Whether you want to lessen your impact on the environment, keep the grocery spending within budget, or curb your family’s exposure to the harsh chemicals in regular cleaning products, making your own green cleaning products is easier than you think!
Why make your own green cleaning products?
Making your own eco-friendly cleaning liquids gives you control over the substances with which your family comes in contact. Why? Because you get to choose every ingredient that goes into your homemade green cleaning liquids.
Cleaning using ingredients you already regularly keep in stock in your household will undoubtedly save you money. Furthermore, it could also make your cleaning routine faster, because you end up switching concoctions between specific cleaning tasks less.
Because you choose the size, shape, and type of containers for storing your solutions, you’ll find them easier to organize.
Best of all, homemade natural cleaning products lets you protect the environment by reducing junk in the landfill and refusing to contribute to the pollution created by cleaning product factories.
I’ve listed common household items below, along with best approaches to deodorising and disinfecting them using green cleaning agents you can easily whip up from natural ingredients found in your kitchen and pantry.
1. Windows, mirrors, and other glass surfaces
A common concern about homemade natural cleaning products is that they will leave mirrors and windows streaky or scratched! Keep glass smooth and clear by repurposing a well-worn cotton t-shirt into cleaning cloths, and avoiding abrasive ingredients like baking soda or salt.
Instead, make your own natural glass cleaner. Here’s how:
Mix 1/2 gallon of hot water, two tablespoons vinegar,
and either four tablespoons lemon juice or 10 drops lemon essential oil.
Another eco-friendly glass cleaner formula uses one cup water, one cup rubbing alcohol, and one tablespoon vinegar.
You needn’t worry about putting it in any special container for storage as it won’t keep well, long-term. However, it will make your home smell fantastic without the use of synthetic fragrances.
2. Wood furniture, panels, and floors
While aerosol products exist on the mainstream market for ‘dusting’ wood furniture, panels, and floors, they’re actually rather unnecessary. A soft, lint-free reusable cloth, like an old t-shirt scrap, coupled with DIY natural wood cleaner, will do the job.
If you want to make your wood furniture, panels, and floors look lustrous, simply create your own non-toxic wood polish. You needn’t even go through the trouble to track down a storage container for it!
For an everyday eco-friendly wood cleaner, try this recipe:
Mix one cup water,
one cup vinegar, and
one tablespoon olive oil.
For a non-toxic wood restorer and polish, stir one tablespoon vinegar into three tablespoons olive oil. Dip your cleaning cloth into your homemade natural wood cleaner, buffing away dullness until the wood shines like new.
Minimise wastage by using only enough to do the job at hand. If you’re finished cleaning your windows and mirrors, you can reuse the same mixing bowl to cut down on dishes.
3. Dirty drains
In your kitchen and bathroom, dirty drains can give off an unwelcoming aroma. Food residue, grease, hair—not to mention the bacteria that thrive on them—can all contribute to the startling stench. To make matters worse, store-bought drain degreasers typically include carcinogenic compounds that can irritate your eyes, throat, and respiratory system.
Fortunately, eco-friendly, non-toxic, and natural drain cleaner isn’t difficult to make.
First, simply use a cloth dampened with vinegar to wipe away debris on the surface.
Next, pour 3/4 cup baking soda down the drain,
followed by 1/2 cup vinegar.
Quickly plug the drain and wait for the magic to happen; it takes about thirty minutes. In the meantime, you can boil some water to finish the job and flush out the pipes.
4. Bathroom fixtures
The bathroom is high on the list of every home cleaning checklist, and with good reason. With frequent exposure to hot, moist air, your bathroom can easily become a hotbed of mould and bacteria. First things first, keep mould and bacteria at bay by wiping down your shower’s glass door with a squeegee. You can then clean your toilet bowl with the same homemade non-toxic drain cleaner I mention above.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup baking soda and1/2 cup vinegar into your toilet bowl, letting it soak for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, use equal parts hot water and white vinegar in a spray bottle to tackle your shower, sink, and vanity.
If you dislike the strong acidic scent, add lemon juice as desired for a note of freshness. Afterwards, scrub your toilet bowl and squeeze in some lemon juice or lemon essential oil as you go before rinsing.
Transitioning to homemade green cleaning products
As you have seen, completing your home cleaning using exclusively homemade natural cleaning products, is fairly straightforward. Not only that, these eco-friendly cleaning products can be easily mixed just prior to use, and the remaining mixtures can be conveniently stored in small, clearly labeled spray bottles.
I hope I’ve convinced you that using homemade eco-friendly and green cleaning products to keep your home clean, nice-smelling, and free of hazardous chemicals is truly within reach.
Eager to ditch store-bought cleaners in favour of homemade, non-toxic, and natural green cleaning products? Or have you made this switch long ago? I’d love to hear your thoughts and feedback in the comments below!
Title image credit: Tiramchard Kumtanom via Pexels
