First of all, it's about respecting the environment, avoiding contact with harmful substances and reducing waste production, but also, and perhaps most importantly, saving money. Lemon, vinegar, baking soda and essential oils are the basic natural ingredients in your eco-friendly detergents. Lemon has a degreasing effect. Essential oils of tea tree, thyme, or lavender have antibacterial properties. Baking soda removes grease and disinfects. White vinegar acts as a degreaser, disinfectant and neutralizes odors. Why shouldn't we use them instead of classic detergents to clean our apartments and houses?

Here are 6 low-cost recipes for homemade organic detergents:

1. Dishwasher detergent with added lemon
You need : 4 lemons; 400 ml of water; 200g of salt; 100 ml of white vinegar.
The recipe is trivially simple. Squeeze the juice from the lemons getting rid of the seeds. Mix juice with water and salt, add vinegar. Then cook everything in the pot for 10 minutes stirring every now and then.
When the mixture is warm pour it into the jar and place it upside down; this will create a vacuum effect. Thus, it can be preserved for a long time. Only two tablespoons of detergent are needed per wash.

2. Degreaser with tea tree oil
You need: 500 ml of distilled water ; 1 tablespoon of organic dish detergent; 1 tablespoon of pure alcohol ( can be white vodka, or food grade spirit) ; 10 drops of tea tree oil.
To prepare this universal degreaser, you need a clean spray bottle. It can be one that is used for spraying plants. Pour distilled water and a tablespoon of eco-friendly dishwashing liquid into it. Add alcohol and tea oil ( dilute it in a little water before adding). Mix and remember to shake before each use!, The resulting liquid is ideal for cleaning most kitchen surfaces.

3. Eco-friendly detergent with vinegar
You need : 1 liter of water; 2 tablespoons of vinegar; 5 drops of lemon essential oil; 5 drops of eucalyptus essential oil.
Start by mixing vinegar and oil with water then pour everything into a spray bottle using a funnel.
Shake before use and you're done! This detergent will work well for cleaning mirrors, glazing, door handles, or windows.

4. Powder for washing white clothes
You need : 1 laundry soap flakes, 300g of Marseilles soap of any fragrance grated into flakes; 300g of baking soda; 250g of sodium bicarbonate; 100g of sodium percarbonate; 50g of sodium citrate powder.
Just mix all the ingredients together. Add four tablespoons of powder directly into the drum of the washing machine before setting the wash.

You can buy washing soda and baking soda at the supermarket, while sodium percarbonate and sodium citrate can be found in stores selling organic and natural products or online, as can Marseilles soap.

5. Eco-friendly detergent with salt and vinegar for oven cleaning
You need: : ½ liter of white wine vinegar and 250g of salt.
The whole process of getting rid of dirt from the oven is really quite simple. Just mix both ingredients in a bowl. When the salt is completely dissolved, pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray the warm oven lightly, trying to reach even the most hidden nooks and crannies. Leave for about 30 minutes and wait for the oven to cool completely. Remove salt residue with a sponge. Finish cleaning with a soft cloth.

6. Fabric softener with citric acid
You need: 100g of citric acid; 1 liter of distilled water
Prepare an empty and clean bottle. In a pot, dissolve citric acid in slightly heated (to 40 degrees max) distilled water (if you use tap water, the effect of citric acid will be inhibited). To perfume your organic softener, you can use a few drops of essential oils (e.g.. Lavender) Remember to shake the bottle with the liquid before each use. Use exactly like regular fabric softener.