Recipes for Safer Cleaners
Pamela Lundquist
One of the easiest ways to protect your family from harm is to stop using cleaning products found in stores and start making your own. In fact, it's easy, far less expensive and just as effective. Most ingredients for homemade cleaners can be found in your kitchen.
Below, you'll find recipes for kitchen, bathroom, and living room cleaning, as well as recipes for metal polishes, air fresheners, floors and carpets, laundry and mold.
Keep these points in mind:
- Buy a few high quality spray bottles that you can use many times. Bottles with ounce measurements on them are especially useful for measuring and mixing.
- Be sure to label your mixtures to avoid confusion.
- Liquid soap means castile soap, a mild soap once made from olive oil, but now may include other vegetable oils as well. Coconut oil soaps are another good alternative to petroleum-based soaps.
- Vinegar means distilled white vinegar, available by the gallon at your supermarket. Note that while vinegar has a slight scent while wet, when dry, it leaves no odor.
- Washing soda and borax are minerals related to baking soda, but are stronger and more caustic. Though natural, both washing soda and borax can irritate skin, so use gloves. Borax can be toxic when swallowed, so keep it out of children's reach at all times. Both of these items can be found in your supermarket's laundry aisle.
- ALL cleaners, whether homemade or store bought, and cleaning ingredients should be kept safely away out of the reach of children and pets in locked cabinets or high places.
- You can also buy safer, environmentally friendly cleaning products, too. You'll find them in natural foods stores and some supermarkets. Some can be ordered online. See Healthy Child's Marketplace for recommended products.
KITCHEN
- Countertops: For a "soft scrub," mix together baking soda and liquid soap until you get a consistency you like. The amounts don't have to be perfect. Make only as much as you need, as it dries up quickly.
- Ovens: To clean extra-greasy ovens, mix together 1 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup of washing soda, then add enough water to make a paste; apply the paste to oven surfaces and let soak overnight. The next morning, lift off soda mixture and grime; rinse surfaces well.
- Microwave ovens can be cleaned with a paste of 3-4 tablespoons baking soda mixed with water. Scrub on with a sponge and rinse.
- Cutting boards: Disinfect them by spraying with vinegar and then with 3% hydrogen peroxide (available in drug stores). Keep the liquids in seperate spray bottles and use them one at a time. It doesn't matter which one you use first, but both together are much more effective than either one alone.
Kitchens are one place where disinfecting is recommended for other select items like utensils and countertops.
BATHROOM
- Tub and tile cleaner: Mix 1 2/3 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup liquid soap and1/2 cup water. Then, as the last step, add 2 tablespoons vinegar (if you add the vinegar too early it will react with the baking soda). Immediately apply, wipe, and scrub.
- A good all-purpose disinfectant: 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar and 3 to 4 cups hot water in a spray bottle. For extra cleaning power, add 1/4 teaspoon liquid soap to the mixture.
- Toilet bowl: Pour 1 cup of borax into the toilet before going to bed. In the morning, scrub and flush. For an extra-strength cleaner, add 1/4 cup vinegar to the borax.
- Drains: Prevent clogged drains by using hair and food traps. To de-grease and sweeten sink and tub drains, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down drain followed by 1 cup vinegar; let bubble for 15 minutes; rinse with hot water. You might have to repeat the whole procedure more than once or leave the baking soda and vinegar to "cook" overnight.
LIVING ROOM
- General dusting is best done with a damp cloth. Dry dusting simply stirs up dust and moves it around. Also, try 1 teaspoon olive oil per 1/2 cup vinegar. Mix together in a bowl and apply with a soft cloth.
- Furniture polish: Mix olive oil and vinegar in a one-to-one ratio and polish with a soft cloth. Or look for food-grade linseed oil, often called omega-3 or flaxseed oil, rather than the type found in hardware stores to finish furniture. Linseed oil sold for furniture use often contains dangerous petroleum distillates to speed evaporation.
- Windows: Put 3 tablespoons vinegar per 1 quart water in a spray bottle. Some recommend using half vinegar and half water. For extra-dirty windows try this: 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap, 3 tablespoons vinegar and 2 cups of water. Shake well. The best way to get streak-free windows? Use newspaper instead of paper towels to wipe them.
METAL POLISH
- Brass, copper, bronze and aluminum: To remove tarnish, rub metal with sliced lemons. For tough jobs, sprinkle baking soda on the lemon, then rub.
- Sterling silver: Put a sheet of aluminum foil into a plastic or glass bowl. Sprinkle the foil with salt and baking soda, then fill the bowl with warm water. Just soak your silver in the bowl and the tarnish will migrate to the aluminum foil. Finally, rinse, dry and buff your silver with a soft cloth.
AIR FRESHENER
FLOORS AND CARPETS
- Vacuuming is an important part of floor maintenance. We recommend using a machine with a HEPA filter, which traps very small particles that are otherwise blown back into the room in the vacuum's exhaust. Consumer Reports, which ranks appliances, has found that some vacuum cleaners without HEPA filters were also effective. No matter what kind of vacuum cleaner you use, be sure pass over carpet several times and more in heavy traffic areas.
- Linoleum: For extra grease-cutting, try this formula: 1/4 cup washing soda with 1 tablespoon of liquid soap, 1/4 cup vinegar and 2 gallons hot water. Put the washing soda in the bucket first and add the liquid ingredients — this way the soda won't splash out. Caution: Do not use this formula on waxed floors! For an extra polish, combine 6 tablespoons of cornstarch per cup of water in a bucket.
- Disinfect floors: Add 2 gallons of hot water to 1/2 cup of borax. (Put the borax in the bucket first, then add water to avoid splashing.)
- Wood floors: Vinegar is a natural disinfectant, and it pulls dirt from wood. After a large party, I used 1 cup vinegar per pail of hot water to clean my wood floors — the smell disappeared immediately. You can also use it on other types of floors — it's a gentle yet very effective floor cleaner.
- Carpeting And Rugs: Regular vacuuming will help keep carpets their cleanest. Sprinkle baking soda over the surface of the carpet and let it stand for 15 – 30 minutes before vacuuming to soak up and eliminate odors. Healthy Child recommends against the use of chemical carpet cleaners because of health concerns associated with their ingredients. If you want to steam clean your rug, use plain water and make sure it dries thoroughly. For other carpet cleaning tips, see How to Clean Carpets Without Dangerous Chemicals.
LAUNDRY
- Laundry brightener: Add 1/2 cup of strained lemon juice to the rinse cycle.
- Fabric rinse: Add 1/4 cup of vinegar to the washing machine's rinse cycle to remove detergent completely from clothes, eliminating that scratchy feel. This will not leave your clothes smelling like vinegar!
- Detergent booster: To reduce the amount of laundry detergent you need to use, add baking soda or washing soda. These minerals soften the water, which increases the detergent's power. For liquid detergent, add 1/2 cup of soda at the beginning of the wash. For powdered detergent, add 1/2 cup of soda during the rinse cycle.
- Bleach: Use hydrogen peroxide instead of chlorine bleach.
- Dry cleaning: Many delicate "dry clean only" items can be washed at home by hand. In general, it's best to use cool water and a mild liquid soap. Squeeze or wring gently and lay flat to dry.
MOLD & MILDEW
If you discover mold and mildew in your house, first find the source of moisture and stop it. It's pointless to clean mold if it's only going to return!
- To clean mold: Remember to wear gloves and a facemask, since mold spores can be inhaled. Use a stiff brush, a non-ammonia detergent and hot water to scrub mold off of non-porous surfaces. Use a stiff bristle toothbrush to get in between tiles. You can also use a paste
Shared by: Sharon Brown
SUBMITTED BY: MELISSA BUSH
Amazing vinegar! 19 ways to help pets, house, and you
By Elizabeth Bublitz
Posted Tue Aug 31, 2010 1:26pm PDT
Related topics: Food and Drink, Pets, Tips, House
More from ecomii Healthy Living blog
35votes
Buzz up!
From soothing sunburn and insect bites to deterring insects and cats, vinegar is a versatile, safe and effective solution for many household and pet problems.
- A few tablespoons of apple cider vinegar in your pet’s water bowl will prevent fleas and mange.
- If you dog has been sprayed by a skunk, rub vinegar (any type) on his coat and rinse.
- If your pet has hot spots, dab a little vinegar (any kind) on the spots.
- To remove pet urine from carpets -- The best vinegar to get is one that has not been processed, look for vinegar that has been cold pressed.
- Keep cut flowers blooming longer -- Add 2 tablespoons white vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar to a quart of water. Stems should sit at least 4 inches into the water.
- Deter ants with vinegar. Either spray or place a vinegar soaked string in the areas ants frequent.
- Vinegar is an herbicide when used in temperatures above 70°. However, it will also kill plants, so use vinegar carefully in the garden.
- When slicing onions, rub hands with vinegar before and after handling them, to prevent odor.
- Keep cats away by sprinkling vinegar in the areas you want them to avoid. Citrus peelings and soap will also deter cats.
- Clean your dog’s ears with a soft cloth dipped in diluted vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is recommended.
- Clean rust from garden tools and spigots by soaking in undiluted vinegar. Lay a cloth soaked in vinegar over the spigot overnight.
- Dab vinegar on a mosquito bite (or any insect bite) to soothe.
- After gardening, pour vinegar over your hands to soothe and prevent drying and flaking.
- Remove fruit stains from hands by rinsing with vinegar.
- Soak wilted vegetables in 2 cups of water and 1 tablespoon of vinegar.
- Vinegar is an effective air freshener. Put out a bowl of vinegar to eliminate cigar, smoke or pet odors.
- Soothe sunburn by rubbing vinegar on the affected area.
- Soothe a bee sting by dabbing the affected area with vinegar.
- As with any product, it’s best to check with your veterinarian or doctor before using.
Elizabeth Bublitz is an animal friendly gardening expert, author and owner of Pawfriendly Landscapes.http://twitter.com/Pawfriendly
More from ecomii:
- Learn how you may be polluting your home instead of cleaning it
- Learn more about the potential of nutritional supplements
- Find natural remedies for headaches
- Does aromatherapy actually work?
- What is your carbon footprint?
Soap Nuts (Berries) for Emergency Storage
Source unknown
Shared by: Peggy Webb
A friend and I were discussing emergency storage the other day and she said, “I need two whole shelves just for cleaning supplies!” We talked about simplifying her cleaning routine but she also wondered about laundry soap, fabric softener and stain treatment products.
I recommended she stick to baking soda, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide,... bleach and soap nuts for all her cleaning supplies, both now and for storage. Soap nuts (sometimes called soap berries) are a dried fruit from a tree which contain a large amount of saponin in their shells. When the shells come in contact with water, they release the saponin, turning the water into a great cleaning liquid. I use soap berries every day for laundry and have a large supply set aside in my emergency stores.
Soap nuts leave even hand washed clothing soft without fabric softener. The soap is gentle enough for delicates but tough enough for every day laundering. Diapers and stinky towels left too long between washes come out smelling fresh and clean. My youngest’s skin, which is very sensitive to the fragrances, colors and added chemicals in laundry detergent doesn’t react at all to soap nut soap.
To use, I put 12 soap nuts in a quart of hot water and steep. When it cools, I put a lid on it and store it in the fridge (soap nuts are actually fruit, so you’d refrigerate it like rehydrated raisins or other fruit.) The golden liquid is then available and ready for washing hair, dogs, cars, windows, countertops, laundry, just about anything that needs soap. After I strain the soapy liquid out of the jar to use, I fill the jar back up with water again. When the water is clear and no longer smells like soap nuts, I know it’s time to compost those 12 nuts and grab some more. My jar of nuts usually recharges 5 or 6 times.
The soapy water produced by soap nuts is antimicrobial, which helps break up gray water in a septic system. It kills germs on hands without strong chemicals like triclosan and on kitchen counters without bleach. You don’t need to worry about chemical spills or accidentally creating mustard gas in your garage if your soap nuts get loose.
So, instead of putting up bars of soap that have to be grated and added to other cleaning products, take a look at soap nuts for your emergency prep!
Peggy, Real Food Prepper
10 Totally Non-Toxic Deep Cleaning Recipes~Back to Basics
Effective cleaners for chemically-sensitive people.
You probably already know that you can clean with common kitchen pantry items like baking soda, vinegar and lemons. We found a few new ways to clean with these standard non-toxic cleaning agents. If you've got chemical sensitivities, these cleaning recipes are for you. Check out these 10 totally... safe, non-toxic recipes and enjoy clean air and the chemical-free shine of your home:
Mix ½ cup baking soda, 1 tsp dish soap and ½ tsp. hydrogen peroxide. Apply to a wet surface with a cloth. Rinse the surface well after scrubbing.
Chemical-Free Oven Cleaner
If your pie boils over in the hot oven, cover the spill with salt immediately. It will dry to a crusty and easy to remove powder when the oven cools down.
Clean and season sauté and frying pans with a simple dry salt rub. Unless there are stubborn burnt pieces stuck to the pan, no need to even add water.
Steam clean a microwave with a bowl filled with a sliced lemon in hot water. Run the microwave for five minutes and then towel off with a clean cloth.
Clean and sanitize wood or plastic cutting boards by rubbing lemon juice over the surface, let sit for ten minutes, run with lemon to loosen stubborn bits and rinse.
Clean silver with a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Run onto surface, rinse with warm water and dry with soft cloth.
Totally Non-Toxic Tarnish Remover
Gently boil brass in a 50/50 vinegar and water mix to remove tarnish. Boiling vinegar will remove heavy-duty tarnish, or the green residue from commercial products.
Flour and Water Chrome Buff
Clean chrome items with dry flour and a damp sponge, or make a water and flour paste to scrub stubborn bits.
Healthy Leather Cleaner
Mix 1 part vinegar to 2 parts food grade linseed oil to clean leather. Rub on the leather and leave overnight. Buff with a lint -free cloth.
Non-Stinky Varnished Wood Cleaner
Can't handle oil soap fumes? Mix 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon white vinegar into a quart of warm water. Spritz onto varnished wood surfaces with a spray bottle, and then dry with a cloth.
Source:
http://www.networx.com/article/10-totally-non-toxic-deep-cleaning-recip
