If you’ve had the slightest bit of interest in natural cleaning methods, you probably already know about the benefits of vinegar as a natural cleaning product. You can use it for cleaning glass, for cleaning taps, for cleaning metal and for removing mould – in fact, there’s very few things that you can’t clean with plain old ordinary white vinegar (pearls and marble are the most notable exceptions).

However, you don’t have to stick with ordinary white vinegar for your cleaning. You can enhance the disinfectant power of vinegar with essential oils, as making the experience of cleaning more enjoyable with pleasant smells – and without breathing in the rather dubious chemicals in artificially scented household cleaners that are often listed in the worst offenders in any list of household toxins.

Essential oils are the easiest ingredient for adding into vinegar to make your own household cleaners. All you need to do is add about 10 to 20 drops of the oil(s) of your choice to about 1 pint of vinegar and shake them together vigorously in a spray bottle and leaving them to sit for an hour or so before use. The result will be an excellent multi-purpose cleaning spray that not only will be great for cleaning windows and general flat surfaces but can also double as an air freshener in the toilet.

However, a scented vinegar made with essential oil cannot be used for cooking. For this, you need to steep herbs in the vinegar to extract the scent – and flavour. The end result will not be as strong as the product made with the essential oil, so you won’t be able to use it for cleaning the toilet, but you will be able to use them for cooking. The cold method that preserves the most delicate scents and flavours is to cram a jar full of the herb(s) of your choice (rosemary is the easiest one to start with for this method, with lavender coming in as a close second) and top the jar up with vinegar. Put it away in a dark cupboard and forget it for a week. Then strain the vinegar off and replace the old herbs with fresh ones. And put the jar away for a week again. Repeat once more before using.

However, you can speed the process up by making a sort of vinegar herbal tea. Simply heat up the vinegar in a saucepan or the microwave, then drop in the herbs of your choice. Cover and allow to cool. Strain and bottle.

Scented vinegars made following either method can also be used as a cosmetic – and what commercial cleaning product is able to claim this? Scented vinegar can be used as a deodorant, in the bath or as a toner before moisturizing.

If you want to make a scented vinegar that is suitable for cleaning the toilet, then choose one of the more disinfectant (antiseptic) essential oils such as tea tree oil, pine oil or lavender oil rather than a more floral one such as ylang ylang. However, most disinfectant essential oils smell scrumptious and smell pleasant.