. Nine easy to make Household Cleaning Products .
- judithstred
- Mar 10, 2015
- 5 min read
Here are some simple but effective cleaning solutions that you can make to replace the chemicals you use in the house. I only included recipes that are actually effective and simple to make (i.e. no homemade soaps) without obscure products. For recipes that do use `specialty` products such as castile soap, borax, and essential oils, I have listed alternative recipes as well...
1. LAUNDRY DETERGENT
You'll find a lot of homemade laundry detergent recipes that still contain lots of synthetic products (soaps, fabric softner, stain remover), so for a couple truely natural recipes:
Many recipes include Borax which is technically a natural compound with no health hazards, however I prefer to use this recipe for a complete hypo-allergenic powder:
Laundry detergent cubes - it does use Castile soap which is a soap derived from 100% vegetable oils (namely olive oil, soybean, & coconut oil) and should be easy to track down.
The greenest detergent alternative? try soap nuts!
2. GLASS CLEANER
This recipe includes isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol which i exclude from mine:
1/4 cup white Vinegar*
1 tbsp Cornstarch (or arrowroot/tapioca starch) - eliminates streaks
1 cup Water
6-8 drops Essential oil*
Combine all ingredients in a (glass) spray bottle and shake well before use- this is important if you don't include the alcohol as the essential oils will separate. I use old beer bottles with a spray pump from store bought bottles. Label or use food colouring to distinguish between your cleaners!
*Scent: if you don't want the cost of essential oils (lavender, mint are pricey, Eucalyptus is cheap), use infused vinegar instead. Simply fill a jar with citrus peels, herbs, whole spice, and cover with white vinegar. Allow to sit for 2 weeks, strain, and use as your citrus scented vinegar in cleaning solutions to eliminate the vinegar smell! Some flavours you may want to try: orange spice (orange peels, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, and almond extract), lime thyme (lime peels and fresh thyme), grapefruit mint (peels and fresh mint), lavender vanilla (lavender stalks & vanilla extract/bean). See the all-purpose cleaner link below for pictures and instruction.
3. ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER
The difference between the glass cleaner and all-purpose cleaner is the ratio of water to vinegar (and the exclusion of starch). Here's an easy way to make an all-purpose cleaner that smells great, without needing essential oils. If you prefer not to infuse your vinegar, simply mix 1/3 cup vinegar with 2/3 cup water and drop in 6-8 drops essential oil (lavendar is my cleaning scent).
Disinfectant wipes - using old fabric, some water, vinegar, castile soap, and essential oil (if you want scented) makes reusable disinfectant wipes.
4. TOILET BOWL CLEANER
Toilet bowl cleaner - for an unscented cleaner, simply put 2 tbsp baking soda into the toilet followed by 2 tbsp white vinegar, allow to react and bubble, and then scrub the bowl.
Toilet fizz bombs - for an in-between-clean blast of scent and disinfectant.
5. FLOOR DISINFECTANT & CARPET DEODORIZER
Floor disinfectant - equal parts water to vinegar in a mop bucket works well; use infused vinegar or essential oils to mask the smell. You can pretreat hard stains with some baking soda paste (baking soda and water). Soak these reusable swiffer cloths- made from old fleece clothing/blankets- in the solution to use as a mop.
Mildew & Mold cleaner - this recipe uses Borax, so for a Borax-free grout cleaner: mix 7 cups water, 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/3 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup vinegar. Spray the concoction onto the dirty grout, let sit, and scrub with a brush.
Carpet deodorizer - this one includes Borox and essential oils or spices for a natural scent. For a non-scented deodorizer, simply sprinkly baking soda on the rug/carpet, leave for several minutes then vacuum.
6. CLEANING SLIME for vents/keyboards
One of the coolest cleaning techniques I've ever seen:
Here is the version that uses white glue and Borax.
Here's a non-borax version with video tutorial.
7. FURNITURE POLISH
I polish my wooden cutting boards once a month to seal the wood to prevent mold growth. Make sure boards are clean and dry before polishing.
Basic lemon furniture polish - 1 cup olive oil and 1/2 cup lemon juice; combine in a spray bottle to use. Spray cutting boards and massage into wood with clean cloth. Allow to absorb/dry for a couple hours before using boards.
For a little extra scent for wooden furniture, take a couple days to make a scent-infused polish, like Lemon & Rosemary or use that same recipe with your favourite scent combinations from the all-purpose cleaners.
Beeswax wood polish - All you need is some beeswax and oil (olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba oil, walnut oil, etc will all do wonderfully). Basically you use 1 part beeswax to 3 parts oil. This gives a nice creamy paste. If you wanted a more solid polish you would add more beeswax.
Natural wood dusting spray - 1/3 cup water mixed with 1/2 tbsp liquid castile soap and essential oil scent of your choosing...or use a scented liquid castile soap.
8. DISHWASHER DETERGENT & SOAP
Dishwasher Detergent Tabs - this recipe is simple and easy to do!
Dish soap - remember to use castile soap as the bar soap
9. AIR FRESHENERS & FABRIC DISINFECTANT
There are many ways to deodorize your home without chemical sprays or plug-ins: an open baking soda box in your garbage cupboard, by the shoe rack, and other odor-collecting corners of your house will help deodorize, but if you still like having a nice scent to come home to: try slicing an orange in half at a slight angle and light the middle with a match; it actually burns like a candle!
Create a kitchen herb garden to enjoy the fragrance of basil, sage, mint, and rosemary; grow some lavender in a pot and put dried trimmings around the house. Cinnamon sticks placed next to candles in a vase create an amazing spicy scent. My current favorite is my scented geraniums; these amazing plants come in some incredible varieties. Right now we have 'orange fizz' which actually smells sweet like orange soda!
If you are wanting a spray to keep in the bathroom and to use on pillows/couchs, use a simple air & fabric disinfectant spray - just 2 tbsp vinegar* and 2 tbsp baking soda mixed with water to deodorize. *For a scent, use infused vinegar or a few drops essential oil.
For bottle/jar labels, here are some fillable PDFs:
Try and use recycled glass bottles (beer bottles are a great fit for spray nozzles) and jars!
For even more recipes, check out my Pinterest board or this site. Just be mindful that not all the recipes on that site are completely natural, like the ones I've listed above.