The reward of cleaning is that fresh, sweet smell of a home that comes after a thorough cleaning. And while that clean smell is appealing to some people, it is a turn off to others because it makes their eyes water or their skin itch or throws them into a sneezing fit. Because of the harsh chemicals in most cleaning products, the desired effect of relaxation from your clean house can quickly turn into an auto-immune nightmare.
Who should clean naturally? You may want to switch from chemical cleaners if you have children whose health you are concerned about, or you have someone in your home with an illness, or if you just want to use natural products in your home instead of harsh cleaners that have known carcinogens.
There are a number of recipes for cleaning agents that will help get your house clean and without the worry, smell, or concern of strong chemical cleaning compounds.
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Brew up a batch of your own homemade cleaners and you will find that your home is just as clean, doesn’t have that awful chemical smell, and saves you money, too. When you make own house cleaners, you will find that it costs less.
That’s because the ingredients that you buy are mixed with water and will usually last a long, long time! So just think about that the next time you reach to pick up a cleaner off the shelf that's expensive and is made up of mostly water!
Instead, next time you want to clean, head to the store first and pick up some supplies to brew your own cleaners. Then, you’ll find that the best clean not only costs less, but it's a clean that comes naturally.
Supplies needed for making your own cleaners
CLEANING RECIPES
I find that I only use a few types of products to clean the house. These are dish soap, all-purpose spray cleaner, window cleaner, and scouring powder. Here are recipes for these products that are indespensable for household cleaning!
Lavender Dishwashing Soap
2 Cups soap flakes
1 gallon water
25 drops of lavender essential oil (you can change this to lemon or orange or other scent)
Place soap flakes and water into a pan. Heat over medium heat stirring occasionally until it boils and until soap dissolves. Lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Remove from heat and let liquid partially cool, add the essential oil and stir. Pour into a clean plastic squeeze bottle or re-used dish soap bottle.
All-Purpose Spray Cleaner
1 tablespoon Borax
1/2 cup liquid soap (can use the soap in the dishwashing soap recipe or Ivory or other type of dish soap)
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 gallon hot distilled water
20 drops essential oil such as lavender
Combine all ingredients. Use as you would any other cleaning spray.
Glass Cleaner I
½ cup sudsy ammonia
2 cups rubbing alcohol
1 gallon distilled water
Mix together and pour into spray bottle.
Glass Cleaner II
2 cups sudsy ammonia
½ cup vinegar
1 gallon distilled water
Mix together and pour into spray bottle.
Scouring Powder
1 cup baking soda
¼ cup washing soda (such as Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda)
Use like regular scouring powder.
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Kathryn Weber is the publisher of the Everydayclean.com Calender -- the calendar that helps you end the power struggle with your house. Keeping a clean home is about knowing what to clean when. Virtually everything that needs to be cleaned is on this calendar in a year-round cleaning schedule that helps you keep your house clean easier and faster. Click here for more information.
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