I recently read the book Clean House, Clean Planet; Clean Your House for Pennies a Day The Safe Nontoxic Way! and was impressed! I’ve been buying ‘natural’ cleaners from a big box store for everything that just plain vinegar doesn’t work for. I know this isn’t the most environmentally friendly option (since I’m throwing out the container each time), nor is it the most frugal one, so I was glad to read about easy-to-make homemade cleaners that utilize mostly just baking soda, vinegar, liquid dish soap, and essential oils.
Author Karen Logan writes about her personal experiences using her cleaners to clean, assigning each of them an efficiency rating. Cleaners with low ratings are good for every day maintenance, or homes that don’t have young children in them. Higher ratings are good for things like stains on clothing and crayon on walls. She gives detailed reasons why more toxic cleaners should be used sparingly, if at all, though thankfully even she admits that sometimes (as in the case with a really grimy bath tub) conventional products can be used! This week I’m going to try out her “all purpose cleaner’ and I’ll let you know how it works.
She also recommends carpet sweepers, for the same reason that I do- they are quiet, easy, and environmentally friendly. She had the idea to give them at baby showers- what mother hasn’t avoided vacuuming during nap time just to avoid waking the baby?
Other topics with handmade low-cost safe alternatives to conventional products are: Drain cleaner, car cleaners, carpet cleaners, pest control, metal polishes, disinfectants, and more!
Have you made your own cleaners? An easy one to start with is just using vinegar to clean your windows, it works just as well as any conventional product!
More:
Read about my stash of essential oils and why I chose them.
Did you see my Hippie Air Freshener?
Looking to detoxify your bathroom? Visit this post for a giveaway for natural cosmetics and personal care products! Ends Thursday!
Learn how to heal leaky gut
60-page ebook of all my best GAPS Diet (Gut and Psychology Syndrome) articles all in one place.
I read online (I forgot where) that you can make your own ‘soft scrub’ by mixing baking soda and Dr. Bronners liquid soap until the mixture is the consistency of frosting. I used this on my bathtub which had gotten pretty grimy and it worked so well! I couldn’t believe I could get my tub that clean without the awful fumes from other cleaners!
I picked this book up at Borders a few years ago for $3-4. I’ve really found it useful and have been very happy with most of the recipes. I think it is a must for any eco-friendly family!