Green Living Cleaning The Ecofriendly Way With Homemade Products
/In a quest to be more eco-friendly, companies are developing new "green" cleaning products, but if you'd like a more budget-friendly option, consider cleaning with items you already have on hand.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
Individually, they are great cleaners. Baking soda works well on surfaces, such as a ceramic sink, other more abrasive cleaners might scratch. To clean a scorched pan, cover the bottom with baking soda, add just enough water to moisten. Let stand for several hours. It should be easy to wash after that.
An open box of baking soda can eliminate odors in the refrigerator, or to rid a chopping block of odors, make a paste of baking soda and water and apply generously, then rinse.
Vinegar removes lime deposits and water spots, and is a disinfectant. Pour vinegar into the toilet let it set 30 minutes. Sprinkle baking soda on a brush and scour. It cleans and deodorizes. Pour a cup of vinegar in the bowl and let it set overnight. Do this once a month to dissolve the hard water ring and keeps new ones from forming
Did you ever put too much laundry detergent in the washing machine or the wrong dishwashing detergent in a dishwasher? To reduce the unwanted suds, pour one-half cup white vinegar mixed with some cold water into the washer or dishwasher. Try vinegar, a few tablespoons in a cup of warm water as a hair conditioning rinse to leave you hair silky and soft. Use vinegar to rid clothing of perspiration odors before washing. Vinegar also will eliminate the shine from the seat of dark pants and skirts.
Put baking soda and vinegar together for deodorizing and disinfecting. Once a month pour one cup of baking soda followed by one cup of white vinegar down the drain. Wait an hour and flush with warm water. The combination fizzes away most of the buildup. On non-stick cookware, stubborn stains can be removed by boiling two tablespoons of baking soda, one-half cup vinegar, and one cup of water for ten minutes. The same mixture will clean and brighten white appliances.
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Kitchen Cleaners
Did you know there are probably items in your kitchen that double as cleaners.
Club soda, for example. It's great for polishing countertops and appliances and removing red stains from carpets and fabrics.
Sprinkle cornstarch on a greasy stain to absorb the oil from carpet or clothing.
Cream of tartar and water paste will clean stained porcelain while Worcestershire sauce or catsup can take the tarnish off copper pans.
A lemon wedge dipped in salt make a great abrasive cleaner for the sink and when you're done, run it through the disposal to freshen it.
If you need to deodorize the dishwasher, fill the soap dispenser with Tang instant drink mix and automatic dish soap and run the dishwasher through just the wash cycle.
To clean that well-nuked mess in your microwave, place a mug half filled with water inside and cook on high for two minutes. The steam will loosen the hardened splatters. Then, use baking soda sprinkled on a damp sponge or paper towel to wipe the walls, and vinegar on a paper towel for the glass door or rack.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Use Hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach to whiten clothes, remove red dye and perspiration stains. Kills mold and mildew as well.
Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing alcohol removes ink, and makes a great window cleaner. In a 32oz spray bottle of water put 1/3 cup vinegar and cup rubbing alcohol. Fill with water. No other cleaner is needed. Finish up with a polish using a crumpled newspaper.
Cream of Tartar
Mix a couple tablespoons of Cream of tarter and water together and spread the paste across a porcelain surface. Wait an hour and rub gently to remove surface stains.
Photo by KINN Living on Unsplash
Try these simple green-living solutions for a sparkling home:
Mirrors, Windows, and Glass-Top Stoves
Mix 1/2 cup of vinegar with 4 cups of water. Pour the solution into a spray bottle (one that you've washed and recycled, of course!) Spray surface that needs cleaning, wipe with a dust-free cloth.
Microwave
Pour ¼ cup of lemon juice into a glass bowl. Place bowl in the center of the microwave. Run microwave for a 90-second cycle. Leave bowl in microwave for one minute. Open microwave, remove bowl, and off inside of microwave with a towel. For stubborn stains, use a little of the lemon juice and a scrub brush to loosen and remove.
Bonus- Recycle the lemon juice by using it in one of the following ways:
Add ½ cup of juice to the rinse cycle of your laundry as a bleach substitute
Use the juice to de-grease your stove, use a brush or cloth to rub off the grease
Fill a spray bottle with ½ lemon juice, ½ water. Use for as effective and natural air freshener.
Showers, Bathtubs, Tile, and Sinks
The easiest eco-friendly way to keep showers, sinks, bathtubs, and tile clean is to wipe them with a damp towel after every use. This immediately prevents any residue buildup. Designate a towel for each area and keep it nearby for quick cleanup. Reuse the towel as long as possible, then drop it in the wash and replace with a new one.
Toilets
Baking soda is a great, everyday cleaner to use for toilets. Scrub with your regular toilet brush. For tougher stains, make a paste from baking soda and liquid castile soap-apply to stain and scrub with a toilet brush.
Garbage Cans, Recycling Bins
To get the dirt or grime out of your garbage cans or recycling bins, mix one cup of baking soda with 1 cup of water, dissolving baking soda completely (you can recycle a little bit of the lemon juice you used for cleaning the microwave by adding it to this mix, too, for an extra-fresh scent.) Pour the mixture into the bottom of your garbage can or recycling bin. Let sit for fifteen minutes. Scrub bottom and sides of can with the mixture to remove stains and grime. Rinse the can out with water. Dry with a cloth or sit out in the sun to dry.
This just goes to show that in a quest to be more eco-friendly you actually don’t need new "green" cleaning products you can use what’s already in your kitchen cupboard!
