Castile soap is a vegetable-based soap that you can get in bar or liquid form. The name comes from the Castile region of Spain where it originated and was traditionally made from olive oil. Today it can be made from any oils from coconut, castor, hemp, avocado, or almond oils with added essential oils for scent. Express.co.uk chatted to Lynsey Queen of Clean (@lynsey_queenofclean on Instagram) to find our which household tasks you can do with castile soap.

Castile soap is totally natural and 100 percent biodegradable, so you can’t really go wrong with this versatile cleaner.

Lynsey said: “Castile soap is a vegetable soap made up of olive oil and water normally, so it’s good for your skin and hair as well as cleaning. You can clean almost anything with Castile soap, and it is a great eco cleaner.”

Castile soap might not be the strongest cleaner, but it’s a suitable choice for people who want to save some cash, be kinder to their skin and be more eco-friendly.

This soap is an alkaline solution so never mix it with an acid like lemon or vinegar – if you do it will be messy and ineffective.

Dr Bronner is an American brand that makes pure-castile soap, hair and body care products.

The brand’s liquid soaps come in a range of scents that would make cleaning less of a chore and more of a luxury!

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Washing up

Washing up liquid doesn’t come cheap, especially if you don’t have a dishwasher.

Lynsey recommends making your own washing up liquid with castile soap – using one part of castile soap to 10 parts of water.

You can even add baking soda for extra scouring power when you have stubborn marks on pans.

If you have a dishwasher, you can replace your regular dishwasher detergent with castile soap and water mixed together in equal parts.

Ant spray

If you get ants and other bugs in your kitchen, use castile soap to keep them away.

Mix a few tablespoons of castile soap into a cup of water and pour the mixture into a spray bottle.

Use this on surfaces and plants to keep bugs away.

Carpet cleaner

Castile soap doesn’t just work on your kitchen tiles, you can use it to clean your carpets and rugs

Lynsey said: “Castile soap can be used as a carpet cleaner when applied directly to the stain. Treat the stain and then rinse it away with warm water.”

Fruit and vegetable

If you’ve brought fruit and veg home from the shop and want to wash it to get rid of germs or make them last longer – use castile soap.

Pour a teaspoon of the soap into a large bowl of cold water and mix it around.

Dunk your fruit and veg into the water and swish it around before rinsing it again in freshwater.

Walls

White and light coloured walls can quickly look grubby from fingerprints and other marks.

Lynsey recommends using castile soap to get rid of these marks.

She said: “Use neat castile soap to remove sticky fingers marks and grease of painted walls.”

Put a tiny bit on a damp sponge or cloth and dab away at the mark before using clean water to get rid of the soap.

Source: | This article originally belongs to Express.co.uk