to know exactly what is going onto our skin and into our baths.

It's seems natural then that I'm also concerned about the wider world, the impact that over packaging and use of plastics has on our planet.  Indeed that is also one of the reasons I got into making Bath products in the first place. 

In the mix is also a feeling of worry about transportation of goods from the source/manufacturer, to the distributor, from the distributor to the supermarket and from the supermarket to my home.  What IS the real cost of that bottle of oh so handy cleaning spray?

It seems to me that many every day cleaning products are more than a bit of an environmental no no on many levels when you also add harsh chemicals into the equation.

This is my personal list of reasons to change at least some of my own cleaning habits and products;

• Too much packaging
• Harsh unnecessary chemicals
• Cost in money
• Cost in terms of the environment

Don't get me wrong though - I am all for convenience and 100% behind a clean and safe kitchen, bathroom and home.  And what is more I don't want to spend a single second more on my cleaning chores than I have to.  Who would!?

So here's what I thought....

Would you join me?

Could we change our cleaning habits easily?

Among the hot topics I'd love to look at ...

• How to make an effective general purpose cleaning spray
• What removes limescale without seemingly nuking the entire house
• How do you keep carpets fresh with kids/animals around
• Can I live without bleach? (Oh dear, that says so much!)

Up for a challenge?  What do YOU want to change about your cleaning?

Let me know below and we will see what we can come up with :)