Natural Cleaning Recipes

I became a stay @ home Mommy when I was pregnant with my 2nd child. The 2 older children were in school during the day so I was pretty bored by myself all day. I began searching the web and I'm glad I did because what I have researched has changed the way my family lives. Prior to researching "chemicals in household cleaners" I was the world's worst at buying tons of "cleaners" from the supermarket just because they smelt good, never really understood what was actually in them. I thought to myself, "it's being sold in a store so it must not be too bad otherwise they wouldn't be able to sell it"....right? WRONG.  I quickly came to realize that while I thought I was doing my family a favor by maintaining a "clean" household that I was hurting them in the process.

I began to search natural cleaning recipes and made the switch very quickly and I've been very happy with the change. Natural cleaning is also very frugal as it costs about 1/3 of the cost of commercial cleaners.

Here are some recipes that I have obtained via internet over the years that I love. You can also go to any Health store and purchase essential oils and add a couple drops to the vinegar sprays for a nice fresh scent. I like to add 2 drops of lavender to my All Purpose Spray Vinegar Deodorizer :)

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY DETERGENT - YES IT WORKS!

1 cup castile liquid soap (Dr. Bronner’s or Mountain Rose Herbs are good choices as they are organic and main ingredients are coconut oil & olive oil) OR Dr. Bronner’s Sal Suds

2 cups water
1/3 cup salt
1 cup baking soda or washing soda
vinegar

Warm the salt and baking soda in water until mostly dissolved. Transfer to a one gallon container. Add your soap fill the rest of the jar with water, this giving you 1 gallon of detergent. Use 1/4 -1/2 cup per load, depending upon how dirty the load is. Add a tablespoon or two of vinegar to your wash during the rinse cycle. This works as an effective fabric softener and disinfectant. Depending upon the hardness of your water, you may want to decrease the water quantity or increase the soap quantity.


CREAMY SOFT SCRUBBER

Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture‐like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit. Note: Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise just make as much as you need at a time.


WINDOW CLEANER

1/4‐1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.


OVEN CLEANER

1 cup or more baking soda
Water
A squirt or two of liquid detergent

Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven.


ALL‐PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER

1/2 teaspoon washing soda
A dab of liquid soap
2 cups hot tap water

Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.
 

FURNITURE POLISH

1 cup of Olive Oil
1/4 White Vinegar

Pour the ingredients in a spray bottle and spray the mixture onto a soft cotton cloth and polish the furniture, rubbing with the grain of the wood. Why does this work? The vinegar removes dirt and any residues from old furniture polishes. The olive oil moisturizes the wood and leaves a nice shine behind. You could also replace the vinegar with an equal amount of lemon juice, which would do the same job as the vinegar while leaving behind a light lemony fragrance.


VINEGAR DEODORIZER

Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5% vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom and use them for cleaning. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off.


MOLD KILLERS

Tea Tree Treasure

Nothing natural works for mold and mildew as well as this spray. Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a very long way. Note that the smell of tea tree oil is very strong, but it will dissipate in a few days. It is natural so it will not harm a persons respiratory system.

2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water

Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. Makes two cups.