Green Cleaning “Hacks” That You Can Start Using in Your Home Today
While cleaning your house can literally be a chore, it doesn’t have to be dangerous. The EPA has regulated and put warnings on just about every commercially available cleaner and their ingredients which have been known to cause everything from upper respiratory tract problems to lethal cancer. Why would you want to expose your family (and yourself) to these known toxins on a regular basis? The benefits definitely don’t outweigh the risks, especially once you learn about some amazing alternatives to harsh chemical cleaners! Let’s look at a basic set of household cleaners that you can make yourself in your own home by using cheap and safe natural ingredients. The best part is that they are still just about as effective as the harsh chemical cleaners that you’d find at big box stores.
DIY all purpose cleaner
You’re going to want to make a few of these to keep around the house. You will need the following:
- Large spray bottle (Amazon has great deals on these for about $2 to $5 each)
- Rubbing alcohol
- White vinegar
- Liquid dish soap or lemon essential oil or tea tree oil
- Water (preferably distilled but tap water will do)
Combine one part water to one part vinegar and three tablespoons of rubbing alcohol for every 16 ounce bottle, and about ten drops of liquid dish soap or essential oils or tea tree oils. Shake vigorously and store in your kitchen under the sink or in the pantry.
This is a great all-purpose cleaner for use on countertops, oven tops, and even around the bathroom.
You can even cut this mixture down for an even more “green” approach. Just mix one part water and one part white vinegar and a few drops of essential oils or tea tree oil. Both are quite effective at keeping your kitchen spotless while not exposing your family to harmful chemicals!
Quick tip: You can quickly clean your kitchen faucets to a bright shine with this simple household item: lemons! Simply cut a lemon in half and grab a half by the rind end. Rub the open face of the lemon on your faucet and handles around your sink as if you were using a regular kitchen sponge. Then rinse with warm water! Your faucets should be left sparkling and smelling great. You can also use a lemon half to clean your wooden cutting boards and to help remove stuck on grease from pans. Lemons, who knew?
DIY toilet bowl cleaner
Most toilet bowl cleaners have an ingredient list as long as a CVS receipt and are all but full of deadly toxins that aren’t even safe to breathe in let alone get on our skin. So, what’s the alternative? The alternative is easier than you might think. You just need a few things:
- Water
- Baking soda
- White vinegar
- Resealable kitchen bag (Ziplock brand or others…1 quart size) or regular piping bag.
- Small piping spout
- Small spray bottle
Start with a fairly large amount of baking soda (you should just buy this in bulk anyway because it is so useful to have around!). About a half cup to a full cup will work. Add about a tablespoon of water at a time to the powder and mix everything in the piping bag or kitchen bag. It should start to form a paste about the consistency of toothpaste or even a little thicker. Once you have the paste, you can transfer it to a piping bag or just mix it up in a resealable kitchen bag and poke a small hole in the corner. Then you can simply pipe the mixture around the edges of your toilet bowl. Take a toilet brush and gently rub the mixture in. Let that sit for about 10 minutes before the fun starts!
Take a small spray bottle filled with white vinegar and vigorously spray around the edges of your toilet bowl. Make sure to coat every inch of the baking soda paste. Then, as the bubbles start to go wild, you take your scrub brush and scrub all around the bowl as the reaction subsides. Flush a few times to rinse everything down and you will have a fresh and clean toilet in minutes without harsh chemicals.
The world is dangerous enough as it is without adding exposure to harsh chemicals around your house. Please enjoy these tips and stay tuned for more DIY natural cleaning remedies you can use in your home!
