If you are in ‘spring cleaning mode’ at the moment, then why not try and reduce your plastic as well as your use of chemicals? Chemical companies have been very good over the years at convincing us all of the need to buy their products but the truth is that we don’t! There are simpler, cost-effective ways to clean without the need to destroy the planet. Here are some suggestions based on two simple ingredients- distilled white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) which can give the same result as chemical cleaners:
1. Cleaning the toilet- Put two teaspoons of white vinegar in the water, wait a couple of minutes, then scrub. Alternatively, leave overnight. Bicarbonate of soda can be used for a similar effect.
2. Greasy or dirty kitchens- Mix baking soda with water and leave on burnt and built-up trays and utensils, or apply as a paste to lift wine stains or built-up mud.
3. Cleaning your washing machine-

Set your machine on its hottest cycle (or a minimum of 60ºC) and pour 230ml of white vinegar directly into to the drum. The vinegar is the perfect solution to help to purify your machine – it's an excellent, natural way to kill bacteria and get rid of soap residues and the smell will disappear during the rinse cycle. It is recommended that you do this every month or so. Many people repeat this process using bicarbonate of soda too (use half a cup or so) but remember to sprinkle it into the drum and not in the dispenser drawer as it can clog. It’s not recommended to use both white vinegar and bicarbonate of soda at the same time.
4. Cleaning your dishwasher - the same as 3 but put the white vinegar into a glass in the top rack. Make sure the dishwasher is empty before running a normal cycle. Similarly, run a cycle using bicarbonate of soda, but, this time, sprinkle it over the bottom of the dishwasher.
5. Keeping smells at bay in your fridge- put some bicarbonate of soda in an open pot and leave it in your fridge. It will absorb bad odours.

6. Cleaning clothes- Some people use White vinegar instead of washing powder, or during a rinse cycle to give brighter, cleaner colours. If you wash animal bedding, it’s also very good at removing hairs- but make sure you do not add it until the rinse cycle. You can freshen up socks and gym clothes by adding distilled vinegar to hot water and allowing them to soak. Vinegar breaks down uric acid, so it’s especially good for babies’ clothes after nappies have leaked.
7. Cleaning shower heads of built-up minerals - soak the shower head in a mixture of a half-cup vinegar and one litre of water for at least 15 minutes.  Don't leave too long.
8. Freshening up carpets, rugs and car mats- Sprinkle bicarbonate of soda onto your carpet. Vacuum after 15 minutes or longer. You can keep odours away from your laundry basket/ bag by sprinkling some bicarbonate of soda in the bottom of it. 
9. Cleaning hard surfaces - dissolve 30ml of baking soda in one litre of warm water, then clean glass, tiles, porcelain, stainless steel or chrome. For heavier soiling, sprinkle it straight on to a damp sponge and rub. To remove an alkali residue from a surface you have cleaned, rinse with a solution of 2 tablespoons of vinegar in a litre of water. Then wipe dry.
10. Deodorise stinky plastic containers - pour 4 tablespoons of baking soda into a litre of warm water then fill up the container with the solution and leave overnight.

These are just a few of the uses. You can find many more online.

Bicarbonate of soda can be bought by weight in several local ‘weigh and save’ type shops. Even if you have to buy in a plastic tub, it will still reduce your cleaning product collection from several plastic bottles. Shops and chemists sell it.