From Eveningsnews.com
Cleaning Green: Make Your Own Cleaning Products
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Dec 16, 2007, 11:50
Using cleaning products in your home that are easy on the environment is actually one of the easiest ways in which you can be a friend to the Earth. You can make your own natural cleaning products using earth friendly ingredients.
Not only are these homemade cleaning products better for the earth, but they are also better for you as well.
They allow you to be able to clean your home without causing indoor air pollution, risking your skin or having to worry about locking the cleanser away so that your baby will not get into it.
Here are some great recipes for homemade house cleaners that are easy on you and the environment:
1. Laundry soap can be made from 2 cups of Fels Naptha Soap that is grated into small shavings, 1 cup of Washing Soda and 1 cup of Borax. Simply mix these together well and then store the mixture in an airtight plastic container. For each full load of laundry you do, you will want to use 2 tablespoons.
2. For fabric softener, simply add ½ cup of vinegar per load. (Your clothes will not smell vinegary.)
3. If you need a spray cleaner, then simply add ¼ cup of vinegar and 4 cups of warm water together in a spray bottle with 1 tablespoon of a vegetable based liquid soap such as Sun & Earth, Trader’s Joe’s brands or Seventh Generation. In order to give this a scent, simply add 25 drops of essential oil. Before you use it each time you will want to shake it gently.
4. There are 2 ways in which you can go about creating a disinfectant. The first way is to simply add 30 drops of tea tree oil to the aforementioned spray cleaner. The second way is to simply clean the surface as usual and then spray the surface with 3% hydrogen peroxide. You can then let it sit for 10 minutes and then wipe the surface off.
5. In order to make furniture polish, simply combine ½ cup of lemon juice with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. You then apply this to a soft cloth and rub it into your furniture's grain. In order to remove the polish and “shine” the furniture, simply use a clean cloth.
6. In order to clean your toilet, pour 1 cup of Borax and ½ cup of white vinegar into your toilet and let it set overnight. Of course, you could also flush your toilet in order to wet the sides of the bowl before sprinkling Borax around the toilet bowl and drizzling with vinegar. You would then want to leave this set for several hours before scrubbing it with a toilet brush.
7. A non-chlorinated cleanser such as Bon Ami can be used to clean your tub or shower. Undiluted white vinegar can be used on tough stains, such as hard water deposits.
8. If you need a carpet deodorizer, simply sprinkle your carpet with a liberal amount of baking soda. You will want to wait 15 minutes before vacuuming.
9. Dish soap can be made from about 20 ounces of castile soap, which is made from vegetable products, 1 teaspoon of lemon oil and a half dozen drops of your favorite essential oil.
This is a great start for your homemade, Earth-friendly cleaning cupboard. Not only are these mixtures ecologically friendly, but they will also be easy on your wallet and still do a great job.
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