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Even if you do not own your own home you still can make an impact on the environment in a more positive way. How about trading in your commercially produced, often toxic cleaners for cheaper, less toxic, natural products that can be used for multiple purposes. Did you know that many of the commercial cleaning products contain: kerosene, naphtha, phosphates, methoxychlor, petroleum, formaldehyde, germicides, mineral spirits, acids, and other nasty, nearly unpronounceable things? To make changes toward more natural product use in your home, first of all do an assessment of all the cleaners, paints, glues, etc. that you have now in your home. Dispose of any old substances properly via your community recycling center or chemical collection site. Focusing on cleaners, review what you use on a regular basis. Questions to ask yourself:
You may want to make a list of the common cleaners you require for your household. Then determine what you are spending per month or per year on these cleaners. Are you often buying items that can only be used for one thing? An example would be products to clean the mildew from the tile in the bathroom, a specialized mirror cleaner or oven cleaner. Wouldn't it be nice to purchase items that could be used for more than one purpose? One benefit of this is that you know exactly what is in the cleaner. You determine what products are healthy for you and your home. Here is a list of some basic (and usually cheap!) ingredients that you may want to keep on hand:
Along with these products you will need basic equipment: bucket, mop, sponges or cotton cloths, scrubbers, empty spray bottles and other containers. Many of the above ingredients can be mixed when you need them, rather than storing multiple containers if you have little storage space. Below are some basic "recipes" that really do work, they clean nicely with no potent odors or toxins and take only a moment to make. Give them a try! Below the recipes will be a list of sources and alternative commercial products if you do not want to make your own. However the "ready made" stuff is much more expensive! General All Purpose Cleaner 2 cups hot water 2 tablespoons (approx.) of vinegar 1 tablespoon borax
Mix together and add to spray bottle or you can mix larger quantities in a bucket. You can also add lemon juice or your favorite essential oil to this to make it smell nicer. This recipe is good for cleaner non-wood kitchen cabinets, countertops, bathrooms, plastic, etc.
Disinfectant/Cleaner
1/2 cup vinegar 1/2 cup borax 2 or more gallons hot water essential oil (optional)
Dissolve ingredients in hot water in bucket and wash basement floor, walls etc. Best if using a mop or sponge. Rinse with plain hot water. Great for pet areas or children's play rooms.
Drain Cleaner and Odor Neutralizer
Amounts must be equal to work properly: Try 1/4 cup lemon juice (or vinegar) 1/4 cup baking soda
You can hear this recipe work. Put baking soda into the drain or garbage disposal first then the acid of your choice. Rinse about 10 minutes later with hot water.
Wall Wash
2 gallons hot water 1/2 cup borax
Mix together in bucket. Apply with squeezed sponge. This works well on semi-gloss or gloss paint. You may want to test this on a small area to used on wallpapered walls.
General Carpet or Rug Cleaner
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Apply directly to stain. Then Vacuum. Follow with: baking soda directly on rug - this will fresher up carpet and is easy to vacuum up. You can also try mixing water with vegetable oil soap to create foaming cleaner.
Floor Wash
2 gallons hot water 1 cup vinegar add favorite scent (lemon juice is a good flea repellent)
Mix in bucket - apply with sponge or mop. Not sure how this works on waxed floors. Does a good job on wood floors, laminate, sheet vinyl and concrete.
Furniture Cleaner/Polish
1 teaspoon olive oil 1/2 cup lemon juice
Mix in container and apply with soft cloth. You may want to test this on a inconspicuous area first. Seems to work well on all woods.
Silver Polish
Dab of natural (white, mint) toothpaste small amount of olive oil
Rub these together on tarnished silver. Toothpaste turns grey. Rinse with cold water. May not work well on very heavily tarnished silver.
Window Cleaner
Water Use vinegar in 25% amount of water
Mix in spray bottle. Wipe with clean cloth. Works well for mirrors, too.
Mold/Mildew Disinfectant
This requires little effort. Use small bowls of kitty litter to absorb odor. Must use unscented kind. Works well in damp areas, unless you have cats that find it.
The Club Soda Remedy
Works well on stains on carpet or rugs, apply with a sponge - but don't press it in - let it lift the stain! You can also use club soda to wash linoleum floors. Not sure how this works on other floor materials. Wood Cleaner 1/2 cup vinegar 1/4 vegetable oil soap water
Cleans kitchen cabinets and protected wood surfaces. Do not use on bare wood (unfinished) or antique furniture. Works well on finished wood floors. Also seems to be ok on wood look alike furniture.
There are many, many other recipes out there available that may seem similar to the above, you have to experiment with you like and what is convenient for you. Often times, when you get used to making a cleaner, you no longer measure the ingredients, but use what is reasonable. There are other "ingredients" that you may find work for you. Listed above are ones commonly used and effective. Read below for books that contain more information and cleaner recommendations that use natural products.
Commercial Products
Reading Resources
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