Tag Archives: Environmentally friendly

Feb 5 2012

Homemade Cleaning Products


I have been carefully selecting products which are earth friendly, organic cleaning products for a few years.  I love them but they can get pricy.  I decide to start looking for ways to cut costs without cutting back on effective cleaning or compromising my ‘greeness‘.  I discovered that I can basically do away with any store-bought cleaning product in favor of a simple homemade creation.  Creating a supply of some basic ingredients will transform you into a DIY chemist with the cleaning power to rival any store-bout product and with the wonderful quality of being eco-friendly and safe for your home’s inhabitants.
Supplies:
  • Baking Soda – this will clean and deodorize, scour surfaces and make water softer
  • White Vinegar – great on grease, mildew, stains and also an odor fighter
  • Borax or Mon Ami– (I love this product) – it will clean and disinfect, deodorize, soften water, and can be used on wallpaper, painted walls and floors
  • Cornstarch – great for windows, furniture, and as a shampoo for carpets
  • Hydrogen Peroxide – an all-round cleaner with disinfecting properties.
  • Salt – rust remover when mixed with lime 
  • Lemon – wonderful for deodorizing and cleaning

I bet you already have most of these products in your home.  Here’s my cleaning plan for the day:

Baking soda applied to a damp sponge for all the marks on my walls caused by crayon, grubby hands and general slobbiness.

My showers will get the mold and mildew once-over with one part Hydrogen Peroxide to two parts water in a spray bottle…ZAP!

I’m going to mix baking soda with a few drops of lemon juice in votive candle holders or small trays and place around the house for a fresh, clean scent.

My all-purpose cleaner consists of  Borax or Mom Ami and water for my bathrooms.

If I have time, I will tackle my windows with cornstarch and water.  Make sure the cornstarch is fully dissolved.  Use crumples newspaper to remove any streaks.

Using these ingredients helps me feel good in the knowledge I am protecting my children from harmful chemicals.  They are also much cheaper and very easy to make.  I bought $1 spray bottles from Target which may not last a lifetime but do the job well.  Best of all, I can keep my house clean…yep, these products really do the job beautifully.

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