If you’ve ever looked at the ingredient list on your cleaning products (if there even is one), you probably didn’t know what many of them were. Just as you don’t want to fill your body with foods that contain ingredients that you can’t pronounce, you also don’t want to fill your home with stinky smelling chemicals that are found in many household cleaners. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t have a squeaky clean house using cleaners that you feel comfortable exposing your family to. Here are nine natural cleaners you can make yourself.
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1. Tile & Grout Cleaner– Grab an old tooth brush and scrub a mixture of baking soda and water onto the tile and grout to remove grime build-up.
2. Bathtub Scrub– Who knew that your favorite breakfast fruit could also clean your bathtub? Sprinkle kosher salt on your tub, scrub it with half of a fresh grapefruit, and rinse for a clean tub with a fresh citrus smell.
3. Glass Cleaner– There’s no reason to buy expensive glass cleaners when you can get the same results with a simple mixture of vinegar and water.
4. Laundry Detergent– Most store bought laundry detergents are petroleum based products, but you can make your own effective laundry detergent using a combination of shaved soap, borax, and washing soda.
5. All-Purpose Cleaner– For your everyday cleaning of countertops and other high traffic areas, a good all-purpose cleaner is essential. Stir up borax, vinegar, and natural dish soap with a little tea tree oil, if you like, for an all-purpose cleaner you’ll be happy to use regularly.
6. Carpet Stain Remover– Whether you have natural or synthetic carpets, a simple mixture of dish soap and warm water or vinegar and water will remove those pesky stains.
7. Dusting Spray- Your preferred cooking oil can also help keep dust at bay. Combine olive oil with vinegar and water to remove dust from your furniture.
8. Wood Floor Cleaner– Just a mixture of water and vinegar will keep your hardwood floors shiny and clean.
9. Oven Cleaner– Few places in the house get as greasy and grimy as the inside of the oven, but coating the oven in a paste made from baking soda and water and letting it sit overnight will make your oven as clean as can be.
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Making your own natural cleaners not only drastically reduces your exposure to nasty chemicals, but it’s also much less expensive than buying a wide variety of prepackaged cleaners.
Image: Hoppo Bumpo (Liesl)
