My shopping cart, I felt like people might suspect me of building a bomb!
Why not try the switch to all natural ingredients which are not only environmentally friendly but also human health friendly. A lot of the chemicals found in pre-made cleaning supplies are harsh on our bodies and can be carcinogenic. Some of the chemicals found in cleaning supplies are chlorine, crystalline silica and butyl cellosolve which are irritants to our lungs and eyes and can pose serious health risks.
Click here to read about a recent study that states fragrant cleaners may be bad for your health. More than a third of products tested and some that were labeled organic emitted a carcinogen such as formaldehyde. The article makes a great point that, if these chemicals were coming out of a factory they would be regulated and fined but since they are coming out of an air freshener there are no regulations.
Not only is it better for your health to make your own cleaning supplies but it is better for your wallet! It is incredibly cheap, so why would you not do it? It is also fun to mix up the ingredients. I kind of felt like I was making a bomb!
So let's get you set up. I don't follow recipes exactly to perfection. What I like to do is research whatever I am trying to make and then use what I have read to build my own perfect recipe. This is exactly what I did with cleaning supplies. So here are the general ingredients, mix them up how you would like and shake up the bottle. It really is not rocket science.
General all purpose cleaner recipe:
- I used this to clean the kitchen, and wow it cut through grease! I cleaned the refrigerator with a dried spill in it, cleaned the bathroom toilet, shower, sink and I cleaned the floors!
- In a spray bottle (mine is pretty small - probably only holds 10oz of liquid).
Borax - about one spoonful
Baking soda - about one spoonful
natural soap (ie: Dr Bronners) - about one spoonful
white vinegar - about one spoonful
lavender oil - a few drops
tea tree oil - a few drops
peppermint oil - a few drops
And then fill the rest up with warm water and shake!
Ok so that looks like a lot of ingredients but you really don't need that many. I probably went a little overboard but it cut through a lot of grease and removed stains. But all together one bottle of cleaner that I made probably cost me less than 25 cents. The most expensive items on the list were the essential oils that were about $5 but will last a long time because you only need a few drops.
So give it a go in your house. Clean with items that when they wash down the drain into our rivers, aquifers, and oceans are not going to affect the quality of the water which comes back around to us and we drink.
And don't forget old rags and towels work great for cleaning, no need for paper towels! Wash your used cleaning rag and throw it in the dryer, if it has some left over essential oils on it, it will become a great dryer sheet!
Clean!
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