Which? magazine has conducted a series of tests which go to show that in many cases these cheaper, eco-friendly solutions work just as well if not better than their newer competitors. We welcome our old chum Web Granny, June Jackson to put the results of the survey to the test...



ALL YOU NEED TO TRY THIS AT HOME!
* LEMON JUICE: a NATURAL BLEACHING AGENT and DISINFECTANT. If you're buying from a supermarket, a lemon will cost you about 16p.

* DISTILLED WHITE VINEGAR: ACIDIC, so CUTS THROUGH GREASE and grime (though you've got to be careful on delicate surfaces). A bottle of vinegar will is around 65p for 568ml.

* BICARBONATE OF SODA is mildly ABRASIVE, making it good for SCRUBBING - and it's also an excellent DEODORISER. Bicarbonate of soda costs about 44p for 200g.

* RUBBER GLOVES and empty SPRAY BOTTLES as the problem with some of these natural solutions is the mess, so it's good to keep your hands covered. Pouring your new solutions into a spray bottle means you can easily use it again in the future...

TEST 1: CARPET STAINS

Shop bought: Vanish Oxiaction Carpet and Upholstery cleaner (£2.98 for 500ml).

Alternative: For red wine, grass and blood, squeeze lemon juice on to the stain and wipe with a damp cloth. For coffee, pour soda water on to the stain then blot with a cloth.

The Which? Verdict - PERFORMANCE: Lemon Juice wins. "Testers said lemon juice did an 'exceedingly good job' at removing red wine. Vanish needed two applications to match it. Lemon was also effective on blood and grass stains, whereas Vanish wasn't. Soda water proved very good at removing the coffee stain far better than Vanish, which was only slightly better after a second application." Both were easy to use.

The Which? Verdict - COST: Lemon juice wins. Vanish cost 2p per use. Lemon and soda water was cheaper, at 0.16p per use June says: Always use COLD LIQUID on blood, otherwise it sets the stain. It's actually best to use the gentlest remedy first - I like to use a dash of WASHING UP LIQUID in a cup of warm water. Dab the area with clean water at end as lemon is a bleach. Hydrogen peroxide can be used to remove lingering coloured stains - this is particularly good for blood stains.

TEST 2: REMOVING LIMESCALE FROM TAPS

Shop bought: Limelite power spray (£2.49 for 500ml) Alternative: Rub half a lemon over taps, leave to dry then buff up (chrome taps only).

The Which? Verdict - PERFORMANCE: Lemon victory again. "The alternative outshone the Limelite spray, leaving taps 'very clean and shiny' according to our testers." However, their testers did find the lemons a bit MESSY!

The Which? Verdict - COST: Not such good news for granny. Lemons cost more - 8p per use compared with 0.1p for Limelite. June says: Don't use on GOLD-PLATED fittings as the acid will cause irretrievable damage. Lemon would not be my first choice to remove limescale as I think DISTILLED VINEGAR is easier and cheaper, but lemons do clean and disinfect chrome nicely. Ensure it is RINSED WELL before polishing otherwise the acid can harm the surface. Bottled lemon juice would be easier and cheaper.

TEST 3: TOILET

Shop bought: Domestos Active Gel (99p for 750ml) Alternative: To remove stains, sprinkle bicarbonate of soda into the bowl, add distilled white vinegar and clean with paper towels or Cloths. (When fizzing has stopped, rub marks (urgh!) with a cloth to get good results. Flush the toilet before sprinkling bicarbonate of soda as it then sticks to the walls better and doesn't just end up in the water.)

The Which? Verdict - PERFORMANCE: Comparable. "Both products produced excellent results." In Domestos' favour, the bleaching agent it uses is gentler than chlorine on the environment (however, it is classed as an irritant).

The Which? Verdict - COST: Again, sadly, granny pays more: bicarbonate of soda and white vinegar cost 15p per use, Domestos 2p per use.

June says: VINEGAR ALONE would probably remove limescale; HOT vinegar if severe. Bicarbonate of Soda and vinegar are used to clean drains and pipes, followed by boiling water. Bicarbonate of Soda is a very good cleaner - this can be used on a damp cloth or made into a paste and spread over the offending areas.

TEST 4: WINDOWS AND MIRRORS

Shop bought: Windolene spray (£1.06 for 500ml) Alternative: Mix one part distilled white vinegar to nine parts WATER. Apply to your smeary windows or mirrors then buff up with pieces of scrunched-up NEWSPAPER.

The Which? Verdict - PERFORMANCE: Comparable - but not necessarily desirable. "The alternative cleaned on a par with Windolene... but lost marks for ease of use. Our testers also complained that the alternative mixture had an unpleasant smell compared with the other two."

The Which? Verdict - COST: Granny loses out. Windolene costs 0.1p per use; vinegar is 2p per use.

June says: For normal cleaning you would probably only need 2 TABLESPOONS of vinegar in HALF A BUCKET OF WATER- add a dash of washing up liquid to help clean more stubborn marks. This not only reduces the cost but also the odour. Undiluted distilled vinegar can be used on stubborn marks. Vinegar is said to loose its smell once dried.

TEST 5: DESCALING THE KETTLE

Shop bought: Oust kettle descaler (£1.55 for 150ml) Alternative: Add half WATER, half distilled white vinegar to kettle and boil.

The Which? Verdict - PERFORMANCE: Comparable. "Vinegar descales just as well as Oust.... However, it gives off an UNPLEASANT SMELL." (boil fresh water in the kettle several times after descaling to get rid of the smell and taste of the vinegar) The Which? Verdict - COST: Granny wins! Vinegar is only 11p per use compared to Oust's 60p.

June says: Make sure the liquid is over the element. If you need to clean the whole of the inside of the kettle (rather than just the element) this takes a lot more vinegar and is, therefore, more costly. It does, however, work very well. Needs boiling with clean water AT LEAST TWICE - but this is also the case with chemical cleaners. Vinegar is pungent but is used to remove unpleasant smells from kitchens and clothing - the ODOUR SOON SUBSIDES...

JUNE'S TOP TIPS...

* NEVER MIX CLEANERS as they can give off toxic fumes.

* Good ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER can be made from: 2pts of warm water, teaspoon of washing up liquid and a splash of vinegar - this can be used on counters, floors, wall, rugs, upholstery etc.

* LEMON JUICE is particularly good for removing RUST and stains on PLASTIC.

ECO-FRIENDLY CLEANING

The motives in favouring home-made mixes are not just economic. By law, manufacturers of household cleaners must label any products that harm health or the environment, but they don't have to specify which chemicals they use.

Some environmental groups are concerned about the harmful chemicals found in many household cleaning products, fearing they may accumulate in the body and in the natural environment, potentially causing problems for generations to come.

For example, some of the ingredients in multi-surface cleaners can cause abnormalities in the reproductive system, air freshners can cause asthma in children, and chlorine-based bleach can get in to the water system, where it can contaminate wildlife.

If you haven't got time to mix your own alternative cleaners, but still want to be kind to yourself and the environment, it's always worth considering shop-bought eco-friendly cleaning products, like Ecover, Bio-D, Clear Spring and Little Green Shop.

Which? found Ecover to be AS EFFECTIVE as the home-made mix for cleaning toilets, microwaves and windows, though MORE EXPENSIVE than the 'chemical' shop-bought products it tested.

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fab!

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phew, better get cleaning.

good one chopper, thanks

yeah- thanks x

thanks i might try some of these

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i might give some of them a go later :-)

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hi folks. i have a tip for you. if you spill milk in your car you can clean & deodorise by using bread soda diluted in warm water.the smell can be pretty horrible if tou leve the milk soak in. ok bye for now.

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yes i know it smells disgusting, my sister did this in her car :roll: