Clean It Green!

Homemade Green Cleaning Solutions

Spring is here — hip hip hooray! — and with it we get the urge to clean.  This year, do it green!  Here are ideas for homemade green cleaning solutions.

Creamy Soft Scrubber for Tile 

Ingredients: 1/2 c baking soda & liquid detergent

Pour 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit.  Make just enough each time OR add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist.

Window Cleaner  

Ingredients: 1/4 tsp liquid detergent, 3 tbs vinegar & 2 c water

Shake 1/4 teaspoon liquid detergent, 3 tablespoons vinegar and 2 cups water in a spray bottle. The soap in this recipe is important.  It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

Oven Cleaner  

Ingredients: water & baking soda

Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn’t work for you it is probably because you didn’t use enough baking soda and/or water.

Furniture Polish 

Ingredients: 1/2 tsp olive oil & 1/4 c vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Mix 1/2 teaspoon olive oil and 1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.

Mold Killer 

Ingredients: vinegar

Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy area, and let set without rinsing if you can put up with the smell. It will dissipate in a few hours.

Here are more tips from one natural cleaning blogger.