Two things you need to know

How you clean matters just as much as what you clean with.

There is a logical and scientific order to cleaning. You do not dry your hands before washing them. The order matters.

Once you understand that process, you can clean almost your entire home with just nine ingredients. And it is not hard to learn. In fact, I think it should be taught in schools.

You would not wash your hands with milk or put sugar in your washing machine. You use cleaning "products," but those products are simply combinations of ingredients.

Learn what the ingredients do, when to use them and in what order, and you no longer need to depend on a cupboard full of specialised cleaning products.

The cleaning system

Identify the problem first

Knowing the type of soil, or mess, you are dealing with is the best place to start.

This can feel like the overwhelming part. The mineral and limescale build-up commonly found in showers and toilets is often simply called "the white crusty stuff" because we are not always sure what it actually is.

The good news is that you do not need to memorise everything. You simply need to know where to go when you want to understand what you are dealing with and how to clean it.

That is where Under Your Sink comes in.

Our resource library covers everything from how to clean a toilet and when disinfecting is genuinely needed, to the differences between washing wool and cashmere.

As you put this knowledge into practice and see the results for yourself, you begin to build new muscle memory around how you clean. Over time, you start to clean differently, with more confidence, more control and far less dependence on all the products you were told you needed.

Behind every cleaning product are ingredients

Trying to decipher cleaning product labels is a thing of the past, and compared to 49,000 chemicals in consumer products, learning nine is but a breadcrumb in the breadbox.

In fact, you do not need to memorise these either. You simply need to get a feel for who does what. Over time, you will build that muscle memory and instinctively know what to reach for.

Meet the nine

Every ingredient in the Under Your Sink toolkit has been chosen for two reasons: it performs an effective, science-backed cleaning function and meets our broader green ethos.

Each ingredient is eco-conscious and selected with transparency in mind. Some are naturally derived, while others, such as true soap, are made from natural raw materials. Together, they help reduce plastic waste, unnecessary ingredients and reliance on multiple single-purpose cleaning products.

We do not make health claims, but many customers tell us that removing added fragrance and simplifying the products used in their homes has made cleaning feel more manageable, particularly for fragrance-sensitive households.

There are also a couple of handy helpers, glycerine and xanthan gum, for creating clingy gels. Essential oils are always optional for scent. And the number one solvent: precious water.

Tap any ingredient to explore how it works, what it replaces and how to use it in the Learning Hub whenever you need a refresher.

Turning ingredients into products

This part is about form, and how we apply the products.

Should the solution be a spray, a powder, or a clingy bathroom gel that stays on vertical surfaces and gives the ingredients more contact time?

At first, it is simply about following the recipes and learning which form suits each job. As you use them repeatedly and see how they work, you begin to build new muscle memory around cleaning. Eventually, you instinctively know what to reach for, how to use it and why.

Make your first switch

Reading only gets you so far. Make one cleaner and the whole idea stops feeling abstract.

Start with the all-purpose spray that works on benches, sinks and most sealed surfaces. Make this once and you've retired three or four bottles on the spot.

Then take it one room at a time

Don't try to overhaul the whole house in a weekend. That's how people burn out and go back to the supermarket.

Nail one room, feel the win, move on. Pick the job that's bugging you most and we'll walk you through exactly what to reach for and why.

I want a recipe

What you need to replace a particular product.

I've got a job in mind

How to clean a particular mess and what to use.

Keep learning the why

Get some basics on the chemistry of clean.