Natural Cleaning Recipes: How To Make Your Own Natural Cleaning Kit

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Below you'll find many natural cleaning recipes to help you make your own non-toxic, green cleaning kit. Many of the ingredients are things our grandparents used, such as cleaning with vinegar.

Not only will you save money, but you will have a clean house, your family and the environment will be safer and healthier, and it's easy to get started!

Basic supplies for the natural cleaning recipes:

Storage container(s) for natural cleaning kit
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
Borax (sodium borate)
White distilled vinegar
Lemon juice
A good natural liquid soap (if you have soft water) or liquid detergent (if you have hard water)
Essential oils (i.e. tea tree oil, lavender oil, lemon oil, grapefruit seed extract, etc.)
Spray bottles
Small glass jars with lids

One note of caution:
ALWAYS label the containers in your natural cleaning kit.

Use a permanent marker to write the names of the contents on each bottle or jar. Too much of anything can be toxic, even if it is natural. It's also a good idea to use gloves while cleaning to protect your hands from abrasions or from the natural acidity of some ingredients which can dry the skin.

Essential oils such as tea tree oil are naturally antiseptic and are often more effective at killing fungi, viruses, and bacteria than commercial disinfectants. A little goes a long way in natural cleaning recipes, so add about 10 drops of essential oil to spray bottles, or about 1 tablespoon to a gallon of water.

Natural Cleaning Recipes to Make Your Natural Cleaning Kit:

All-Purpose Cleaner (in spray bottle):

Fill a spray bottle 9/10 full of hot water, add 1 teaspoon of baking soda, add a few drops of liquid soap, and finish it off with 10 drops of an essential oil (lemon oil works especially well and smells great). Shake the mixture before using. Stores well.
Use on surfaces such as counter tops, sinks, stoves, toilets, and floors.

Glass/Window Cleaner (in spray bottle):

Fill a spray bottle 9/10 full of water, 1/10 full of distilled white vinegar, and add a small squeeze of liquid soap, and finish it off with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Use on glass, windows, and mirrors. Also works well to prevent mineral build-up on shower doors and walls. Keep a bottle next to the shower and just spray on shower surfaces after showering.

Natural Scrubber Paste:

In a small bowl, add 1 cup of baking soda and a few squeezes of liquid soap. Mix together until it forms a creamy paste (add more or less liquid soap to make it more or less pasty). Add 2 or 3 drops of an essential oil.
Make this natural cleaning recipe as you need it, but extra can be stored temporarily in a glass jar with a lid.
Works great for polishing silverware, just apply, rub, and rinse.
Use to remove blackened soot from scorched surfaces of pots and pans. Apply and let sit overnight, scrub, and rinse.
Use to clean the bathtub and bathroom sink by applying, scrubbing, and rinsing.

Furniture Polish:

1/4 cup white distilled vinegar
2 teaspoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of lemon juice

Put all ingredients into a small glass jar, mix well, and use for polishing wood surfaces. The extra can be stored in a glass jar with a lid.

Other Natural Cleaning Recipes:

To Clean the Oven and Microwave: After removing any loose pieces and grit with the all-purpose cleaner, apply the natural scrubber paste to the area to be cleaned, and let it sit for several hours or overnight. The built-up food grime will wipe off easier afterward.

For Slow or Clogged Drains: Pour 1/2 to 1 cup of baking soda down the drain. Then pour 1/2 cup white vinegar over it and cover the drain. The mixture will start to foam and bubble. Let it sit for a few minutes and then uncover the drain and flush the mixture down with boiling water. Repeat as necessary.

Removing Food Odors: Do you love to cook with garlic, onions, and other tasty but "smelly" foods? In order to get the smell out of your hands, out of the cutting board, or out of the garbage disposal, squeeze some fresh lemon juice onto them and let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse with water.

Remove Coffee Maker Mineral Build-Up: Once a month, add one cup of distilled white vinegar to the reservoir and fill the remainder with water. Run the mixture through the brew cycle one time and discard the liquid. Fill the reservoir again with only water and run the brew cycle; repeat. Now you're ready to make great coffee again.

Clean the Toilet Bowel: Add 1-2 cups of vinegar to the toilet bowel and let it sit for 30 minutes. Sprinkle a little baking soda onto the scrub brush, scour as usual, and flush.

Deodorize the Carpet: Before vacuuming, sprinkle baking soda over the carpet, let it sit for 15 minutes, and then vacuum as normal. Great for removing pet smells.

Laundry: Instead of bleach, substitute 1/2 cups of Borax to each wash load to whiten whites and keep colors bright, along with the recommended amount of detergent. After trying and failing with several natural cleaning recipes for laundry detergent, I recommend just purchasing a good natural, biodegradable laundry detergent such as Ecos or Seventh Generation.

Removing odors from mattresses: As many parents and pet owners know, urine odors in mattresses can be hard to remove. Dampen the spot with water, sprinkle some borax over the area, and rub it in. Let it dry and then vacuum up the borax.

Congratulate yourself! You've made an intelligent, caring, and cost-saving choice by creating your own natural cleaning kit and using safe and easy natural cleaning recipes.