Most homemade cleaning recipes revolve around the same eight products. Knowing them stops you using them at random or, worse, mixing them at the wrong moment.

Here is what each one really does, and when it is the best choice.

What you need

Baking soda. Mildly abrasive and deodorising. The all-rounder: sink, hob, rugs, fridge.
Sommières earth. A clay that absorbs grease while dry. For an oil stain on fabric, before any washing.
Meudon whiting. A very fine chalk that polishes without scratching. Windows, mirrors, copper, silverware.
Oxalic acid. For rust and stubborn stains on metal and stone.
Washing soda. Much more alkaline than baking soda. For baked-on grease and greasy drains. Gloves are a must.
Citric acid. The descaler. Coffee machine, kettle, taps, shower screens.
Sodium percarbonate. An active oxygen bleach that works from 40 °C. White laundry and organic stains.
White vinegar. A mild acid that fights limescale and streaks. Use it to rinse rather than in a mixture.

The method

1

Store them dry, closed and out of reach of children.

2

Never combine an acid such as vinegar or citric acid with a base such as baking soda, washing soda or percarbonate in the same bottle: they cancel each other out. One after the other, yes. Together, no.

3

Percarbonate only works in hot water. Below 40 °C, nothing happens.

4

Wear gloves with washing soda and percarbonate.

Where to start

If you were to buy only three: baking soda for everyday cleaning, white vinegar for limescale, black soap for grease. The rest can come as you need it.

The doses for our products are on their packaging, and that is what counts. If swallowed or splashed, call the Poison Centre on +32 70 245 245 and keep the packaging to hand.

The ingredients