Now that I am going down the organic road as much as I can afford...I am interested in knowing if anyone has any safe cleaning solutions they use. Are the store brands safe? I know some soaps have harmful chemicals. I figure if I am changing the way we eat I should also change the way I clean. I also think that unlike food, changing this may actually save me money. Money and I can then spend on organic food....LOL.
I'd like to know too! I have totally changed the way I run my household over the last few months. I'd love to make my own cleaning solutions.
I've been doing this for years and I think the homemade stuff works great and I don't have to worry about it poisoning my kids (with the exception of Borax which I don't use very often anyways). Anywho here is a list of some basic ingredients and some recipes for various household cleaners. Good luck. Baking Soda Borax White Vinegar Salt Toothpaste Cornstarch Lemon Juice Essential Oils Castile Dawn Dishsoap Carpet freshner: This one is really easy. Just sprinkle some baking soda on your carpet (you can mix a small amount of essential oils in the scent of your choice if you like) and vacuum. Air freshner: Dissolve several tablespoons baking soda in 2 cups hot water, add some lemon juice, pour into spray bottle, spray into air as air freshener General Cleaner: Dissolve 4 tablespoons baking soda in 1 quart warm water for a general cleaner. All purpose cleaner: Mix together vinegar and salt for a good all purpose cleaner spray. Another, somewhat stronger all purpose cleaner: 3 tbsp. vinegar, 1/2 tsp. washing soda, 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil based liquid soap, 2 cups hot water. Mix ingredients in spray bottle or bucket. Apply and wipe clean. Disinfectant: Mix 1/2 cup Borax into 1 gallon hot water or undiluted vinegar and clean with this solution. Glass cleaner: Use undiluted vinegar in a spray bottle or Equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle You can see these and several others at this website: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/8088/clngrn.html
:love: vinegar! It's antibacterial, antifungal, and affordable. A few more tidbits Vinegar + rice (any grain) is an excellent way of cleaning out sippie cup, bottles, and other hard-to-scrub containers like flower vases and so on. (especially if they've been taken over by mold) Just poor in a small bit of vinegar and rice, shake shake shake - squeaky clean. You can also add it to your dishwater/dishwasher and your laundry load (it won't discolor or stink like bleach, but it cleans just as well.) Vinegar in your carpet shampooer helps to breakdown and release almost anything that other cleaners don't get. It's an excellent way of getting flea and other critter eggs out of carpet and other fabric fibers, as well. It's great for removing lice nits and flea eggs from hair (dog, cat, human, everything) ... just pour a cup or so into a bucket of water, dunk and scrub. Citronella oil (diluted 1-3) - can be used safely on all non-food/non-child contact surfaces (around door ways, windows, in corners and non-food/dish cabinets.) This keeps away spiders and a few other critters that taste with their feet. Just spray on, rub in with a cloth - if they taste it, they'll avoid it. Adding a bit of cider vinegar to a few food dishes helps keep your system clean, if you know what I mean. Salt + baking soda sprinkled into your carpets also helps kill and keep away ants. Oh...what else - oh, my Mom always said 'there's never an excuse to have dirty windows' ... vinegar cleans well (like Kate mentioned), so does lemon juice, and even tea (the acid is the necessary cleanser) ... just dribble, wipe with a cloth or even newspaper. Lavender oil is a great, childsafe antibacterial - wipe it onto toys and such in small amounts to clean and disenfect. *edit* Acetone (nail polish remover) isn't non-toxic, but it does safely remove tape and other sticky junk from windows. (common problem when you have kids) Just put a bit on a cotton ball, rub in, then scrape off.
I've been slowly going over to all homemade cleaning stuff! As I finish something up, I'll make more of it instead of buy it! I make my own laundry detergent: Liquid Laundry Detergerant: Here’s what you need: - 1 bar of soap - 1 box of washing soda (look for it in the laundry detergent aisle at your local department store - it comes in an Arm & Hammer box and will contain enough for six batches of this stuff) - 1 box of borax (this is not necessary, but I’ve found it really kicks the cleaning up a notch - one box of borax will contain more than enough for tons of batches of this homemade detergent - if you decide to use this, be careful) - A five gallon bucket with a lid (or a bucket that will hold more than 15 liters - ask around - these aren’t too tough to acquire) - Three gallons of tap water - A big spoon to stir the mixture with - A measuring cup - A knife -Essential oils Step One: Put about four cups of water into a pan on your stove and turn the heat up on high until it’s almost boiling. While you’re waiting, whip out a knife and start shaving strips off of the bar of soap into the water, whittling it down. Keep the heat below a boil and keep shaving the soap. Eventually, you’ll shave up the whole bar, then stir the hot water until the soap is dissolved and you have some highly soapy water. Step Two: Put three gallons of hot water (11 liters or so) into the five gallon bucket - the easiest way is to fill up three gallon milk jugs worth of it. Then mix in the hot soapy water from step one, stir it for a while, then add a cup of the washing soda. Keep stirring it for another minute or two, then add a half cup of borax if you are using borax. Stir for another couple of minutes, then let the stuff sit overnight to cool. And you’re done. When you wake up in the morning, you’ll have a bucket of gelatinous slime that’s a paler shade of the soap that you used (in our case, it’s a very pale greenish blue). One measuring cup full of this slime will be roughly what you need to do a load of laundry. I've done the above one. I'm almost out so I think I'm going to try this one next and see which one I like better! Powder Laundry Detergent: 1 cup grated Fels Naptha bar soap (or grated Ivory bar soap if you can't find the Fels Naptha) 1/2 cup Borax 1/2 cup Super Washing Soda (NOT baking soda). You can grate in some lavendar soap if you like, too. I put just a little for a nicer smell. I think that's the recipe. Mix it all together. 2 tbsps. for a diaper load. 1 tbsp. for a regular load of clothes.
I'm getting ready to scrub a pan that's caked with baked on oil and fat - comes off best with meat tenderizer (I'll clean with it, but I'll never cook with it) And if you boil soda (like coke) in a pan with baked on cheese and such the acid in the soda will help dissolve the burned food, makes it much easier to clean. (Yeah, at least soda's good for SOMETHING) But - do any of you know how to get rid of cabinet-moths?? Napthalene is not on my list of toxins I'd like to injest I've just been routinely cleaning out the cabinet - but that's not keeping them away, really.
I scrub my bathtub with a mixture of baking soda and left over shampoo. I use one of those nylon scrubbies. It is more of a work out then say those scrubbing bubbles, but at least it won't kill me. Aggie
Bay Leaves will do the trick. I had a horrible infestation that wouldn't leave for anything. I put bay leaves in the cupboards and within days the population began to dwindle. It took about a month for them to be completely gone. And we haven't had any since. There's something about the smell of the leaves that not only drives away the adults, but prevents eggs from hatching. Also, a couple of things.... - if you're too lazy to make your own stuff like I often am, Melaluca cleaners are TOTALLY safe. To the point that when I called poison control after I suspected my son had drank some tub & tile cleaner, the woman collecting the information said "Oh, if it's Melaluca then he's fine". There are no toxins in it at all. FYI, "melaluca oil" is the latin name for tea tree oil and is used in most of their cleaning products. Purchasing it wholesale is actually cheaper than buying store brands. I went in with a couple of friends and got an account. There is a $60 order minimum each month, but with 3-7 people ordering each month it's not even something we worry about. - A word of caution on vinegar.... don't use it on anything that might get messy. Um... for instance, I can't use it on my diapers (cloth) because the moment Xander pees, it gives off a horrible, horrible odor. The same can be said for cleaning food messes with dish towels washed with it. I do use a LOT of vinegar in the laundry, but if it's something like cleaning rags or dish towels, I always wash them again to get all of the vinegar out... or leave it out of those loads. But it works well for getting out the smell of cat pee, and until these horrid little creatures find a new home (in the next couple of days), it's coming in handy.
I use baking soda and vinegar to clean most of my house. you can use it to clean the toilet. Sprinkle baking soda in it, then add vinegar and scrub with toilet brush or sponge. For clogged drains; pour baking soda down drain, then add vinegar. Cover drain with plug & let sit for 10-20 min. Then pour a pot of boiling water down drain. If you do that about once a month (or once a week, depending on how many dishes get washed in the sink) it will help prevent the drains from clogging. Vinegar is a great glass cleaner. If you run vinegar (diluted with water) through the coffee maker, it gets rid of all the buildup in the water reservoir. Pour about 1C of vinegar in the coffee pot & let it sit (with the heat on) for 20 min or so. Then swish it around and rinse it. That will get rid of buildup in the pot. To clean an indoor clamshell grill, set a wet cloth (or paper towel) on the grill and shut it. Let sit for a while. The moisture from the cloth loosen everything & it will wipe off easily. How long it needs to sit depends on how bad the food on it is. Vegetable oil can be used as wood polish. Baking soda in a litter box helps eliminate the smell. Just a note about two other things that were mentioned: Coke will also remove the corrosive build-up on a car battery (it has to be Cooke, other sodas don't work as well). Tea Tree Oil is also good for your hair. I know I've got recipes for homemade cleaners. I'll find them and list any that aren't already here.
I make the homemade laundry detergent, too. I make the dry version, but I usually use Zote instead of Fels Naptha. It smells and cleans better, and at my grocery store it's a little cheaper. For cleaning very dirty area, mix vinegar, baking soda, and ammonia. It stinks!!!! But it cleans great.
Wow..I never knew so many people used their own cleaning solutions. I guess I will have to buy myself a ton of baking soda, vinegar, and lemon. lol. Much cheaper and safer. I will check into Melaluca (I know I spelled that wrong..lol). I knew a lady who sold that once upon a time.
http://www.chefscatalog.com/catalog/search.aspx?scommand=search&search=caldrea The all purpose cleaner lavender and pine by Caldrea is most wonderful!!! I thought I would share because it has a great sale price at this site. It is a natural product.
