Household Hacks – Tips for Cleaner Cleaning

With the success of Matts thieves oil recipe that took the audience by storm after the podcast where he explained the essential oils, he blends together and makes up in a spray come grimey germ seasons. However, we wanted to go a little further again and look at the whole house for what we can do better to have a cleaner cleaning method and our impact on the environment as well as our own health.

We have collated our top 5 favourite household hacks for our readers

1. Burnt Pan? Fear not, we have all been there! If the pan is still warm there is salvage to be had; simply fill the pot with water and add 2 cups of vinegar and bring to a hard boil for a few minutes. Add two tablespoons of baking soda and let settle for a few moments. Empty the pot and use a scrub pad to get any little left-over bits in the bottom. It makes hard grit-work much easier.
2. DIY Dishwasher Soap Pods! We love this household hack possibly the most. What we wash down the drain is terrifying when it comes to chemicals and our waterways plus dishwasher tablets are so expensive! Here is a little recipe that’s cheap and environmentally friendly. These can also be used as little toilet tablet bombs.

1 x Cup of washing soda.
1 x Cup of borax.
¼ cup of Epsom salts.
¼ cup of vinegar or lemon juice if you are lemony gifted.
20-30 drops of lemon or lime essential oil, whatever you prefer.

Mix all dry ingredients together in a bowl. Then add the vinegar, it will foam so don’t stress! Once the foam settles, add the essential oil of your choice and stir.

Grab an ice cube tray or silicone mold that holds a cube the size of your dishwasher tablet so you know it will fit. Leave the cubes in the mold to dry completely overnight and store in an airtight container for use the next time you need to wash. Easy peasy!                   

1. Got ants in the kitchen? Use your orange peels! Grab an old clean sauce jar, don’t pretend you haven’t stashed a few and taken the labels off to store stuff in, we all do. Chuck in some of your orange peels into the jar and then top it up with some vinegar. Close the lid and leave in the pantry or on the bench for two weeks. Remove the peels and add the vinegar to a spray bottle. It smells amazing, is great for benchtops, and keeps the ants away.
2. Need to polish up that stainless steel? Easy as 1,2,3 simple combine ½ a cup of olive oil (any form), ½ cup of white vinegar, and 20 drops of your choice of essential oil for fragrance usually orange or lemon smells delicious. Combine in an oil compatible bottle and spray on your stainless steel surfaces and buff off with a dry cloth. Can also be used on timber as a natural polish.
3. Dryer sheets – not something many of us use these days, a strange luxury that we remember our parents using though. They are easy enough to have and prevent lint from gathering on the clothes and make them a little softer to the touch. Grab some dollar sponges and soak them in some fabric softener, a few drops of your favorite essential oil, water, and a dash of vinegar. Store a stack of these in an airtight container next to all of your usual washing essentials and add one into each load of clothing. Reusable to prevent waste too!

Have any more house hacks to share? Send them through to Info@atpscience.com or tag us on Instagram @atpscience