I cleaned oven, shower and toilet with £1.69 soda

Keeping your home tidy and organised isn’t always straightforward. Certain spots seem to mysteriously attract grime no matter how much you clean them, which is why it’s crucial to keep a reliable kit of products to hand, prepared to deal with whatever comes your way. As most of us are likely aware, white vinegar is one of the real champions of household cleaning . This natural yet effective ingredient can deliver an outstanding shine to glass, worktops and countless other surfaces, and it’s cheap as

well. But during one cleaning session, I chose to swap my usual white vinegar for an alternative — and the results were far better. Last year, I’d purchased a bag of soda crystals which I’d used to brighten a wash load. The outcome was impressive, but I hadn’t touched them since, and they’d been collecting dust at the back of my cupboard. That said, I’d noticed several cleaning experts online praising how effective they were for tackling glass and limescale, as it essentially dissolves any

stubborn grime when you apply it as a dense paste and leave it on problem areas. There were three main areas I thought could benefit from a generous application of soda crystals — the oven, shower screen and toilet. So, after placing some soda crystals in a bowl and slowly adding small quantities of water until the texture was suitably thick, I set to work. This was the area of my home that needed the most work. I’m ashamed to admit I’ve only cleaned my

oven glass a handful of times since moving in four years ago, so safe to say there was a lot of dirt and grime on there. Using a cloth, I applied the soda crystals paste generously, ensuring the glass was completely coated in a good, thick layer. The beauty of this method is that it requires very little effort — simply leave it to work its magic for approximately an hour to properly break down the grime. I then took a coarser cloth and scrubbed

the paste in circular motions. It was amazing to see just how much of the build-up lifted away with minimal effort. I rinsed it off and repeated the process several times until both the paste and the dirt had completely disappeared, before finishing with a quick spritz of surface cleaner and wiping away any remaining residue. The result was genuinely impressive — it looked as good as new, and I’ve since passed this tip on to countless people. Not only are soda crystals great for

cleaning glass – they can also be used to tackle limescale. I had a small build-up in the toilet bowl, but since I don’t live in an area with hard water, it wasn’t anything dramatic. That said, it was certainly in need of a thorough clean. To tackle this, I simply scattered a couple of cups of soda crystals into and around the bowl, leaving it to sit for a further hour. To really get to grips with the grime, I used an old toothbrush

to scrub away any remaining stubborn deposits before flushing everything away. The outcome was a spotlessly clean toilet bowl, achieved without a single harsh chemical. After seeing how amazing my oven glass looked after cleaning it with the soda crystals paste, I knew I had to give it a go on my shower glass too. Keeping this clean is genuinely the bane of my life – every day there are new fingerprints, soap or water marks all over it, and I just feel like it

never really looks that clean. I used the same approach of spreading the thick paste with a cloth, leaving it for an hour before scrubbing in circular motions and wiping the surface clean afterwards. As the images clearly demonstrate, every last soap and water mark disappeared, leaving behind a stunning shine that can usually be quite difficult to accomplish. If soda crystals have never featured in your cleaning routine, now is the time to give them a go — available for just £1.69 at Savers

, a single bag is more than enough to take on a whole host of household tasks.

soda crystals, cleaning hacks, oven glass, shower screen, toilet cleaning, limescale, £1.69, Savers