While hygiene is so important, and some cleaning items in short supply, Hala shares some great ideas for saving money and looking after the environment by making your own cleaning materials.

3 of the most useful items to have in your Eco cleaning kit are:

1. Lemons
2. Baking Soda / Bicarbonate of Soda
3. White Wine Vinegar

Luckily all of these are available from your local supermarket!

Lemons have powerful antiseptic and antibacterial properties and are a natural deodorizer due to their high acidic content. So, keep your squeezed lemon halves and put them to good use.

Use to disinfect your wooden chopping board and get rid of smells by rubbing the lemon over the board.

Use as a pan cleaner – Dip a lemon half in bi carb or in salt and use to scour your pans to bring out a shine and get rid of stains.

Use as a surface cleaner – Soak some lemon zest in vinegar for a few days. Strain out the zest and put the liquid in a spray bottle and use as a surface cleaner.

Clean your plastic containers – Mix some lemon juice with some bi carb to clean stains from plastic containers.

Bicarb of soda / Baking Soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, works as a gentle abrasive, deodorant and more.

Use as an oven cleaner – A thick paste of baking soda and water can be applied to the bottom of the oven to clean it. Let it sit for a couple of hours or overnight before scraping it off and wiping the surface.

Use as a toilet Cleaner – Throw a cup of baking soda into the toilet bowl and let it sit for more than an hour. Then add a cup of white vinegar, let the mixture sit for a while longer, and flush.

Clean your clothes – When added to your washing machine, it can soften your clothes and remove any unpleasant odours.

White Vinegar is a weak acetic acid that can be used in almost all aspects of home cleaning, as it has strong antibacterial properties.

Use as a stain remover – Vinegar diluted in water is an effective stain remover for a range of textiles.

Refresh your dishwasher – If you have a dishwasher and it needs cleaning, fill a dishwasher-safe bowl with two cups of white vinegar and set it on the top rack. Let the otherwise empty dishwasher run one cycle to get rid of any odours and bacteria.

Descale your kettle – Pour a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water into your kettle, allow it to boil, then rinse the kettle out once it cools down a little but is still warm.

Use as a tile cleaner – The grout between tiles in the bathroom can become mouldy, which is both unsightly and unhealthy. Remove it by mixing one-part carbonated water with one part white vinegar and spray it on the mouldy areas. If the mould still doesn’t scrub off, add two parts baking soda to the vinegar-water mix to make a thick paste. Let the mixture sit on the grout for at least 15 minutes before scrubbing it off.

Unclogging drains – Prevent clogged drains with a strainer to keep hair, food and other stuff from building up in the drain. If you cook with a lot of oils, pour boiling water down the drain once a week to flush fats and oils away. If it gets clogged, first try a plunger — this often works better and faster than the most powerful chemicals. If that doesn’t work, try a combination of 1/2 cup of baking soda, followed by 1/2 cup of white vinegar, then cover the drain if you can, and let the foaming pressure do its stuff.

Instead of using air fresheners – According to NASA, houseplants will do just as good a job at purifying the air. Try spider plants and peace lilies for starters.