Natural substances are regularly touted for their cleaning abilities around the home, and some of the best of these natural cleaning products are fruit. According to cleaning influencer Dominika, who posts under the username Washy_Wash on TikTok, everything from lemon juice to banana skins can be used to “leave the home shining in a resourceful way”.
Working in partnership with Coffee Friend, she shared three fruits which can be used to tackle daily chores around the home.
Grapefruit
If you’re looking for a natural cleaning solution to tackle bathroom chores, Dominika says grapefruit juice could be the solution.
She explained: “You can use grapefruit for cleaning your sink or bathtub.
“All you have to do is cut the grapefruit in half and soak it in table salt.
“Then it can be put to work in cleaning limescale and mild mildew – plus it smells amazing.”
Simply sprinkle half a grapefruit liberally with salt, then wet the surface you want to clean.
Use the grapefruit to scrub the sink or bathtub, making sure to squeeze the juice over the faucet and drain.
Once complete, rinse the area thoroughly using warm water.
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“This works great with the oven too with the same procedure, just leave the bowl inside for 20 minutes on 200C.”
If you want to eliminate bad smells from your dishwasher, Dominika recommends placing a “squeezed lemon in a bowl” and popping it into your empty dishwasher overnight. She added: “It will make it smell fresh with little hassle.”
Citric acid also works as a natural disinfectant. Dominika said: “Test the disinfecting and cleaning ability on kitchen chopping boards.
“By rubbing the sliced lemon or its already squeezed remnants, you will remove faded stains, as well as bacteria, from the surface.
“For particularly resistant dirt, use a little salt, which you will scrub into the surface with a lemon.”
Bananas
Though the idea might seem strange, according to Dominika, a banana skin might be the answer to protecting leather shoes.
In fact, the potassium found in banana peels is also often a key ingredient in some shoe polishes.
Dominika said: “All you need is a banana peel and cotton cloth for this hack, which is great for leather but soft fabric shoes should be avoided.
“Wipe the shoe a few times with the inner side of the banana peel and then again with the cloth.
“Using it regularly on your leather shoes will also protect them from cracking.”
