In attempt to be a little greener and possibly save a little money, I'd like to try and make some of my own cleaning products. With two little kids, the less toxic chemicals around the better. Is there a recipe for a basic all purpose cleaner that anyone has had luck with or possibly a good website? Also, are there times when you really should just use something stronger to avoid bacteria from spreading, for example if you're cutting raw meat and need to clean the counter top?
for countertops I use: 1/2 water 1/2 alcohol in a spray bottle....
for tile floors I use: White vinegar with "warm" water for mopping...
Well, I haven't tried the vinegar and baking soda thing, but I guess I'll have to! I did try a recipe for homemade laundry detergent, and I think it works as well as anything else. It's basically water, mild soap, washing (not baking) soda, and borax - not anything in the ingredients I couldn't pronounce.
Vinegar and water is the cheapest and best home cleaner. Good luck!
Ditto to Babydoos Mama - I put baking soda and vinegar on the bottom of the sink (plugged) and leave it set for a few minutes, then drain and scrub. The sink sparkles.
Pour vinegar in the toilet before bed, leave it set over night. Wake up in am and scrub.
Look up "household uses for vinegar" - you will be shocked!
Im sure you will get this a lot in the coming answers but you really cant go wrong with baking soda and vinegar, and you can add a bit of lemon juice to this mixture to get rid of the smell but once vinegar dries the smell is gone. Vinegar is great for cleaning mirrors. Also mix half and half - water to peroxide (that kills just about anything) And a little green(er) trick is to use your old or 'used' dryer sheets as dusting cloths
Good Luck
LOL all you need is white vinegar and baking soda! We changed over to that several years back. It saved a LOT of money, we can breathe when we clean, and we know that everyone is safe. Vinegar gets rid of bacteria, which was a concern of mine. Baking soda is an abrasive, so it's similar to using comet. This works wonders on ceramic stove tops, and vinegar makes chrome/silver/window shine like nothing I've ever seen and with no streaking.
Kitchen, we have a spray bottle with half water/half vinegar. If you spray a little on a difficult spill or something stuck on your cook top or counter, and then sprinkle a little baking soda and maybe spray a little more, let it bubble for a while, and the stuff comes right up. For bathroom and laundry we use a spray bottle with straight vinegar. This works best for mirrors and glass as well (with a dry wash cloth).
Good luck, and enjoy your breath of fresh air and fatter wallet!
I second vinigar. Also half lemon and baking soda to scour sink (use the lemmon half itself as the spounge, the toss it down the garbage disposal and the lemmon cleans your disposal. I also love to mircowave a wet dishtowel and sanitize my kitchen counters with it (protect hands from steam burns with a few dry townls or silicon oven mits.
I use straight white vinegar for all surfaces, including the bathroom, and baking soda and/or salt as an abrasive.
I keep a spray bottle of hydrogen peroxide in the laundry room for stains. It will take out any organic stain - blood, urine, feces, vomit, grass, most foods (it may not work on some food dyes).
My basic house cleanser is vinegar/water in a spray bottle. I will often add essential oils such as tea tree, lavender and GSE (grapefruit seed extract). Not only do they work well for for scenting naturally, they're all anti-microbial, -bacterial, etc. Lavender itself is almost as strong as most synthetic anti-bacterials on the market. Buying the good quality essential oils is a little expensive when you're first setting up but a little really goes a long way.
For a mild abrasive & grease cutter, I use baking soda. For grease cutter, just sprinkle it on until it's soaked up the grease. You might have to rub it around a little bit but this works for all grease. I even take it with when camping because then I can use it for the grease, dispose of it and then just have to rinse of the white residue with a little bit of water. I rarely need soap for any residue. For the abrasive, just sprinkle it on as you would any cleansing powders (like Comet or Old Dutch Girl {is that even around anymore?}) and it works the same. You just need a good scrubber and a bit of elbow grease! :)
The only actual cleansers I buy are my laundry detergent (usually Country Save or Bio-Kleen) and my dish soap (Mrs. Myers). I've used homemade stuff for my laundry before and keep borax & fels naptha on hand but I've gotten lazy with making my own. :) Either of the detergents I buy may look expensive but since I have a front load washer it uses less, and I use even less than that (1/4 scoop) so a box will last me a couple of months, at least, even doing laundry every day so the cost is much more easy to handle. As for the Mrs. Myeres dish soap (they have a whole line of cleaning products) I LOVE the scents and I like splurging on it because it lasts so long in my household (unless my husband gets a hold of it! LOL) Once in a while I buy their all purpose cleanser just because it made my whole house smell wonderful when I mopped (we have a small house), but now I only have two small areas to mop so I don't bother with that splurge anymore. It's not needed.
Stay away from dryer sheets. They're full of chemicals. I'm really sensitized to synthetic scents and even a "used" sheet will give me a headache. :(
Yup, vinegar is the winner for me too! 50/50 in a spray bottle for counter tops, toilets, sinks, the dining room table, whatever! The best tip I have is for the microwave with all the stuck on splatter: put a safe bowl with 1/2 cup vinegar and microwave it for a minute. I will be hot, so be careful when removing. Now just wipe down the inside of the microwave with a paper towel. Voila!
We make our own laundry detergent too and use vinegar as a fabric softener as well. :)
I use vinegar and baking soda for a lot of the cleaning around our house. Once the vinegar dries, the house doesn't smell like a pickle.
Lots of moms like to use dryer sheets for the scent, but PLEASE be aware that almost all brands contain truly toxic ingredients (here's just one of MANY links warning of the hazards: http://www.world-wire.com/news/0205210001.html). I know dozens of adults and children that get asthma, headaches or other symptoms when exposed.
Because I became sensitized to most chemicals almost 25 years ago, I've used almost nothing but vinegar and baking soda (don't mix or they'll cancel each other out, making lots of foam in the process). I do use scent-free detergents for dishes and laundry, but no fabric softeners. A half-cup of white vinegar in the rinse cycle softens fabrics pretty well.
I've saved a fortune over the years, and visitors to my home frequently mention how "relaxing" the atmosphere feels. No perfumes, just clean.
If you want actual recipes, google "non-toxic home" for about a zillion sites.
I like white vinegar and water, or rubbing alcohol and water works great for some things, like windows and mirrors.
50-50 vinegar and water with a few drops of Tea Tree oil. We also use a scented oil to leave behind a nice clean scent, after the vinegar dries.
Baking soda and vinegar clean just about anything. Make sure to rinse vinegar off, though, because it's acidic.
(ooh, I like the used dryer sheets idea.)
The current issue of "Natural Home" magazine has a whole feature on this subject. You can try going to their website or try your library. Most of the ingredients include white vinegar, baking soda, and similar household items that are not only benign, they are cheaper and already in your home.
Let me know if you can't find this - if you give me your direct email, I can try to scan the article and mail it.
