DIY: Eco-friendly cleaning products
Posted on 25. Sep, 2009 by Sylvia Arnold in Culture
Have you ever wondered if that stuff you’re spraying on the counter is really safe? Do find yourself doing without cleaners to save money because they’re too expensive? Do you want to be GREEN? If you’ve asked yourself any of these questions and answered “yes,” you might like making your own household cleaners. The process is cheap, DIY, environmentally friendly, free of toxic chemicals and takes no more effort than pouring a cocktail. These cleaners will clean dirt, grime and disinfect. The only trick with disinfecting is waiting for the cleaners to take effect, since they contain no toxic chemicals they don’t kill germs immediately. To make your own cleaners you will need a few ingredients, all of which can be purchased at a grocery store, drug store or health food store. These will cost no more than about $12 to $15. You may find it difficult to find liquid castile soap at a grocery store but health food stores will definitely have it, I’m a huge fan of Dr. Bronner’s Tea Tree soap. The other items are some spray bottles, 2 water bottles and measuring cups and spoons. Bottles can be bought at a hardware store, but recycling ones you’ve used before is even better! Enjoy these recipes and best of luck with your green cleaning!
RECIPES
Wood Polish
1 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp lemon juice
Mix ingredients together in a spray bottle. Shake the bottle before spraying on wood. Wipe wood in the direction of the grain.
Floor Cleaner
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 gallons of warm water
Mix all of these ingredients in a bucket for immediate use. If you want floor cleaner on hand just mix the soap and lemon juice and store in an airtight container. Mop floor as you normally would.
All purpose
2 tsp borax
1/4 cup lemon juice
3-4 cups hot water
¼ tsp liquid castile soap
Mix all ingredients into a spray bottle. Wipe and scrub away.
Glass Cleaner
1/2 cup Isopropyl alcohol
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 liter water
1 Tbsp of lemon juice
Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle. If you really like the blue color of commercial glass cleaner just add a few drops of blue food coloring. Spray on glass and wipe away.
Fabric Softener
1 cup Suave hair conditioner
2 cup water
Mix ingredients together in a water bottle, shake to mix. For normal loads use ¼ of a cup and for large loads use ½ cup in your rinse cycle.
