Switching to “natural” and DIY/homemade cleaning products is easier than you may think. Laurie shares 10 tips for going natural with your cleaning.
Studies show toxic chemicals contained in commercial cleaners are not healthy. Many commercial cleaners contain toxic substances such as formaldehyde, phosphates, ammonia, sulfuric acid, chlorine bleach, and more. When you open a bottle of commercial cleaner, you might breathe in toxic fumes. Those fumes are also released into your home’s atmosphere, impacting the rest of your family.
Along with removing toxic chemicals from your home, there is a tremendous cost savings associated with natural cleaners. Switching to natural cleaners is a win-win!
Here are my top 10 Tips for Natural Cleaning:
- Remove commercial cleaners from your home and resolve to not replace them. Getting rid of the toxic cleaners is the first step in moving towards natural cleaning.
- Learn how to make natural cleaners. Recipes abound on the Internet. Check out your library for books on natural cleaners.
- Replace paper towels with microfiber cloths. These are reusable and much cheaper in the long run.
- Make orange or lemon scented vinegar to use as a cleaner and avoid the vinegar smell. (simply pour vinegar into a plastic or glass container, add orange or lemon peels, and allow to sit. Use a plastic cover as the mason jar lids will rust when they come into contact with the vinegar.)
- Use salt and a half a lemon to clean pots and pans, as well as cutting boards. Wet surface, sprinkle with salt, then rub with lemon half, rinse.
- To clean up spilled grease on your stove top, simply sprinkle baking soda over the greasy mess. Allow the baking soda to absorb the grease, then wipe away.
- Use scented vinegar as a spray to clean and deodorize your refrigerator. On refrigerator cleaning day, empty it and then spray shelves with vinegar. Allow to soak, then use a cloth to wipe down the shelves.
- Use white vinegar to whiten and soften your clothes. Add 1 cup of white vinegar to your laundry load and allow it to work its magic.
- Utilize the sunshine for stubborn stains. Wash well, then hang outside on the clothesline to let the sunshine get rid of that stain.
- Make a simple homemade vegetable spray. The simple recipe will remove any nasty junk on your vegetables:
Combine 1 cup water, 1 cup distilled white vinegar, 1 tablespoon baking soda, and 20 drops grapefruit essential oil in a spray bottle. When ready to use, simply shake to mix well, spray on produce, allow to sit for 5-10 minutes, then rinse.
- And a bonus tip — use olive oil as a furniture polish. Mix three parts olive oil to one part vinegar as a polish for wood furniture.
What tips would you add to my top 10 list?
Tell us in a comment below what you tips you have for natural cleaning.
Written by Laurie Bostwick of successfulhomemakers.com.
We first published this post on Oct 11, 2013.
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I love the salt and lemon trick, I use it for my french press as well! Hoping you have a great week ❤
Thank you for the brilliant tips! I am currently lurking the Internet for more natural and eco-friendly cleaning products, so this comes very helpful. It turns out that for some things you don’t need any detergents. I use purified water to clean my windows. 😛
One tip from me: For anything that smells – bad try essential oils.
Wow !! I think this great to use natural cleaners instead of cleaners full of chemicals. Natural cleaners are very ecofriendly and cheap. You can make them at home or can buy them from the market too. If you are using chemical containing cleaner then I must tell you that you are not safe as well as your family is getting affected by the harmful smell of chemical cleaner bottles. So,Search on internet how we can make natural cleaners for various things in the home to clean them at no cost. Thanks for sharing this post.
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Great tips! I hope to start making my own cleaning solutions to protect both my health and my wallet!
Great tip about using lemon and vinegar, I never thought about that before.
Laurie, I love using natural cleaning products! and this is such a great list.
My tip for people making the switch to natural: Convert one cleaner at a time. Start with a good All Purpose Cleaner. Make it by the gallon. Scent it with essential oils that you love. I use Citrus Mint. (orange, grapefruit, peppermint and tea tree essential oils) Sometimes I catch myself cleaning JUST to smell it! 🙂
Once you see how easy it is to convert one, you’ll enjoy converting the rest!
Love these! I’ve been using a vinegar/lemon juice mixture as an all-purpose cleaner for a year or so now, the hubs hates the smell so I’ll be trying the lemon or orange peel thing for sure!!
Ooh, try the orange!
Hope he likes that scent better. 🙂
Loved the veggie spray! I like to use orange essential oil when making cleaners.
Orange is one of my favorite scents.
We used to live in SW Florida and had citrus trees. Picking our own tangerine off the tree was a small slice of heaven. 😉
Wonderful tips! Would orange essential oil work the same as the peels in the vinegar?
Good question on the essential oil, Penny!
I use the orange peels to use something that I would otherwise throw away. I’ll bet the essential oil would give it a nice scent without having to wait for the peels to “work their magic”.
Great idea!
Love this! I didn’t know about the salt/lemon to clean cutting boards. And I have been looking for a vegetable cleaning recipe to make! You’re a mind reader, Laurie! 🙂 Thanks!
Yay!
Glad I could give you a new idea! 🙂
And I hope you love the vegetable cleaner!
Great tips Laurie! I love using vinegar to clean and in my laundry.
Thanks, Andrea!
Do you use vinegar to clean in other areas than what I mentioned? I’m always looking for new ways to use this gem called vinegar! 🙂
Love these tips Laurie. I would have never thought about putting the citrus peel in the vinegar to avoid the unpleasant smell.
The orange scented vinegar smells SO much better than plain ole vinegar, especially when used in the frig! 🙂