Conventional cleaning products are chock full of mystery ingredients. In fact, chemical companies don’t even have to fully disclose their ingredients. It’s pretty tricky to avoid toxic chemicals when companies aren’t required to list them on the bottle! Luckily, it’s easy to make effective cleaners at home with simple ingredients that are probably already in the pantry!
With just a few ingredients from the pantry or the grocery store, you can whip up your own, home made cleaning supplies! Basic ingredients to have on hand are: baking soda, white vinegar, lemons, and a liquid castille soap like Dr. Bronner.
- Mix one part white vinegar or lemon juice with one part water to make an effective all purpose cleaner.
- Make a powerful soft scrub by making a paste with baking soda and castille soap. Add the soap to the baking soda slowly – the mixture should be fairly thick. For tougher cleaning jobs, try adding a couple of tablespoons of borax to the mix.
- That vinegar and water all purpose cleaner also makes an excellent glass cleaner. For extra cleaning power, try using some newspaper from the recycle bin to wipe those windows clean with no streaks!
- Clean the toilet by pouring in 1/2 cup baking soda followed by 1 cup vinegar. Close the lid and let it sit for 10 minutes or so, and stains will wipe away easily with a toilet brush.
- For hand-washing dishes, combine four parts liquid castille soap and one part water in a squirt bottle. Wash as usual.
- Create your own liquid fabric softener by adding 15-20 drops of your favorite essential oil to a gallon jug of white vinegar. Just add 1/4 cup to the washer’s rinse cycle.
So spill it, guys: what are your favorite cleaning supply recipes?
Image Credit: Creative Commons photo by Melissa Ann Barrett
A version of this post originally appeared on GreenMonkey.net.
EDIT:
Woah! David from the Good Human and I are on the same wavelength today! Check out his post on natural cleaning for even more eco-friendly tips!
Becky Striepe
Hi there! My name is Becky Striepe (pronounced “stree-pee,” like “sleepy”), and I am a freelance writer and vegan crafter living in Atlanta, Georgia. My life’s mission is to make green crafting and vegan food accessible to everyone! Check out my new book: 40 Days of Green Smoothies!
5 Responses to All Natural Cleaning With Homemade Cleaning Supplies
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Awesome! Let me know how you like it. :)
thank you! I’m already using the all purpose cleaner for some time now, and I’m always satisfied. Now, I’ll definetely try the liquid fabrik softener. Didn’t knew about that yet!
I also make our laundry soap, it works great and I know whats going in the wash and on my families clothes now! When I wash windows i like to use a flour sack towel instead of newspaper, no ink on my hands and they stay streak free as well. I am loving all of the tips, just went over to thegoodhuman…love it! Thanks!
I pop a couple of tennis balls into the dryer instead of dryer sheets or fabric softener to deal with static clinic. I make my own powdered laundry detergent because I can’t find one I like for my HE washing machine.
I’ve never actually made my own cleaners, but these recipes are so simple I might have to try it!