Now, I don't have any miracle solutions here. For example, whilst Ecover's general cleaners are great for daily or weekly use as they smell fresh and remove general grime effectively, in areas with hard water they just don't prevent the build up of limescale.

For that you can use lemon juice or vinegar with bicarbonate of sodium and a bit of elbow grease, but to be honest I don't always feel I have the time for that (which makes me question my priorities, but I guess that's a whole other Green Column in itself).

I admit to a monthly wipe down with standard limescale remove, although I will only use vinegar and bicarb on my kettle as there's no way I'm putting 'power cleaner' near my drinking water.

For dusting I used to zoom around with a can of 'clean and shine' and now I wonder why on earth I bothered, as a run around with a damp cloth is every bit as effective (watch those polished surfaces though!) Oxfam does a small range of products which includes a natural polish and a window/glass cleaner which I highly recommend.

For the dishwasher, eco-tabs aren't as effective as power tabs, but again it's about priorities. If you can be bothered to rinse the really dirty plates then eco-tabs work just fine and as it says on the label you 'do the dishes, not the fishes'. Plus, your family won't be licking-up as many untested, unnatural chemicals from their knives and forks next meal time.

I could write a small book on this subject, but fortunately I don't have to. Try Janey Lee Grace's Imperfectly Natural Home for homemade and shop bought ideas.