A clean house doesn’t have to mean a toxic house. Simple, safe ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, vegetable oil and borax are effective at cleaning, disinfecting and removing stains and odors. Making your own products also costs a fraction of commercial cleaners. Try these eco ideas:
Use simple vinegar to clean glass
To make glass cleaner, combine 1 tablespoon vinegar or lemon juice with 1 quart water. Pour into a spray bottle and use with newspapers to clean surfaces.
Shine up wood furniture with lemon and oil
To make furniture polish, add 1 teaspoon lemon juice to 2 cups vegetable oil. Transfer to a squirt bottle and wipe.
Save your pipes and break through clogs!
To make drain de-clogger, mix 1 cup hot vinegar with 1 cup baking soda and pour them down (or on) a clogged or slow moving drain. Cover the drain with a washcloth for 15 minutes, then follow with a boiling hot kettle of water. Repeat if necessary.
Clean without that chemical smell
To make an all purpose cleaner, mix 1/2 cup vinegar with 1/4 cup baking soda (or 2 teaspoons borax) into 1/2 cup of water. This stores well in a spray bottle. For an antiseptic cleaner, mix 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar and 3 cups hot water. Add 1/4 teaspoon liquid castile soap to ramp up the cleaning power. Wipe on with a dampened cloth or use a non-aerosol spray bottle.
Freshen up your carpets
To make carpet freshener, in a jar mix 1 cup crushed dried herbs, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon and 2 teaspoons baking soda. Shake well. Sprinkle a bit on your carpet, let it sit for an hour, then vacuum.
Fight bathtub mold and mildew
For simple cleaning, rub in baking soda with a damp sponge and rinse with fresh water. For tougher jobs, wipe surfaces with vinegar first and follow with baking soda as a scouring powder. (Vinegar can break down tile grout, so use sparingly.)
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