Green Cleaning: 7 ways to use Citric Acid

As I mentioned in my previous Green Cleaning Blogs (8 Ways to use Bicarbonate of Soda and 6 Ways to use White Vinegar), as the owner of a refill stall, I have seen an increased demand in the past year for the 'raw' ingredients needed to make green cleaning products. Some of this is down to the increasing popularity of Nancy Birtwhistle (former Bake Off winner and now all round green cleaning guru) but also because more and more people are looking to find ways to live life more sustainably. 

Again, I’ll re-iterate: the first rule of an eco-conscious lifestyle is to always use up what you've got first. Don’t just throw all of your existing cleaning products away - think of all of the resources that have already gone into making them. So, either use them up yourself, or donate them to someone else.

Next, we need to avoid the overwhelm! ’Which product should I make first? I want to be as green as possible with immediate effect so should I make all of the products at once? Ahhh, where do I start?’ Yes, we’ve all been there. The key to making successful changes in your lifestyle is to take small steps. Make one change. Embed it as a habit. Then make another change. Trying to change everything all at once can lead to overwhelm and means the habits are less likely to stick.

So, which cleaning product are you about to run out of? Start with that one. See, easy! Remember to keep hold of any useful jars, tubs and bottles (mayonnaise jars, squeezy ketchup bottles, ice cream tubs, spray bottles etc).

In this, the third of my Green Cleaning blogs, I’m going to focus on Citric Acid. You may find this slightly more difficult to get hold of, but please try and avoid buying it from Amazon. If you are going down the green cleaning path for ethical reasons, then you also need to wean yourself off Amazon…

Remember: if you have a refill store near you, this is the best way to buy the raw cleaning ingredients as you can use your own containers, reducing unnecessary packaging and buy the amount you need.

7 ways to use Citric Acid

Citric Acid is a little more expensive than white vinegar or bicarb (I currently sell it for 60p per 100g) but you probably won’t use it as much. I keep mine in a big, clean mayonnaise jar.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

• Although citric acid is safe for the environment, there are some hazards to humans! It can cause serious eye irritation and may cause respiratory irritation. Always wear gloves whilst using this product and try not to breathe the powder in.

• Always rinse whatever you are cleaning really well as the citric acid will leave a sticky residue otherwise. Rinse the nozzle after use if you have made it up as a solution in a spray bottle.

• Do not use citric acid on or spray it near natural marble, stone or wood.

1.Descaling your kettle:
Half fill your kettle with cold water. Bring this to the boil then add 2 tablespoons of citric acid. Leave for 20 minutes to work its magic. Pour out the water then rinse the kettle out well before you next use it OR see Tip 3 for a ‘two for the price of one’ descale suggestion!

2.Descale your shower heads
Add two tablespoons of citric acid to a bucket of hot water. Submerge your shower heads in the water and leave for an hour or so. Give them a good rinse afterwards.

3.’Two for the price of one’ descale!

Follow Tip 1 for descaling your kettle BUT instead of pouring the water away, pour it into a bucket and submerge your shower heads in it (as per Tip 2) without adding any more citric acid.

4.Cleaning your taps
To remove limescale from your kitchen or bathroom taps, make up a solution of citric acid and hot water: 500ml of boiled water, 2 tablespoons of citric acid. (I make this solution in a jug reserved especially for mixing cleaning products. I’ve written ‘for cleaning only’ on the side in marker pen). Stir the mixture well until all of the crystals have dissolved, then add a small squirt of eco-friendly washing up liquid and give it a sir. Pour this into a spray bottle, then spray this onto your taps and leave for 20 minutes. Give them a scrub with an old toothbrush, then rinse well. Remember: Make sure you don’t spray this solution near natural marble, stone or wood.

5.Cleaning glass shower screens
You can use the same solution in Tip 4 to clean limescale off your glass shower screens. Spray it onto the glass, then give it a good rub in (I use an old loofah glove for this bit!). Leave for 20 minutes or so, then rinse well with hot water.

Remember: Make sure you don’t spray this solution near natural marble, stone or wood.

6.Clean your toilet
Again, you can use the solution made in Tip 4 to spray inside your toilet (don’t spray on the outside of the toilet as it will leave a sticky residue).Best done after you’ve just flushed the loo to help it ‘stick’. Leave for 20 minutes or so then clean as normal with your toilet brush. This is just for removing limescale, not for antibacterial properties. (I use the solution in an old squeezy ketchup bottle as it’s easier to get inside the rim).

If you have a lot of old limescale to remove, then you may need to do an overnight soak: boil half a kettle of water, leave it to cool slightly then pour into the toilet. Now add roughly 150 grams of citric acid. Leave overnight to soak then flush to toilet and give it a good clean with the toilet brush. You may need to repeat this if the stains are really stubborn!

7.Spot stain remover
This is one of Nancy Birtwhistle’s genius ideas! If the stain is from fruit, vegetables, grass, tomato, chilli, curry, juice, wine, vomit, urine or faeces - then the solution in Tip 4 should work. Just wet the area of the clothing where the stain is. Sprinkle some table salt into the area. Spray some of the solution into the area and rub it together. Now put the item of clothing into a plastic bag and leave overnight. The following day wash as you normally would. The stain should have gone (if not, see if hanging it out to dry in bright sunshine finishes it off). My son had a white shirt covered in lily pollen. I followed this method and it all disappeared! I’ve used it on numerous stains since, all with success.

There are lots of other uses for citric acid. The above are the things that I use it for in my home, so that’s all I’m happy to advise on! I hope you find this useful as a guide for getting started with your green cleaning.

Keep an eye out for my next Green Cleaning blog, where I’ll look at the different uses for green bleach.