Homemade Cleaners

Venturing away from edible recipes for this post I want to talk about homemade cleaners. I got rid of all of my store bought household cleaners such as 409 and pinesol last year when my son started crawling. I know being "green" is the thing right now but that is not why I did it. It's a bonus that's for sure but I really didn't think twice about using all that stuff until my son started crawling around on every thing. Plus, no matter how much you baby proof things kids will find a way to get into things they aren't supposed to. I never want to make that ER trip, ever.

So, I started looking online for simple cleaning solutions that are safer to use around kids and found quite a few that work really well. As an added bonus, they save me TONS of money. So, I'm going to share a few that I use here and was hoping my readers would share theirs as well.

You still need to keep most of these cleaners out of reach of children.

Non-Toxic All Purpose Cleaner:
1/2 water, 1/2 vinegar, 4 tablespoons lemon juice, 10-20 drops lavendar or citrus oil (or tea tree, but it's pretty strong)

Combine all ingredients in a plastic spray bottle. Shake your to mix. This is the spray I leave out on my counters for everyday use. If my son gets ahold of this bottle (which I do keep out of his reach) he'll get a stomach ache but it's not going to kill him.

All Purpose Cleaner #2

This is the spray I get out when I'm working with raw meat and stuff like that. A sink full of VERY hot water and some dishwashing soap goes a long way too.

1 teaspoon borax, 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon washing soda, 1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent, 2 cups very hot water

Combine all ingredients in a plastic spray bottle. Strong enough to wipe out germs and viruses. Use daily on door knobs and toilet handles, especially when a family member is sick. Keep this mixture out of reach of children.

Soft Scrub - works great in bathtubs and showers:
Mix baking soda and water to make a paste, use with a sponge. I make this as needed.

Window Cleaner
1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent, 3 tablespoons vinegar, 2 cups water

Mix it all up in the spray bottle and voila.

Furniture Polish:
1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive, 1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.

Mold and Mildew: (great in the shower)
2 teaspoons tea tree oil, 2 cups water

Mix and spray. Use sparingly though, and only on problem areas because tea-tree oil has a very strong smell. It will dissipate after a few days though.

Straight vinegar will kill most mold too. Just let it sit for a while without rinsing.

Or mix one part hydrogen peroxide (3%) with two parts water in a spray bottle and spray on areas with mold. Wait at least one hour before rinsing or using shower.

Carpet Cleaner:
Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray directly on stain, let sit for several minutes, and clean with a brush or sponge using warm soapy water.

For a heavy duty carpet cleaner, mix 1/4 cup each of salt, borax and vinegar. Rub paste into carpet and leave for a few hours. Vacuum.

Dishwasher Soap:

Mix equal parts of borax and washing soda, but increase the washing soda if your water is hard. I still buy commercial dishwashing soap, it isn't any more harmful that what you buy. BUT, this is more environmentally friendly because it doesn't have phosphates.

Drain Cleaner:

Mix 1/2 cup salt in 4 liters water, heat (but not to a boil) and pour down the drain. Or pour about 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain, then 1/2 cup vinegar. After 15 minutes, pour in boiling water to clear residue (don't do this if you have plastic pipes). Don't combine vinegar with commercial drain cleaners either.

Floor Cleaner (vinyl):
1 cup vinegar, 1 gallon hot water

To disinfect floors:
1/2 cup of borax, two gallons of hot water

If you mop with club soda your floors will shine :)

Laundry Detergent:

I haven't tried this yet, but it's next on my list. Mostly, to save money. We currently use all free and clear which works great but laundry detergent gets expensive too. I'm also just curious to see if homemade detergent will work just as well.

Grate 1/2 bar Fels Naptha soap (or you can try other soaps) in a food processor. Add 1 cup Borax, 1 cup Washing Soda, and,1 cup Baking soda.Process until mixed.

Fabric Softener:
Add vinegar to the rinse cycle. That's it! Vinegar will reduce static cling, remove soap residue from your clothes, soften your laundry and make towels more absorbent. Seriously. Just put in in the downy ball :) You can add some nice smelling essential oil to it if it makes you feel better.

Another alternative:
6 cups water, 3 cups white vinegar, 2 cups hair conditioner.
Mix it all up (don't shake) and use it in the fabric ball just like store bought stuff.

You can also spray this on a dish rag and throw it in the dryer and replace your dryer sheets :)

Toilet Bowl Cleaner:

You can make a thin paste of borax and lemon juice and use it as a scrub.

OR, pour vinegar into your toilet bowl and then sprinkle with baking soda. This will foam up and you can scour with the toilet brush.

My next project... safe solutions to rid my house of creepy crawly critters. Mainly, spiders. We don't get many, but I HATE spiders. Any suggestions?