DIY Organic Cleaning Products
DIY Organic Cleaning for Your Home and 9 Ingredients
Conventional household cleaning supplies contain an extensive list of known toxins, carcinogens, asthma triggers, and irritants. Consumers continue to purchase them despite warning labels, because they are presumed to work better. They are also accustomed to the heavy fragrance used to make their home smell clean.
Unfortunately, the ingredients commonly used in household cleaning products cause short and long-term negative effects on the health of people exposed to them. This includes household members who do not experience direct exposure like children and pets.
Making your own household cleaning supplies allows you to experience the healthy benefits of a clean house without the tradeoff of exposing yourself and your household to harmful chemicals. Only a few ingredients are required to effectively clean your home and keep it smelling fresh. You can fully stock your cleaning supplies during a trip to the grocery store.
Organic Cleaning Ingredients
• Sliced Lemons or Lemon Juice
Lemons and lemon juice may be used to bleach away stains from surfaces, cutting boards, countertops, sinks, tubs and tiles, as well as white clothes with the exception of silk. Bottled lemon juice or fresh lemons may be used. Lemons and their juice are also antibacterial and microbial.
• Vinegar
White vinegar serves as a multipurpose cleaner. Many recipes call for diluting it with an appropriate amount of water or using it full strength as a surface cleaner for rugs and windows, a deodorizer, fight or prevent mildew, remove mineral deposits and prevent corrosion of your iron and more.
• Baking Soda
Use baking soda as a mild abrasive to clean tough surface stains and caked on greasy residue on pots and pans. It can also be made into a paste to polish silver. Baking soda also acts as a powerful deodorizer when sprinkled in trash containers, laundry hampers, or an open box placed in the refrigerator.
• Baking Soda and Vinegar
These two natural cleaning agents work well alone, but their effectiveness is amplified when combined.
• Salt
Salt does more than season food. Soak clothes in a solution of saltwater to remove perspiration stains. You can also scrub the insides of mugs with salt to remove tea and coffee stains. Use half a lemon dipped in salt to remove stains from cutting boards and lime buildup and rust stains from sinks and faucets.
• Castile and other simple soaps
Make your own detergents for laundry and cleaning by mixing castile or other natural soaps with baking soda or Borax.
Clear your drains by funneling a cup of baking soda down the drain and following with an equal amount of vinegar. After the resulting foam clears, run hot water down the drain.
Clean the toilet by sprinkling one cup of baking soda in the bowl and let it sit for a half hour. Follow up by spraying with undiluted vinegar. To finish, scrub with toilet brush and flush.
Warning: Dangerous, Poisons Being Used to Clean Your House
Go Natural for your health: Manufactured natural household cleaners are becoming more widely available. Look for products, which list plant based, and organic compounds as ingredients.
Do not be fooled by green washed labels, which continue to use synthetic surfactants, phosphates, bleaches and other toxic items. You can also check the USDA website for certified manufactures and distributors of organic cleaners.
It may seem counter-intuitive to use a synthetic cloth or material to facilitate green cleaning, but microfiber cloths are very effective. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends their use in early childhood care centers.
They trap dirt, grime, and microbial debris in ultra fine threads even without the use of soap or disinfectant. They are super absorbent yet lightweight to manage as cloths and mop heads. They can also be laundered and dry quickly for reuse.
SPRING CLEANING MADE EASY!! Includes DIY dryer sheets, DIY disinfecting spray, all purpose cleaner, air freshener and more!