February Eco Friendly House Cleaning Challenge – Plus Win a VonHaus Vacuum Cleaner!

The vacuum cleaner was gifted by VonHaus but all views are my own

Before spring finally approaches and after the January blues, I find it good to get the house sorted and do a big spring cleaning. Don’t get me wrong, I do not enjoy it as I hate tidying, but it’s a must and has to be done. So we teamed up with VonHaus and invite you for a 14-day-challenge: to help you to get into the habit of doing a little bit of extra every day which will ultimately save you doing a lot at once. Now, I’m not a Marie Kondo worshipper (although, I symphatise with part of her philosophy) – but I do declutter as I go, on a weekly basis, which is a key to keep things under control, since our place is not too big and we never seem to have enough storage. Another thing which I also do almost daily is vacuuming. This is something inevitable, when you have two small children. You just can’t escape. Luckily, I have just received this 2-in-1 Stick Vacuum Cleaner from VonHaus to test  which is very handy for a quick and strategic hoover around. (You can also win one of this – scroll down to the competition!) This is especially handy after dinner, snacking on the sofa and under the craft table. Clean floors make a big difference.

So here’s the challenge:

Day 1: Bins and recycling: sort through all the bins in your house and get your recycling separated. 
Day 2: Wipe down your kitchen units and steam the cooker tops. 
Day 3: Empty and clean out the fridge freezer – don’t forget the kitchen cupboards! 
Day 4: Vacuum Day: Focus on the floors, give all the rooms in your house a good vacuum. 
Day 5: Vacuum Day: Move the furniture and hoover those hard to reach areas of your home. 
Day 6: Clean the windows – inside and out! 
Day 7: Wash the curtains and wipe down the blinds. 
Day 8: Take everything off the sideboards, shelves and get dusting! 
Day 9: Get your bedding, blankets and cushions washed – after all everyone loves fresh bedding! 
Day 10: Wardrobes: Clear out any old clothing, reorganise and wipe down your wardrobes. 
Day 11: Remove wrinkles from clothing, curtains and upholstery. 
Day 12: Wash out your shower, shower screen and/or bath. 
Day 13: Let’s mop: antibacterial your floors and wipe down the tiles. 
Day 14: Finally take a trip to the tip: Declutter your home from unwanted clothes, items or food and take it to the tip, food bank or local charity shop. 

To help you withe the challenge I also have some tips for you how to make your own cleaning products at home. I’ve asked my blogger friends to help me with tips, I’ll be surely adding some of these to my routine. These are not only cheaper but also safer around children and more environmentally friendly than the store bought chemicals.

Air freshener or odour neutraliser:

Fill small ramekins with baking soda and leave them in rooms throughout the home to absorb odours and put out fresh herbs as a natural air freshener! – from Jenny at Chilling With Lucas   

If you put slices of lemon in your fridge it neutralises any bad odours and keeps it smelling fresh. – from Beth at Twinderelmo   

Multi purpose cleaner:

Mixing vinegar with water in a spray bottle. this is the easiest cleaner to make. Re-cycles the spray bottle and the cleaner is chemical free as well. You’d think your house would stink of vinegar, but it doesn’t as the smell clears. – from Emma at All She Loves

Bicarbonate of soda cleans almost anything mixed with a little water.  – from Clare at Wild Mama Wild Tribe

Glass cleaner:

One part white vinegar and four parts water makes an excellent streak free grease busting glass cleaner! – from Emma at Ready Freddy Go

Laundry aid:

Use vinegar in the washing machine instead of fabric conditioner. It works especially well for towels, will get things like dog beds smelling like brand new and much cheaper and eco friendly. – from Amy at Amy Treasure

I use essential oils (for the fragrance) and soap nuts in the washing machine instead of liquid/powders. Zero waste because the soap nuts can be put on the compost once they’ve been used a few times. – from Alice at Living With A Jude

Microwave cleaner:

Half a lemon in a jug of water and microwaved for a few mins gets rid of any nasty pongs and loosens any dirt on the inside of the microwave too so it just needs a wipe. You shouldn’t use chemicals in a microwave as causes rust. – from Fran at Back With A Bump

Dishwasher cleaner:

Clean your dishwasher by placing a container such as a Pyrex bowl containing 2 cups of vinegar on the top rack of the dishwasher. Run through on a hot cycle with no other dishes in the dishwasher to clean and remove any musty smells. – from Leta at Attachment Mummy 

Toilet cleaner:

Sarah at Whimsical Mumblings has a recipe for both a toilet cleaner and toilet bombs on her page, super easy and only contain a few basic ingredients. She also re-cycled empty shampoo bottles for the toilet cleaner! 

Washing up liquid:

Simply mix 3 tbsp liquid Castile soap, 500ml boiled and cooled water, 2 tsp glycerine and 2 tbsp white vinegar plus add a few drops of lemon, orange or lavender essential oil to the mix.

Furniture polish:

Mix 200 ml warm water with lemon essential oil and spray onto a soft cotton cloth. 

Another method is to mix together 60 ml white vinegar, 160 ml olive oil and the juice of half a lemon. 

Mould fighter:

Mix white vinegar and a few drops of tea tree oil in a spray bottle and treat the affected area. Let it sit for about 30 minutes, scrub and rinse.

Oven cleaner: 

Mix 60 ml bicarbonate of soda, 1 tsp of salt and a splash of water, your aim is a paste like texture so add as much water as it requires. Scrub the oven and wipe it clean.

Drain cleaner:

Pour down bicarbonate of soda followed by white vinegar to your drain. Wait 10 minutes then pour boiling hot water down the drain.

And now for the giveaway!

For a chance to win a 600W Orange 2 in 1 Stick Vacuum from VonHaus simply enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Terms and Conditions:

The competition closes at 12:00 AM on Tuesday 12th of February 2019 and the winner will be announced via social media and notified via email.

The giveaway is open to all UK residents aged 18 or over.

There is no maximum amount of times an individual can enter, and each entry will be in with a chance of winning.

ONE person will be picked at random as a winner and the prize provider will send the prize directly to the winner as soon as is reasonably possible. (It is the winner’s responsibility to reply with their full name and address in order to receive their prize).

The winner will have 28 days to respond to their winner’s email.

No cash alternatives are available.

The winner’s name will be posted onto them Captain Bobcat Blog website.

Entrants must read and accept the above Terms & Conditions to be eligible to enter.

This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest or Rafflecopter.

Check out my other giveaways I have a few up and running!