Organic cleaning products benefit your health and can save you money. The basic
ingredients you need to make your own organic cleaning products at home can be found in your kitchen, or purchased
inexpensively from your local store ...
Make Your Own Natural Cleaning Products - Save Money And Improve Your
Health
It is important for you to replace your household chemical cleansers and solvents with
organic cleaning products. We still cannot be sure how much health damage has been
caused by harsh chemical products marketed to consumers to use to clean their homes over the last century. We
can, however, be certain that the damage is substantial, particularly to children and the elderly.
The good news is that not only will organic cleaning products save your good health, but they will also save you
money. The basic ingredients are very inexpensive and, if you don’t already have them at home, easy to find on the
grocery store shelves. They include things like baking soda, Borax, cornstarch, lemon juice, vinegar, vegetable
oil, mineral oil, vegetable oil-based soap, and washing soda.
For scouring greasy dirt, like the kind most often found in the kitchen, you can use washing soda. Never stick your
hands directly into a washing soda solution, as it is a strong cleaner and can cause rashes. Make sure to wear
gloves, even when using organic cleaning products. To make your own scouring powder, combine one cup of baking soda
and a quarter of a cup of washing soda, and scrub away.
To make a multi-purpose spray cleanser, combine one half teaspoon of washing soda, one half teaspoon of vegetable
oil-based soap, one half teaspoon of Borax, two tablespoons of vinegar, and two cups of hot water in a spray
bottle. Shake until all solids have been dissolved. For a stronger solution, increase the Borax to a full teaspoon.
Spray the solution directly on the surface to be cleaned and wipe with a damp rag or sponge.
It is interesting to note that, up until World War II, we used organic cleaning products in our homes exclusively.
It wasn’t until during and after the war that petroleum-based chemicals were introduced into our homes as cleaning
agents.
If you need to kill mold, use undiluted vinegar. To keep mold at bay, treat afflicted areas with slightly diluted
vinegar on a regular basis.
To rid a room of musty smells, you need to use one teaspoon of tea tree oil and one cup of water. Use a spray
bottle as a dispenser. After a day or two the smell should disappear and the solution will have dissolved.
Organic cleaning products can be used for big jobs too, like sinks, toilets, and tubs. Vinegar can be used on
toilet and tub stains. Pour it on the stain and let it soak before scouring. Be careful never to add vinegar to
your toilet if you are using a commercial cleaner or tab, as the chemical reaction can produce toxic gas fumes.
There are plenty of organic cleaning recipes and many companies manufacture natural cleaning products. Be careful to check the label ingredients before you buy.
There should be nothing contained in the solution that you do not readily recognize as an organic compound. If
there is, then these are not truly organic cleaning products.
You won’t believe the healthy impact switching to organic cleaning products can make until you
give it a try.
Green Cleaning
Recipes - Discover over 120 easy and effective green cleaning
recipes that will save you thousands a year and help you safely and
effectively clean your home.
There are many different household cleaning products you can make using ingredients in your own
home. Because household cleaning products have such harsh chemicals in them, if you're looking to live organically,
or if you or one of your family members is allergic to these kinds of products, making your own is probably the
best way for you to go. There's a small list of things you'll need to get started, all of which can usually be
found around the house, or purchased for minimal cost. These things include:
- Baking soda
- Washing soda
- White distilled vinegar
- A good liquid soap or detergent
- Tea tree oil
- 6 clean spray bottles
- 2 glass jars
Once you have all of your ingredients gathered up, you can begin to make your different cleaning
products. The first product you can make with this list is a general household scrubbing product.
Household Scrub
Mix 1/2 cup of baking soda in a bowl with liquid soap in order to make a texture similar to cake
icing. Then scoop up the mixture with a sponge, applying it to the surface you want to wash. This mixture is most
effective for cleaning out a bathtub or other porcelain fixture, as it doesn't leave a mess and rinses quite
easily. If you want to pre-make the mixture to keep it on hand, you can add a teaspoon of vegetable glycerin which
will make it easily sealable in a glass jar.
Window Cleaner
Mix 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap with three tablespoons of vinegar. Then combine this mixture
with 2 cups of water and pour the entire mixture into a spray bottle. Shake it up and you can use it just as you
would use Windex. In fact, this mixture is often better than commercial cleaners, as it doesn't leave a waxy
residue which you might have come to expect from commercial brands.
Oven Cleaner
For cleaning the oven organically, you should first spritz water all over the area you want to
clean. Then cover the dirty area with baking soda until the surface is totally white. You'll need to let the
mixture sit overnight, but in the morning, you'll easily be able to clean up the grime as the baking soda will have
loosened it over night. Once the bulk of the mess is cleaned up, you can use a little bit of liquid soap in order
to wash the remaining grime and grease from the oven. If you find this recipe isn't working properly, you should
increase the amount of baking soda and water you use and let it sit overnight again.
All Purpose Spray Cleaner
First, combine 1/2 teaspoon of washing soda and a small drop of liquid soap with 2 cups of hot
tap water. Pour this into a spray bottle and let it dissolve the washing soda. Once the soda is dissolved, you can
apply this cleaner to just about any surface in order to clean up grit and grime.
All of the methods mentioned in this article can be mixed up with little to no effort, meaning
you'll likely have the ingredients around your home. You'll find that these methods work just as well as commercial
products, if not better, resulting in cheaper cleaning costs for you.
Floor Cleaner - Place a drop of mild
enviro-safe dishwashing liquid in a bucket with 4 liters of warm water.
Surface Spray - Place 10 drops of lavender
oil and some plain soap or lemon juice in a spray bottle. Fill the bottle with
water. You can also use white vinegar in a spray bottle to clean benches and repel
cockroaches.
Dishwasher Powder - Place bicarb soda in
the powder dispenser and some white vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser.
Antibacterial Spray - Pour 1 cup of warm
water into a spray bottle, add 20 drops of orange oil, 10 drops of lavender oil and
10 drops of eucalyptus oil.
Bathroom Cleaners
Microfibre cloths and water will clean most surfaces.
Alternatively, try the recipes below:
Toilet Cleaner - Wash toilet with warm
soapy water or sprinkle bicarb soda and a few drops of eucalyptus, tea tree,
lemongrass or pine oil around the toilet bowl. Spray with vinegar, let fizz and
rinse.
Tile Cleaner - If lightly soiled, use
warm, soapy waste. Spray undiluted vinegar to remove soap scum, lime deposits and
mildew. Einse with water.
Blocked Drains (all types) - Pour 1/2 cup
of baking soda down the drain, followed by 1/2 cup of vinegar. Let if fizz for a
few minutes, then pour a kettle of boiling water to clear it.
Bath and Shower - Spray with undiluted
vinegar and remove mildew by scrubbing with vinegar and sea salt.
Laundry Cleaners
Laundry Powder - 1/2 bar pure soap grated
finely, 1/2 cup borax, 1/2 cup sea salt, 1/2 cup washing soda. Use 1 cup and adjust
according to your washer size and the dirtiness of clothing.
Rinse Aid - A cup of vinegar, a mild
disinfectant, poured into the fabric softener compartment will remove detergent
build-up, and fluff.
Bleach - Use borax or 1 cup of lemon juice
to bleach whites or soak cloth nappies and perspiration stained clothing.
Glass Cleaners
Glass and Windows - Spray a solution of
50:50 vinegar and water. Wipe dry with dry newspaper or a squeegee.
(Source: "The little book of low
chemical options for you and your home" by Hornsby Shire Council)
Easy Tips And Tricks When It Comes To Using Natural Cleaning
Products
A clean and orderly environment means an equally clutter free and peaceful mind. If your home
(or workplace) is a mess, then you won't feel peaceful and/or happy. Imagine if you have a lot of problems and your
surroundings will up the stress factor because it is too dirty or messy. Now that would just cause you more
unneeded stress and irritation. If your number one reason for not really cleaning that much is because you don't
have a lot of time to go to the grocery store and buy specific cleaners for your sink, etc, then after you read
this, you don't have a valid excuse anymore.
Understandably, every minute of our time equals to money. So idling away or spending a few extra
minutes in the grocery store is not an option for a lot of people out there. Or it is also possible that your
budget is just enough for your bare necessities and you don't have extra money to spend on those high priced
chamomile infused toilet bowl cleaners and the like. Either way, it is still best that you stick to the basics.
What is meant by that is to use all green cleaning products instead of them toxic cleaning aids found in your local
grocery stores. Sure, you may have to put in a bit of effort when you mix things up in the kitchen, but at least
you don't have to go to the grocery store and spend extra cash on things that you can actually make yourself.
First things first, what exactly are natural cleaning products? Do you know the difference
between wholesale cleaning products and the toxic kind? Well, the main difference is that natural aids are not
toxic. That's it. When you dispose of bottles or leftover natural cleaning aids, you don't add toxic waste to our
already polluted earth. Mother Nature would be so proud of you if you did your part even if it was just a small
act. Okay, so here are some tips and tricks when cleaning around your house using all organic cleaning
products.
The first natural cleaning product you should give a try is cornstarch. We use it to thicken
sauces and soups, but it can also be an effective cleaning aid. The best part about cornstarch is that it is not
toxic and you won't worry if your toddler accidentally ate cornstarch. Just give him/her a glass of water and it'll
be a-okay.
Now, you want to start with clean tools right? Let's start with your good old feather duster.
Make it clean by putting an ample amount of cornstarch in a strong plastic bag and encircle the top of the plastic
bag around the handle of the feather duster. Then, shake vigorously. After that, take out your feather duster and
shake out the excess cornstarch. Reuse the plastic bag and put all kinds of trash there later on.
After cleaning your feather duster, why not move on to cleaning your rugs or carpet? Sprinkle
cornstarch on the carpet and leave it on for about 10 minutes. After that, get your vacuum cleaner and vacuum away.
The cornstarch attracts dust and it'll help the vacuum cleaner do its job well.
The next non-toxic cleaning aid is baking soda. It is a known effective cleaning aid and has
been used by our grandparents to clean everything from laundry to silverware. If you want a gentle fabric softener
that won't irritate even the most sensitive skin, use baking soda. Before adding soap to the water, add a cup of
baking soda to your regular load. Then, let it stand for a few minutes. Add your regular soap afterwards. You'll be
surprised how soft your clothes are.
These are just some kitchen bystanders-slash-natural cleaning products that you can find in your
own home. Try them today and see how well they do the job without breaking the bank.
About The Author: David Phish.
Nobody wants a cluttered house, workspace or environment but cleaning those
places shouldn't take so much of your time and effort sincegreen cleaning products are now here to help you out.Natural cleaning products can't just do the tricks of cleaning as it can also guarantee you the safety that you
would happily want to have for your family.Article Source:http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_Phish
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