Safe and Green Homemade Cleaners
Dear students and friends,
I came across a very useful website that teaches us how to use natural homemade cleaners to clean up our home and work space. I always encourage my students to use as many natural products as we can in our daily lives… not only because it is very cost effective, but mainly because it is easily available and non-toxic or poisonous to us, our pets, as well as the environment. It is very important for us to go green to preserve our environment and to make it a pleasant place to stay for the future generations.
Read the article below, there is almost every cleaning product you will ever need to keep your house sparkling clean… and they are all made from natural products! Do give it a try.
Leave a comment to share your experience with these cleaning recipes… If you have any other recipes, do share them in the space below!
Tsem Rinpoche
[Extracted from: http://www.younghouselove.com/2009/10/clean-up-your-act-all-natural-homemade-cleaners/ (Read the original write up here)]
Clean Up Your Act: All Natural Homemade Cleaners
When we talked about getting even greener and experimenting with homemade cleaners in year three of YHL, an expert in that very area offered up a few of her favorite formulas. And we jumped at the chance to learn how all natural and totally eco-friendly cleaning materials are easy and effective- and sometimes way cheaper than paying for the more toxic stuff that can hurt pets, kids, people in general and the planet at large.
If you think of your home as a sanctuary you want it to be not only beautiful but safe for your health! Store bought chemicals and cleansers can not only be toxic, poisonous or cause other averse health effects (no wonder they have all those warnings and skull & crossbone images on them) but they can also be expensive, completely unregulated, bad for the environment and full of excess packaging that ends up in landfills every day. They often come with big bold warnings that say things like “danger”, “caution”, “corrosive”, “irritant”, and even “chronic health hazard” which by definition can mean anything from “chemicals that destroy tissue” (corrosive) to “causes sterility and birth defects” (chronic health hazard). And even those that just say “danger” or “caution” can be attached to warnings that say “may be fatal or cause blindness if swallowed” or “highly toxic, flammable, poisonous and corrosive.”
By contrast, some non-toxic and all natural ingredients like baking soda and vinegar are not only not corrosive, poisonous, or hazardous to your health in any way, they’re actually completely safe if ingested (after all they’re found in the kitchen and they’re 100% edible!).
- Baking Soda is a great naturally abrasive ingredient with mild alkaline properties, it’s also a natural deodorizer and stain remover, and it rinses easily, is completely non-toxic (no more dangers for kids and pets licking surfaces that you’ve cleaned) and it’s extremely affordable.
- Vinegar is an all natural and mild acid, it’s also a known disinfectant that can remove stains, sanitize, and it’s also completely non-toxic and inexpensive. It should be noted that it shouldn’t be used on stone surfaces or acetate fabrics but there are many other natural cleaning methods that work for those surfaces.
- Hydrogen Peroxide is also non-toxic and is known to be a natural bleaching agent with disinfectant and stain removing properties. It’s also extremely inexpensive.
- All Natural Tea Tree Oil And Grapefruit Oil (which have known antibacterial properties) And Lemon Juice (which naturally cuts grease and leaves a totally fresh scent) are also extremely helpful to have in your all-natural cleaning arsenal.
- Liquid Castile Soap is a vegetable based soap as opposed to a petroleum based one, which makes it completely non-toxic so it can be used on your face and body but will also work well when it comes to cleaning your home. It’s not quite as inexpensive as baking soda or vinegar.
But how do you put them all together? Here are some all-natural homemade cleaning formulas:
Surface Spray:
- 16 oz spray bottle
- 2 tsp. borax
- ¼ tsp. liquid castile soap
- hot water
All Purpose Liquid Cleaner:
- 1 gal. hot water
- 1 tbsp. baking soda
- 2 tbsp. liquid soap
All Purpose Abrasive Cleaner:
- liquid soap
- 2 tbsp. baking soda
Mix to make a foamy paste.
Refrigerator Cleaner:
- 2 tbs. baking soda in 1 qt warm water
Wipe down inside and out and rinse with a clean wet cloth.
Oven Cleaner:
- Dampen with water
- Sprinkle liberally with baking soda
Leave 20 minutes, then scrub until clean.
Microwave Cleaner:
- ½ c. vinegar
- 2 c. water
Combine in microwave safe bowl, heat on high for 3-4 minutes, remove bowl and wipe down inside of microwave.
Dishwasher Detergent:
- 2 c. borax
- 2 c. baking soda
- 4 little packages of unsweetened lemon Kool-Aid (or generic)
Mix together and store. You can substitute ½ c. of citric acid for the Kool-Aid but it’s harder to find.
Fruit and Vegetable Wash:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 tbsp. baking soda
- 20 drops grapefruit seed extract
Spray on produce, rinse after 5 minutes.
Fruit and Vegetable Wash #2:
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tbsp. baking soda
Spray on produce, wipe after 5 minutes.
Drain Cleaner:
- 1 c. baking soda first
- 1 c. white vinegar second
- 1 gallon boiling water
Allow to foam for 5 minutes before adding water.
Window, Glass and Chrome Cleaner:
- 5 parts water to 1 part white vinegar, OR
- 1 c. water, 1 c. vinegar, ½ tsp. castile soap
Toilet Bowl Cleaners:
- Liquid castile soap
- Baking soda or borax
Scrub with a toilet brush.
Tub And Tile Cleaner:
- Apply vinegar full-strength to a sponge and wipe
- Scour with baking soda
Soft Scrub for Fixtures:
- ½ c. baking soda
- Castile soap
- 10 drops of antibacterial essential oil (optional)
Add enough castile soap until you have a frosting like consistency. Scrub, then rinse with water.
Mildew/Germ Killer:
- 2 c. water
- 25 drops of tea tree oil
- 25 drops of lavender oil
Spray on tile and do not wipe off.
Mildew/Germ Killer 2:
- 16 oz spray bottle
- 1 part hydrogen peroxide
- 2 parts water
Spray, let sit. Rinse after 1 hour.
Wood Floor Cleaner:
- ¼ c. vinegar
- 1 gal. warm water
Mop or rag should be slightly damp for cleaning.
Linoleum Floor Cleaner:
- 1 c. vinegar
- 2 gal. warm water
Mop or rag can be fully wet for cleaning.
Carpet Stain Remover:
- 1 part borax
- 10 parts warm water
Combine in spray bottle. Spray on stain, wait 5 minutes, blot with clean rag.
Carpet Stain Remover:
- vinegar
- baking soda
Mix vinegar and baking soda into a paste. Gently work into stain with a toothbrush. Let dry then vacuum completely.
Carpet Deodorizer:
- Baking soda
- 10 drops of essential oil (optional)
Mix together then sprinkle generously on carpet, wait 15 minutes and vacuum.
All-Purpose Carpet Cleaner:After vacuuming first,
- 1 c. white vinegar
- 3 c. boiling water
Blot mixture onto nap of rug with a wet rag, Dry and air thoroughly. Vacuum.
Air Freshener:
- 2 parts water
- 1 part rubbing alcohol
- Essential oil
Mix in spray bottle, don’t spray on silks or delicates. Experiment with how much oil to add, but start with 5 drops.
Air Freshener 2:
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 c. hot water
Mix in spray bottle, don’t spray on silks or delicates.
Dusting:
Slightly dampened microfiber cloth
Furniture Polish:
- ½ tsp. olive oil
- ¼ c. vinegar or lemon juice
Mix in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces.
Scratches:
- 1 part lemon juice
- 1 part vegetable oil
Rub into the scratches and polish.
Rust Remover:
- Sprinkle area with salt
- Squeeze lime onto salt
Leave sit for 2-3 hours, then scrub w/ lime rind.
Metal Polish (copper and brass):
- 2 tbsp. salt
Add vinegar until you make a paste. Rub on metal with a clean rag. Wipe clean.
Powdered Laundry Detergent:
- 1 c. grated Fels Naptha soap
- ½ c. washing soda
- ½ c. borax
For light load, use 1 tablespoon. For heavy or soiled load, use 2 tablespoons.
Liquid Laundry Detergent:
- 3 pints water
- 1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap, grated
- ½ c. washing soda
- ½ c. borax
- 2 gallon bucket
- 1 quart hot water
Mix soap in saucepan with 3 pints of water. Heat on low until dissolved. Stir in soda and borax until thickened. Remove from heat. Add 1 quart hot water to bucket, then soap mixture, mix well. Fill rest of bucket with hot water, mix and let sit for 24 hours. Use ½ c. per laundry load.
Laundry Pre-treatment
(*do NOT use with bleach, since ammonia + bleach can create dangerous fumes):
- ½ c. ammonia
- ½ c. white vinegar
- ¼ c. baking soda
- 2 tbsp. liquid soap or laundry detergent
- 2 quarts water
Mix in spray bottle. Spray spot.
Laundry Pre-treatment 2:
- 1 tsp. liquid laundry detergent
- 2 tbsp. ammonia
- 1 pt. warm water
Mix in spray bottle. Spray spot, let sit for 20 minutes.
Fabric Softener:
Add ½ – 1 c. vinegar to your softener dispenser
Bleach Alternative (Laundry):
- ¼ c. hydrogen peroxide
More ideas to keep things green and clean around your house:
- Run your dishwasher late at night without a heat-dry setting and let things air dry overnight instead
- Replace sponges with washable and reusable items like microfiber cloths and dishrags
- Premix large batches of cleaning formulas so they’re always on hand and you’re never tempted to buy store stuff again
- Set your washer to cold/cold for the most eco laundry you can get
- Have people take off their shoes when they enter the house and wipe down the shower after each use (these preventative methods will really keep the house cleaner and cut down on your work)
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Using all-natural cleaning supplies is a healthier and safer choice for everyone. We could avoid breathing in the harsh chemicals in toxic cleaning products. We also reduce the chance of skin conditions such as eczema and respiratory infections. There are many incredible benefits using these natural products. Switching to green cleaning products is good for the health and wellbeing of our people. As it also prevents unnecessary chemicals from being released into the environment. They have been demonstrated to be as effective at tackling various cleaning chores. Natural cleaning products have a more pleasant scent ,improve air quality, and decrease pollution.
Thank you Rinpoche for this sharing with us about those all-natural homemade cleaning formulas .
It’s really great to learn how to make our own safe and green homemade cleaners. Nowadays everything seems to be anti-cancer organic like Atomy products from Korea. It’s good that everyone is more health conscious these days.Thank you Rinpoche and blog team for this wonderful sharing.👍😍
Awesome! Thank you for the interesting sharing, it’s really simple, cheap, easy to create a non-toxic all natural homemade cleaning formulas.
I can’t wait to try this recipe.
Hello, I enjoy reading all of your article post. I like to write a little comment to support you.
I only know vinegar can use for cleaning, but not the others that mentioned here. To be honest, I have always been buying the cleaner detergent outside and I always get the cheapest one due to budget.
Now with this formula, it is not only cheap but also not chemical base, it is more healthier and economical and environmental friendly. I must try this..
Thank you Rinpoche sharing so useful tips . White vinegar and baking soda can be found at anywhere, price also reasonable and important thing is no harmful to us, can try it for cleaning home.
I tried the baking soda to clean stove and all oily surfaces, it works very good! It’s natural and easy to use. To do away for containers with smell I used to use tea leaves.
To clear a clogged sink, pour one cup of baking soda followed by one cup of vinegar down the drain. Wait one hour and then chase it with a kettle of boiling water. You can repeat the step if your sink is badly clogged. It is effective to clear clogged sink without using harsh chemical.
This is a very interesting article. Personally, I have never been much of a neat freak but these things will allow me to clean my home and not fill it with the chemical smell.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing these wonderful environmentally friendly green cleaning machines. Another green cleaner would walnuts. You can use walnuts to fix dings on wooden surfaces. It returns the color. All you have to do it rub it against the wood.
Thanks Rinpoche for sharing this useful information. Agree that we should not clean a place, but make others place poisonous.
Now we have more organic choices for house works, safer and cost effective =)
I love how Rinpoche’s blog is always so diversified. Not only does Rinpoche talk about Dharma, Rinpoche talks about aliens, food recipes, current issues, animals, and many other things too! Not only are we being educated on the spiritual side, we are educated on other daily activities too.
This post is great because not only are we saving money, we are saving the earth at the same time too. Will definitely let my family know so we can start practising eco friendly cleaners!
Thank you for sharing, Rinpoche! Rinpoche’s blog rocks!
This is a very fundamental way to approach the “I can make a difference”… if we cannot start with ourselves how can we expect others to do the same… This applies to all aspects of our life especially our spiritual journey!
The wealth of information and research here is astounding. Thank you Rinpoche and the blog team for the continuous hard work!
i love environmentally friendly living and our household has been recycling for years. we also minimise using chemical cleaners as it is very bad for the environment and we also have lots of pets at home. We have used vinegar as a floor cleaner and it is effective because it also deters the pets from making a mess after because of the smell, which repels them.
Another environmentally friendly and effective silver cleaner is http://www.amazon.com/CHEFS-Essentials-Electrolytic-Cleaning-Plate/dp/B001J488K0. You basically have this electrolytic metal plate which you add washing soda and hot water too, and it cleans silver like a breeze – no strength required and effective! it is excellent for our silver offering items!
i will try some of these cleaning ‘recipes’ soon! Thank you for sharing these.
I am not really that green-friendly but the erratic weather and polluted environment in KL these days do make me take environmentalism more seriously these days. We all know that the changing weather patterns has got to do with the green house effect. I think my very first environmental concern came when I was shopping for a refrigerator and I opted for one that is CFC-free and also one that came with an electricity-saving mode.
I don’t really have time to start making my own home-made cleaners. If I do, I would surely try these very interesting home-made concoctions. Its always interesting to learn new things and I am sure Rinpoche would always approve of self-improvement and concern for the environment. I believe that by being concern for the environment is a step towards a greater love for others. That’s the spiritual aspect of environmentalism that the Buddha taught because all being are inter-connected.
Thank you,Rinpoche, for sharing this informative article on how to use natural cleaners for our home. I have started on using commercial non toxic cleaning products sometime back and find that it is quite expensive. However, these recipes that we can make ourselves are so much cheaper than those commercial natural cleaners.
Vinegar is actually like an all-purpose cleaner that will clean most areas of our home. Vinegar is a great natural cleaning product as well as a disinfectant and deodorizer. We don’t have to worry that
our house smells like vinegar as the smell disappears when it dries. However, it is not advisable to use vinegar on marble as it can damage the surface.
Thank you Rinpoche for this post! Interesting ingredients. And they can be bought anywhere. Its hard to find environmentally friendly products which are affordable. Now with the formulas above, it can be done at home at anytime we need it. Since CNY is around the corner, it will be the right time to try out the formulas. I should try it out in the outlet too. What I like most about the formulas are that they are safe, natural and tested to be effective!
Interesting.
I have always been quite of an environmentalist, and if I have an option to use natural products in order to preserve the environment, I totally would!
Thank you for sharing this great options for us to select as home cleaner. Synthetic cleaning detergents are really harmful to the environment, it would be excellent of all of us opt for a safer, more environment friendly option to clean our house as we do use a rather large amount of cleaning materials on a monthly basis.
Anyone has more information about homemade cleaners that you’ve used before and is effective?
Thank you Rinpoche for the cleaning tips. It’s time for clearing out the old stuff and major cleaning before Chinese New Year. 🙂
I’m sure a sucker for natural remedies… I have always believed that nature has the antidotes and ingredients to heal and help us… we just need to know what and how it works. It is amazing that some of the simplest things we use in our daily life, can actually be our cleaning detergents. By changing what we use daily can actually save our planet through the reduction of chemicals being released in to the environment when the chemically made products are produced and we use and flush it down to our drains which causes more pollution. I guess this is one of the many ways to live life in harmony with mother nature… by creating a self-sustaining eco harmony system in our lives we not only lead a healthier life, we also heal and give back to mother nature and this creates the causes for less climate change, global warming and hopefully our future generation to come will still be able to see some trees and animals around. It is up to us what we create now that will affect the future…. the cause resembles the results as Rinpoche always mentioned!
Thanks Rinpoche, your blog sure is full of all sorts of subjects that helps us to lead a more healthier, compassionate life style!
Safe and economical homemade cleaners. Especially if we have small children or pets at home. I use white vinegar to mop my floor as have a doggie. Vinegar is also a deterrent against ants.
Thank you Rinpoche for teaching us a wide array of topics for our benefit.
Very useful tips for spring cleaning, with Chinese New Year just round the corner.
Very useful tips of how to use natural homemade cleaners to clean up our home and work space,
will try this at home. Thank you Rinpoche for this post.
Thank you Rinpoche for sharing these green detergents on this blog. It amazes me that Rinpoche’s interests and care for others go from spirituality to paranormal activities and to tiny little things such as toilet bowl covers and now is daily detergents.
Frankly speaking, all of the household detergents that I use are from commercial stores. Convenience has it top say in our daily lives as we need to always do things the least timing consuming way.
But knowing them now is a good start, at the very least we can start experimenting with some formulations here and gradually replacing our commercial products with products made with natural ingredients.