Organic Cleaning Products
If you peek inside your storage area, you might notice that there are tons of cleaning products stocked for different jobs around the house. From dishes to countertops, furniture to clothes, and floors to bathrooms, all these products are costly, hazardous to our homes, family, and the environment. Have you ever thought of purchasing natural cleaning product solutions that are non-poisonous to your family members, pets, and your surroundings? Organic cleaning products made from biodegradable ingredients help keep your house clean and that too in a very inexpensive manner. So, instead of wasting hundreds of dollars on dangerous products, let's make the switch to homemade cleaning products now.
Organic Products to Clean the House
Using non-toxic, non-hazardous, non-flammable, and "environmentally" green products, helps protect our valuable resources and the planet. Let's see how we can take one step at a time towards making this change for the next generation. Few of the natural products are lemon juice, vinegar, and baking soda have always been handy and proved their worth. Take a look at how to make essential products from scratch.
Refrigerator Seals
Refrigerator seals are mainly plastic. They can be easily wiped with a cloth dipped in white vinegar. Your refrigerator seals will be free from dust.
Kitchen Floors
Take a bucket to mix in cup of white vinegar with 1 gallon of hot water. Mix with a wooden spoon. Wear protective gloves and dip the mop in the hot water to clean your hardwood, tile, linoleum, or any other kind of washable kitchen floors.
Oven Cleaner
In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of salt, and cup of hot water. Wear protective gloves, take a scrubber to mix the paste properly. Apply it to the oven, turn the oven on for couple of minutes, and once the oven is cool enough, wipe the paste with a damp cloth.
Kitchen Cabinets
In a bowl, combine cup of lemon juice and 1 quart of hot water. Wear protective gloves and take a scrubber to remove any grease and dirt from the wood and metal in the cabinets.
Laundry Detergent - White Clothes
Instead of using bleach, use cup of washing soda (sodium carbonate) and cup of white vinegar. As bleach is one of the most toxic substances for the environment, it is an expensive and harmful cleaning product. On the other hand, washing soda doesn't cost much per wash load and is highly recommended as one of the safe products.
Laundry Detergent - Dark Clothes
For dark clothes, use cup of white vinegar and cup of table salt for washing. Salt will help restore the faded colors in your clothes and remove all dirt.
Carpets
The three most basic ingredients for organic carpet cleaning products are salt, cornstarch, and baking soda. As we have already seen, that salt helps restore faded colors in the clothes, it works the same magic on the carpets as well. So, sprinkle cup of salt on the carpets and let it sit for about half an hour, and then vacuum it. You can also use cornstarch instead of salt.
For bad odors in the carpet, make a mixture with cup of baking soda and salt. Sprinkle on the carpets and let it sit for about half an hour, and then vacuum it. Sprinkle some cinnamon powder to give your carpets a fresh scent. Let the powder sit for half an hour and then vacuum it.
Glass Cleaner
In a spray bottle, mix in 2 tablespoons of white vinegar and 1 quart water. Spray on the bathroom and other glass windows and mirrors to remove oily fingerprints and dirt. Use an old towel or rag to wipe the windows and mirrors clean.
Bathtub Sliding Door
For the glass sliding door in your bathroom, which is prone to hard water stains, vinegar is the best ingredient. In a bowl, combine cup of white vinegar and cup of hot water. Wear protective gloves, a face mask, open the windows for ventilation, and use a scrubber to remove the water stains.
Drain Cleaner
In a bucket, combine cup of washing soda with 2 cups of boiling water; you can also add cup of vinegar in it as well for a stronger solution. Wear protective gloves and face mask. Pour the mixture into the drain and close it. Let the mixture sit in for an hour and then flush with clean water.
Fixtures
In order to clean stainless steel, fiberglass, ceramic, chrome, porcelain, and enamel fixtures, take a bucket to mix in 2 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 quart of water. Use a cloth to gently wipe on all the surfaces.
Combs and Brushes
Close your bathroom sink and fill with hot water. Add either 1 teaspoon of liquid dish detergent or 2 tablespoons of ammonia in it. Keep the combs and brushes submerged in the hot water for about 15 minutes. Scrub the combs and brushes with an old toothbrush. Remove them out of the water, rinse under clean water, and keep them in sunlight to dry properly.
One of the biggest errors most of us make is to use paper towels while cleaning the entire house. Instead, use some old rags or towels, finish the cleaning, and wash the towels with soap and water. The towels can be reused the next time as well. This way you won't be using more paper towels than necessary and save our planet's resources. As you can see, making cleaning products is very easy, just takes a little bit of determination and knowledge.
