Castile soap is a natural and vegan cleaning product popular for green cleaning. Today, Australians are more aware of commercial cleaners’ harmful nature and effects. These house sanitation products are readily available in markets, but using them is bad for the environment and your health.
They are laden with corrosive chemicals, volatile organic compounds and other harmful components to increase their efficacy and shelf life. The need of the hour is to switch to greener alternatives from commercial cleaners. Thus, Castile soap is popular among Australians because it is natural and safe.
If you plan to use it for cleaning your household surfaces, personal belongings and other things, you must know what castile soap is, how it is made, and its 10 uses for cleaning.
You can use it for regular house and the
best end of lease cleaning in Canberra once you know its importance. So, read on.
What is Castile & How Is It Made?
Castile soap gets its name from its place of origin in Spain. It is an all-natural product made with vegetable oils, primarily olive oil. The soap can be in bar or liquid form and doesn’t have synthetic ingredients or additives like commercial soaps.
It has the following simple and organic making process.
Vegetable oil selection of high-quality oils like olive, coconut, hemp, and avocado. Afterwards, it is mixed with lye to convert the oils into soap.
This mix is moved for thorough blending and left for resting later for complete saponification.
After saponification, the mixture is diluted with water to get the required consistency.
Next, a few additional ingredients like essential oils, herbal extracts or natural scents are added during this stage
The solution is packed in bottles for liquid Castile soap, but for bars, the mixture is added to moulds and left for curing, during which excessive moisture evaporates, and the soap solidifies.
Ten Castile Soap Uses for Cleaning
Castile soap has been around since the 12th century, and owing to its versatility, people use it for all kinds of cleaning purposes. Here are ten ways you can use this natural product to keep yourself and your home sanitary at all times.
1. Make an All-purpose Cleaner
To sanitise almost any surface or fixture in your home within a few minutes, use a mixture of 1 part castile soap liquid and 10 parts warm water. You can spray the solution onto dirty areas and wipe it with a microfibre cloth. Owing to its multipurpose cleaning properties, you can use it for regular house cleaning or bond cleaning in Canberra anytime.
If you want to increase the efficacy of the cleaner to get the best results, add a cup of cleaning vinegar or baking soda. Avoid using vinegar when you want to clean natural stone surfaces. Since both vinegar and baking soda are de-greasers and natural cleaning agents, they work great when you add them to Castile soap and water solution.
2. Use It as a Dishwashing Soap
Castile soap is great for removing grease, grime and dirt from stainless steel, plastic, ceramic, glass and other utensils. Just add a few drops of the soap to some warm water in a bowl and wash a load of dishes in one go.
Just make sure to wash the dishes thoroughly with warm water to prevent residue from remaining on the dishes.
3. Wash a Load of Laundry with it Daily
Commercial laundry detergents can damage your clothes, bedding and other laundry items with their
harsh and toxic ingredients. To switch from commercial laundry detergents, use half a cup of liquid soap to a normal-sized load of laundry.
To add fragrance, you can add a few drops of essential oils to the solution and ensure it is well-incorporated with the soap solution before you pur the mixture into the detergent dispenser of the washing machine.
4. Clean Windows and Screens
Windows and their screens can accumulate dust, dirt, mould and grime without routine cleaning. If they are dirty, not only is your home’s indoor air affected, but you can also lose your rental bond for negligence. Therefore,
clean the windows and screens with a solution of Castile soap and water for streak-free and sanitary fixtures. Just make sure to wash the windows top to bottom. It will help avoid backtracking and give better results in less time.
5. Mop Hard Floors without Worry
Castile soap is a mild and versatile cleaner that is suitable for removing dust, stains and grime from almost any hard floor. Add a few drops of the liquid to a bucket of warm water and mop thoroughly.
Note: While cleaning wood or laminated floors, wring the mop well for minimise the floors’ exposure to moisture.
6. Clean Your Carpets And Rugs
If you have spills or stains on your carpets and need to remove them immediately, apply a small amount of castile soap mixed with warm water on the dirty area. Scrub gently, then blot the stain until none of it comes off on the paper towel.
To wash rugs, douse them with soap and water solution and scrub them with a
cleaning brush. Afterwards, wash the rugs with water and hang them vertically to air dry.
7. Wash The Oven, Microwave, Sink or Dishwasher
Since these are fixtures necessary for food preparation, washing dishes and other important tasks, you have to keep them sanitary to prevent cross-contamination. Mix the soap with water in equal proportions in a container, then scrub the fixtures with a brush or sponge. Next, wipe the residues with the microfibre cloth and let the fixtures air dry.
8. Sanitise Bathroom Surfaces
Bathrooms often have natural stone, tile and ceramic surfaces that get damaged due to repeated exposure to harsh and
hazardous chemicals. Thus, to make your bathroom sparkle without damaging its surfaces, use castile soap for washing them before disinfecting.
9. Wash Toys Organically with Castile Soap
Small children handle toys with grubby hands and make them dirty. These dirty toys harbour millions of bacteria, viruses and fungi that cause viral, fungal and
bacterial infections. Thus, wash them with Castile soap routinely to keep them from getting heavily soiled.
10. Wash Your Hands
Maintaining personal hygiene before and after house cleaning or bond cleaning in Canberra is of utmost importance. Therefore, keep liquid castile soap in a soap dispenser in the bathroom to wash your hands routinely. Scrub your hands with soap for at least 20 seconds to ensure you can get rid of germs and contaminants properly.
Wrapping Up
Castile soap is a natural, organic and versatile cleaner, perfect for green cleaning. Thus, if you want to use it more for maintaining personal or household hygiene, use the insights above for cleaning.