Homemade Cleaning Products.

No matter what your take is on global warming we can all agree that we are impacting our planet in a negative way.  There are those that go all out when it comes to being environmentally conscious and some that do absolutely nothing.  For some doing nothing is just easier and for others they just do not know where to start.  I for one started changing out the light bulbs in my house manly to save a few bucks.  After one year I have notice a drop in my electric bill.  The one drawback to fluorescent bulbs is they have mercury in them so make sure you recycle these so they don’t end up in a landfill.  Another area that is easy to get started on being environmentally friendly is what products you use to clean the house.  For some of us, the chemicals in cleaning products can cause an adverse reaction which limits us in what we use around the house to clean.  There are products you can buy in stores or you can make at home.  Some prefer to make their own so that way they know exactly what is in the bottle.  There are those that prefer to buy their own and there are some great products out there that are environmentally safe.  Here are some ideas and products.

Supplies:

White vinegar

Baking Soda

Club Soda

Lemon Juice

Rubbing Alcohol

Spray Bottle

Cleaning rags

Cleaning products that you can make at home that stretch the dollar.

One ingredient that stands out is using white vinegar. I know the smell isn’t great but neither is the smell that comes from many everyday products that we use.

• Cleaning your kitchen or bathroom floors use a ½ cup of white vinegar for every one gallon of water. I also use a water and vinegar mix to clean my counters.
• Washing you dishes by hand use a spray bottle and fill it ¾ with water and ¼ with lemon juice. Lemon juice cuts grease and this can be used on greasy counter tops and greasy stove top.
• For cleaning wood floors and furniture buy citronella oil. Use undiluted for furniture polish on a lint free cloth. For cleaning floors dilute one cup of citronella oil to one gallon of water.
• Another way to polish furniture is use ¼ cup of lemon juice with ½ of olive oil.
• Club soda is great for cleaning small carpet or furniture stains.
• Oven cleaner, just mix two tablespoons of baking soda into a cup add some water to make a paste. Use a bristled brush to scrub away the yuck in your oven.
• Heavy duty toilet bowl cleaner, spray the bowl with vinegar and sprinkle baking soda around the bowl. Scrub away. Or try baking soda and lemon juice, and let it set for a bit the scrub.
• Glass cleaner, mix ½ cup of vinegar for every gallon of water or 1 cup rubbing alcohol, 1 cup water and 1 cup of vinegar.

*Note: there are many variations for window cleaner.

*Note: ammonia is listed on many homemade cleaning supplies. It is natural but toxic. If you use ammonia, a little goes a long way.

For those that do not want to make their own, shopping for organic cleaning supplies in your neighborhood stores is easy since many big name stores carry organic products. Whole Foods and Trader Joe's are great places to shop for organic products.