Domestic Sluttery's Mums Take Over: Homemade Cleaning Products

As you must know by now, it's Mother's Day next weekend. And as well as our usual gift and recipe ideas, we thought we'd celebrate our love and affection for our dear mothers by doing something a bit special here at Domestic Sluttery.

That's why, in the run-up to Mother's Day on March 14th, the Domestic Sluts' Mums will be taking over the site. They'll tell us all their top-secret tips and tricks, advice on perfecting their signature recipes and their favourite finds to make our homes look as lovely as theirs.

And first up is my much-loved mother, Mama Bradley. Sorry for the cheesy portrait pic, by the way, readers. Mama Bradley made me promise to use one of the ones she'd classified as acceptable, which excluded all the ones of us snoozing on the sofa in Christmas hats after supping too much sherry. Don't fret, we're not as wholesome as this makes us look.

Typical Northern mum that she is, Mama Bradley is a thrifty bird if ever there was one. She's also a hypochondriac asthma-sufferer, meaning she is extremely distrustful of spritzing her home with brand-name cleaning products and all the hideous chemicals they contain.

Luckily, she has a handful of her own concoctions which do the job just as well. And as a cheeky bonus, they only cost a fraction of the real deal, and can usually be made from the contents of your kitchen cupboards. Mama Bradley's handy hints include using soda water to get rid of coffee or red wine spillages on carpets. Sounds like sinister dark magic, but it works. Just tip a bit on a clean cloth and rub gently.

Or for a cheap but effective toilet cleaner, try using supermarket own-brand cola. Roller cola, as Peter Kay would call it. Or to make a dusting spray for wood, mix 3 parts olive oil to one part lemon juice in a spray bottle. For a cheapo window and glass cleaner which will leave mirrors and tiles super-shiny, mix half-and-half clear vinegar with water in a spray bottle and squirt away to your heart's content. Last but by no means least, to clean brass or copper add a teaspoon of salt to 4 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Have you got any weird and wonderful cleaning secrets? Tell us in the comments if so! We'll share more tips from our mums' soon!