How the Green Cleaning System Works
🌱 DIY Green Cleaning Basics
By Analisa from Under Your Sink
Before you dive in, a quick note.
This isn’t a checklist you need to follow or something you’re expected to implement all at once.
This page simply explains how a small set of ingredients can replace many single-purpose cleaning products.
If you’ve read about using bicarb and vinegar separately (and not together), this is the same way of thinking - understanding what each ingredient does, rather than adding more products.
How this started
Back in 2017, I cleared out everything under my own sinks.
What I noticed wasn’t just the number of products. It was how many of them were doing the same basic jobs, just packaged and labelled differently. Different bottles for grease, bathrooms, floors, glass, laundry, and benches, but very little explanation of why they worked.
That was the turning point.
Instead of thinking in terms of products, I started thinking in terms of functions. What was actually happening when something got clean.
Cleaning works on functions, not products
Once you strip it back, most cleaning jobs fall into a few basic categories:
- dealing with odours
- lifting dirt or grease
- breaking down residue or build-up
- rinsing clean
Many commercial cleaners are just variations on these same jobs, sold as separate solutions.
Understanding this made it clear that cleaning doesn’t require dozens of products. It requires a small number of ingredients that do different things well.
Why fewer ingredients can work better
Using fewer ingredients doesn’t mean forcing one product to do everything. It means choosing ingredients that each serve a purpose, and using them where they make sense.
This is why bicarb works well for odours and gentle scrubbing, but not for everything. It’s why vinegar is useful for descaling and glass, but not as an all-purpose cleaner. And it’s why mixing the two together looks exciting but doesn’t deliver results.
Once you understand how a handful of ingredients behave, cleaning becomes simpler, more predictable, and far less cluttered.
The toolkit itself
The toolkit I use isn’t complicated. It’s a small group of versatile ingredients that cover different functions, rather than different rooms.
Each ingredient earns its place because it:
- does a specific job well
- can be used in more than one way
- replaces multiple single-use products
You don’t need all of them at once. Most people start with one or two, learn how they work, and build from there.
This isn’t about doing more
This approach isn’t about making cleaning harder or more time-consuming. It’s about removing guesswork.
Once you understand what you’re using and why, you stop buying things “just in case”. You stop doubling up. You stop feeling like you need a different product for every problem.
That’s what changed everything under my own sinks.
Start where it makes sense for you
There’s no need to overhaul your entire routine. One cleaning job at a time is enough.
Learn how a couple of basic ingredients behave. Notice where they work well and where they don’t. Let understanding lead, rather than products.
If you ever want help figuring out what to use for a specific job, or whether something you already have is doing the trick, I’m always happy to help.
This is about confidence, not perfection.