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