Shortly after the birth of my son who is now 18 months old, I became more concerned about exposing my family to harsh chemicals including those in household cleaners.
After doing a little research, I decided to try out some non-toxic homemade cleaners. I was pleasantly surprised on how well they worked. As an added bonus, homemade cleaning formulas cost about one-tenth the price of their commercial counterpart.
Making your own non-toxic cleaning formulas will take you no time at all with these simple, straightforward recipes. Try them out, and let me know how they work for you!
Scrubbing cleanser
For bathtubs and sinks, shower doors, tile, or stubborn stains on pots and pans.
Is there anything baking soda can’t do? Try this formula for large areas. For smaller spaces, just sprinkle baking soda directly onto a wet sponge and gently scrub away grime.
½ cup baking soda
Liquid soap
In a small bowl, slowly add the liquid soap to the baking soda, a tablespoon at a time, stirring with a plastic spoon, until the consistency reaches that of a spreadable frosting. Spoon the cream onto a damp sponge, wash the surface, and rinse well. Note that rinsing may take a few minutes.
Floor cleanser
For tile, linoleum, wood flooring; and inside shower doors.
This formula removes dirt and dissolves stubborn, gummy stains. The smell of vinegar dissipates after a couple of hours; you can substitute lemon juice for the vinegar, but any unused cleaner will not last more than a day.
¼ cup liquid soap
½ cup white distilled vinegar or lemon juice
2 gallons warm water
Combine the ingredients in a large plastic bucket. Use with a mop or sponge, and clean as normal. There’s no need to rinse.
Oven cleaner
For removing grease and caked-on residue inside the oven.
Store-bought oven cleaner is one of the most hazardous household cleansers on the market. This substitute takes a bit more work, but the results are blissfully nontoxic and effective.
One small box baking soda
Water
Sprinkle the bottom of the oven with baking soda to cover. Spray with water until very damp, and keep moist by spraying every few hours. Let set overnight. In the morning, simply scoop out the baking soda and all of the oven grime that attached itself to it. To clean the sides of the oven, make a paste of baking soda and water and smear on with a damp sponge. It’s important to completely rinse the oven with water after this treatment; this may take a few minutes.
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