Today I want to show you how to make your own fully natural, eco-friendly cleaners from the comfort of your own home. Why would you want to do that I hear you cry? Well there are 3 fantastic reasons – all are equally valid!
You will save money!
You will avoid toxins!
You will help to save the planet!
I am going to share 11 simple of recipes here, most of which use the same basic ingredients and take just a few minutes to prepare…..but the warm eco-warrior, money-saver feeling will last you all day! Shop-bought cleaners use energy to manufacture and distribute – and the ones that proclaim to be ‘green’ are sometimes misleading and usually more expensive. Your house will be sparkling clean, with a pleasant aroma – and you will save your family money and protect them from being bombarded by the myriad toxins that are found in shop-bought cleaning products – yes, you will be a hero!
You will see a few ingredients come up time and time again – I will explain briefly why that is.
White vinegar – This is a favourite because it bacteria hates it! It creates an acidic environment where it cannot thrive. It also won’t stain like apple cider vinegar can.
Baking soda – This is a fantastic natural abrasive and cleanser which is also deodorising and is gentle enough for most surfaces.
Jojoba or olive oil – Great for oiling and polishing wood without nasty additives.
Hydrogen peroxide – This is an effective natural stain remover.
Essential oils – Many have antiviral and anti fungal properties – and they smell divine!
Recipes
1. Disinfecting wipes
These are so handy and best of all – reusable!
You will need:
Mix the wet ingredients together and pour into the container. Stack the squares of cloth carefully on top of each other and allow them to soak up the mixture. Use one at a time and keep the container sealed. When you have used a wipe simply wash it and save it for the next bacth!
These wipes smell super fresh, clean beautifully and disinfect in the swipe of a hand.
2. Shower cleaner
Use this natural cleaner regularly during your steamy shower for best results. Spray before you start and wipe the walls as you shower! Quick and easy.
You will need:
Simply shake gently to combine the ingredients
The dish soap removes soap buildup, and the vinegar disinfects, deodorises and attacks mould.,
3. Soap Nuts
These bizarre things are the dried shells of the soapberry. They contain a natural cleaning agent called saponin, that works like soap and detergent. They create suds when they get wet – amazing!
You can purchase them on Amazon for around $40. This lasts around 800 loads! So approximately $0.5 a time.
You simply put 4-5 berries into the muslin bag that is provided. Wet the bag before adding to the machine with your laundry. They will work for 5-7 washed before you need to replace the nuts.
4. Stain remover
You can easily tackle stains on your clothes with a combination of any or all of these that you have to hand.
Simply make up a paste with what you have to hand and rub into the stain. Leave in the sun for a while if you can before washing your garment normally.
5. Bleach Alternative
Yes you read correctly! You can whip up an alternative bleach option quickly and easily.
What you will need:
Simply mix together and store in a large jar – you can decant for easy use. Use within a month before it loses it’s potency. This works brilliantly in bathrooms!
6. Washing up liquid
Washing dishes is my least favourite thing – so I like to be lulled into a false sense of enjoyment by an essential oil. Try it yourself and see!
Mix it all up and store it in an old liquid dish soap bottle or glass jar if you have one. Use as you would ordinary dish soap.
7. Carpet Freshener
This is brilliant! 2 ingredients to a delicious smelling home – it might even make you enjoy vacuuming. I can’t promise that though.
You will need:
Mix together and decant into a container with holes in the lid such as an old glass spice pot. Leave for 24 hours to permeate.
Sprinkle on your carpets wait 15 minutes before vacuuming. It will be clean and fresh with no chemicals!
8. Furniture Polish
Clean and nurture your furniture with this easy chemical free concoction.
What you will need:
Squeeze the lemon into a bowl, add olive oil (around double the amount of lemon juice that you have squeezed) and a dash of white vinegar. Mix together and rub gently into the wooden furniture with a big dollop of love.
9. One Ingredient Window Cleaner
Are you ready for this? Grab a bottle of rubbing alcohol. Take off the lid and screw a spray bottle top in it’s place. Get to work on your windows and mirrors! Yes it may smell a little strong, but the scent fades in seconds as it dries. There is nothing as effective, with as little effort and streak free. Go on try it! You can use the cloth for your faucets and door handles when you are done.
10. All purpose citrus cleaner
You can use this all over the house including on tough grease.
You will need:
Fill your glass jar with the peels and add the salt. Shake it up and allow to stand for at least 30 minutes. Then fill the jar with half vinegar and half water and secure the lid. Leave for a fortnight or more! When you can no longer stand to wait strain the solution into a spray bottle and add some essential oils. You can use this for almost any purpose!
11. Fabric freshener
You will need:
Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar and add a pound 10 drops of your favourite essential oil, or combination of oils. Give it a shake and spray your curtains/sofas etc for a fresh clean scent. Simple!
These 11 recipes should be enough to revolutionise your household cleaning and inspire you to create your own cleaners! Let me know how you get on, or if you have a fantastic tip that I have missed!
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Great recipes. I’m going to try the stain remover for a stubborn stain I haven’t been able to remove. I tried hydrogen peroxide, which normally works but didn’t this time. Maybe the combination of ingredients will do the trick.
Good luck with your stain! I would love to hear if you are successful. Thanks for taking the time to comment Eco Grandma 🙂
The recipes seem great! I have never used natural cleaners but now I,m pregnant and I need to change this! Thanks for the lovely post! It is really interesting! Greets, Mottingham Carpet Cleaners Ltd.
Thanks Marybeth. Pregnancy is certainly a turning point that makes us reevaluate the safety of our actions at home and beyond. Wishing you well for the coming months. I would love to hear how you go with the recipes!