Delia Maury is our Head Housekeeper, and this month she’s been on a ‘green’ cleaning challenge using only the most natural products available to her. She’s compiled a list of 9 top tips for cleaning at home using only natural ingredients… In a sense the ultimate eco friendly cleaning tips!

1. Fragrant Vacuuming
My room attendants taught me this tip; put a few drops of an essential oil on a cotton ball (around five drops is sufficient) and place inside the vacuum cleaner to leave a lovely fragrance in the room after you’ve cleaned.
2. How To Kill Dust Mites
Adding a few drops of eucalyptus oil to your laundry will help remove dust mites from your bedding. To enjoy a dust mite free sleep, simply add around 20 drops to your load and wash as normal.

3. Cleaning ‘Sharp’ Windows and Floors
White vinegar can be used to dissolve grease and soap deposits and will also clean your windows and floors.
Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar to a bucket of water. Add ten drops of lemon oil and four drops of oregano essential oil. Oregano oil has powerful antiseptic properties. Mix one part white vinegar with one part water in a spray bottle and spray onto a cloth; use it to clean the work surfaces and the floor of your kitchen.
4. How To Clean Cookers
Make a paste of baking soda and water and use the mixture to clean the cooker hob top. The formulation works by literally fizzing off the grease. If the stain is stubborn then reapply the paste and leave on for longer before removing.

5. How To Remove Hard Water Marks
This same solution can be used to clean the toilet bowl as it will help remove hard water marks. However, this solution will only remove the hard water marks it will not sanitize the toilet bowl, to do this use lemon juice (citric acid).
6. How To Remove Grease
Add around 5 drops of tea tree oil to your baking soda and water mixture to remove grease and leave the area lightly fragranced. Remember when combining oils and water to make sure you shake the mixture well as the oil can separate from the water.

7. How To Pulp the Grime
Having removed the pips and pulp, mix the juice of three lemons into a spray bottle with some water; this is a great remedy for removing grease and grime. Lemon juice mixed with white vinegar is also good for window cleaning, as the lemon juice removes the smell of the vinegar without compromising on the quality of the clean.
8. Lavender Smelling Laundry
Any nice smelling oil can be used but since lavender is such a calming smell it works really well here; put a few drops onto a cloth and place in your dryer instead of fabric sheets. This will leave your laundry with a natural, delicate scent. It can also be sprayed on your bed linen or pillows to aid a restful sleep.
9. How To Remove Wine Stains
If you spill wine on your carpet do not rub the area as it sets in the stain. Instead, pour salt (powder not rock crystals) onto the stain and let sit for around 10 minutes before vacuuming over it. The salt acts like a poultice and sucks up the stain.

Please use the comments box to suggest any other green cleaning tips you may have for our readers.