Non-toxic cleaning can give you a deep feeling of gratification in knowing that your family’s health is protected, and that your home is a place for your bodies to rest and recuperate rather than promote harm...
Making your own nontoxic cleaning kit will take you no time at all with these simple, straightforward recipes, and you will be supplied with enough cleaning product for months of cleaning...
As an added bonus, ounce for ounce homemade cleaning formulas cost about one-tenth the price of their commercial counterparts—and that includes costly but worthwhile essential oils, and concentrated all-natural detergents for homemade recipes:
SUPPLIES:
Baking soda
Washing soda
White distilled vinegar
A good castille liquid soap
Tea tree oil
6 clean spray bottles
2 glass jars
CREAMY SOFT SCRUBBER
Simply pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit...
Note: Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise just make as much as you need at a time...
WINDOW CLEANER
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Spray bottle
Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past...
OVEN CLEANER
1 cup or more baking soda
Water
A squirt or two of liquid detergent
Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn’t work for you it is probably because you didn’t use enough baking soda and/or water...
ALL-PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER
1/2 teaspoon washing soda
A dab of liquid soap
2 cups hot tap water
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag...
FURNITURE POLISH
1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax)
1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice
Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely...
VINEGAR DEODORIZER
Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom and use them for cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting board before going to bed at night, and don’t even rinse but let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off...
MOLD KILLERS
Tea Tree Treasure
Nothing natural works for mold and mildew as well as this spray... I’ve used it successfully on a moldy ceiling from a leaking roof, on a musty bureau, a musty rug, and a moldy shower curtain... Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a very long way... Note that the smell of tea tree oil is very strong, but it will dissipate in a few days...
2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water
Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas... Do not rinse...Makes two cups...
Vinegar Spray
Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy area, and let set without rinsing if you can put up with the smell. It will dissipate in a few hours...
More Recipes:
Glass Cleaner:
1 gallon water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon liquid dish detergent
or
1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Mix and add to a spray bottle...
Wood Floor Cleaner:
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Mix well
All-Purpose Cleaner:
1 tsp borax
1/2 Tsp washing soda
2 Tbl sp lemon juice
In a spray bottle, combine the ingredients with 1 cup of hot water and shake...
Furniture Polish:
In a spray bottle mix 1 cup vegetable or olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
Shake well and apply a small amount to a cloth...
Multi-Purpose Deep Cleaner:
1 cup household ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
1 gallon warm water
Mix well
As you can see, homemade cleaners are simple and frugal to make. They are safe and effective too. Replacing even one of your conventional cleaners with a greener alternative can make a difference. You've got to ask yourself if you're "killing yourself" trying to clean your house with commercial chemicals...
Quick Tips:
Dusting
- Re-use dryer sheets for dusting instead of the new Pledge or Swiffer cloths
Linoleum Floor
- Use club soda to clean
Fabric Softener
- Add vinegar to the rinse cycle
Microwave Cleaner
- Mix 2T baking soda or lemon juice and 1 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for five minutes or until the liquid boils and condensation builds up inside the microwave.
Wipe down
Chrome Cleaner
- Toothpaste is great for cleaning chrome
Dishwasher Rinse
- 1 1/2 white vinegar added to the rinse compartment of your dishwasher