In keeping with the ecological ethos and good manufacture practices of Farm Soap Co., we use a short list of ingredients when cleaning the workshop. For readers who don’t want to use harsh chemicals in the home, here are some useful ingredients and methods we use to sanitise the workshop every single day.

Hot water and soap remove pathogens like microbes, germs and viruses from your hands, clothes and surfaces because they dissolve the fat membranes, or lipids, that hold the latter together.

Other natural and useful products that are also effective in keeping surfaces sanitised are:

Vinegar and lemon juice – acetic and citric acids are useful for all manner of stain, mould and dirt removal as well as being powerful limescale removers and window cleaners.

Rosemary and sage -  naturally antibacterial and antimicrobial,  rosemary and sage infused in a bottle of vinegar create an effective sanitiser.

Lemon, lavender, tea tree essential oils - naturally antibacterial and fragrant.

Hot water and biodegradable washing up liquid – for washing down all surfaces including walls, floors, sinks, tables and doors.

Bicarbonate of soda – when mixed with lemon juice or vinegar it makes an effective destainer and chopping board cleaner.

Table salt – sodium chloride is a reliable disinfectant for sinks and chopping boards because it removes oxygen and moisture.

Linen cloths - for drying and cleaning as well as covering the soaps that are curing on the drying racks. To wash cloths we soak them overnight in hot water and our own soap flakes - soap bars that we have grated to make laundry cleaner. DriPak washing soda is also a good natural alternative cleanser for laundry.

Brushes – scrub dirt away. Wash them in hot water, soap and leave to dry in sunlight. UV rays kill bacteria.

Here is our recipe for our all-round cleaning spray which can be used on most surfaces (except marble and granite). It is germicidal and anti-microbial – we use it on all surfaces last thing at night, after all the workshop equipment is washed and dried.

We take a clean litre spray bottle and in a jug we mix the following:

Strained juice of 1 lemon

500 ml of white vinegar

5 drops of rosemary, lemon, lavender or tea tree essential oil

1 teaspoon table salt

A squirt of washing up liquid

400 ml of tap water

We mix all the ingredients and then pour into the labelled spray bottle - we spray and wipe all surfaces with a clean wet cloth.