Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Natural Homemade Cleaners

 


I've touched on this before, but I recently came across some recipes I printed in the past from Simple Organic and they inspired me to share again - and inspired me to keep it up!

Basically, you can clean 95% of your home with VINEGAR, WATER and BAKING SODA.

While I am far from perfect and cannot say I clean "naturally" 100% of the time, I am passionate about this topic and have Natural Cleaning - free of toxins - on my Top 10 list of priorities as Home Manager.  Plus, my kids can help me!

Earlier in my journey - So often, the girls would ask to help me with cleaning, and I'd say, "No.  I don't want you to get chemicals on you."  Well, if I don't want chemicals on my kids, then why am I putting them on me?  And why am I putting them in the air of our home that we all breath?

Now, I've put them to work!  We play "Cinderella".

Today, I mopped our floors and while I was mopping, I thought - "How awesome that I'm putting dish soap, vinegar and water on me right now.  No worries."

Also, with little ones all over the floors, eating food off the floors (yes, there's often food on the floors at our house), bathing is tubs, dropping their toothbrushes in the sinks and then putting them back in their mouths - free of chemicals - brings peace to my mind.

Those ideas are why I have identified Natural Cleaning a priority in our home.

This is what I've been doing and it's so easy - and cheap!

1.  All Purpose Cleaner
For countertops, sinks, toilets, and for spot cleaning floors
Mix 1 part white vinegar and 1 part water in a spray bottle.  Spray and scrub.

2.  Bathtub/Sink Scrub
In a bowl, make a paste with baking soda, a squirt of your dish soap*, and a squeeze of lemon, to the consistency of frosting.  Dip cloth or sponge into paste and scrub.

3.  Mirror and Glass Cleaner
2 tsp vinegar
1 quart water
Mix in a spray bottle.  Spray on mirror or glass, and wipe clean with old newspaper.  Leaves no lint!

4.  Floor Cleaner
1/4 cup dish soap*
1/2 cup white vinegar or lemon juice
2 gallons warm water
Combine in sink or large bucket and use with mop or cloth.  A while back, I started mopping the old fashioned way - on my hands and knees with a microfiber cloth.  That way, I can get my base boards and cupboard doors while I'm at it.  I don't think I'll ever go back - to a mop that is.

I have a spray bottle of the "All Purpose Cleaner" sitting out most of the time.  That's pretty much my "go to" for all my cleaning.  I also have a few microfiber cloths that I use everywhere for everything.  I can wash and reuse them.  Again, cheap and easy.  You've heard me say before - I'm all about simple.  If it's too complicated - I'm done.

*Simple Organic suggests when you purchase dish soap at the store, look for words like biodegradable, septic-safe and non-toxic.  Avoid soap that contains "petroleum distillates or phosphates".  Some good brands to check out would be Seventh Generation and Earth Friendly Products.

Is this a passion/interest of yours?  
What other recipes and/or methods have worked for your family?

3 comments:

  1. The micro fiber cloths that I give you are from Kimberly Clark. They tell you to not use product. The cloth itself will remove 95% of all germs. So you would really be going GREEN!!

    XO
    Mom

    ReplyDelete
  2. I really appreciate the condensed list of what you use-I was about to search your blog for the combinations you had previously listed. When my current batch of cleaning supplies run out, I'll try these!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Wonderful, Andrea! So happy this is helpful to you and happy I reposted this info. I have mixed up the good smelling all purpose cleaner and I really like it! My castile soap is lavender scent so it smells awesome! Let me know what you try.

    ReplyDelete

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