The days are getting longer and lighter and you know what that means – yes, Spring Cleaning so I have some DIY Eco Cleaning products that are brilliant for cleaning your home without harming the environment.
For those of you that don;t know I have a genetic predisposition to certain cancers, so we are really careful about the products that we bring in to our home including cleaning products. We opted for Eco cleaning propducts when the boys were born 16 years ago and have been using and making our own cleaning products since.
DIY Eco Cleaning Products
Once you have the basic ingredients then it is super simple to adapt them to what you need. Non-toxic cleaning products are not only better for the environment but also better for us too. Lots of shop-bought products including scented candles and cleaning products contain indoor pollutants which can cause headaches and irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat, as well as exacerbate symptoms of asthma and other respiratory illnesses, not to mention affect my son’s eczema.
Our DIY Eco cleaning products aren’t only better for us; they can also help save us money and protect the environment.
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Common Ingredients for DIY Eco Cleaning Products
Bicarbonate of Soda
Bicarbonate of Soda, Sodium Bicarbonate or baking soda is a pantry staplet that cleans, deodorises, brightens, and cuts through grease and grime.
Castile Soap
Castile soap is a style of soap that’s made from 100 percent plant oils and is great at cutting through grease.
Vinegar
Thanks to its acidity, vinegar is effective at eliminating grease, soap scum, and grime. Don’t like the smell then make sure you check out our citrus vinegar.
Lemon Juice
Natural lemon juice cleans mildew, mould and cuts through grease
Olive Oil
This cooking oil also works as a cleaner and polisher.
Essential Oils
Essential oils make great scent additions to homemade cleaning products. My favorites are citus, tea tree and eucolptus for around the home.
Borax
Many DIY cleaners tout Borax (a boron mineral and salt) as a non-toxic alternative to mainstream cleaning products; however, in the UK Borax is not allowed as a cleaning product due to the fact it is a skin and eye irritant and may disrupt hormones. Instead, use a borax substitute in any recipes you may see that call for Borax.
Easy Natural Cleaning Recipes for Beginners
Toilets
For a heavy-duty toilet scrub that deodorises while it cleans, pour ½ cup of Bicarbonate of Soda and 12 drops of tea tree essential oil into the toilet. Add ¼ cup of vinegar to the bowl and scrub away while the mixture fizzes.
For daily cleaning, I use our Citrus Vinegar Cleaner spray on the surfaces, let it sit for a few minutes, and then wipe the surface clean.
Tile Grout Cleaner
Mix 1 part water and 3 parts Bicarbonate of Soda mixed into a paste. Apply to grout and let sit, scrub with a toothbrush and wipe clean. This works even better if you have one of those sonic scrubbers!
Bath and Shower
Tubs and showers can produce some of the toughest grime, but it’s no match for the cleaning power of vinegar. To get rid of mildew, spray pure white vinegar on the offending area, let it sit for at least 30 minutes scrub with a toothbrush and wipe clean. This works even better if you have one of those sonic scrubbers! Alternatively, try mixing together Bicarbonate of Soda with a bit of liquid castile soap, then scrub and rinse.
For daily cleaning, I use our Citrus Vinegar Cleaner spray on the surfaces, let it sit for a few minutes, and then wipe the surface clean.
Kitchen Cleaner
For daily cleaning, I use our Citrus Vinegar Cleaner spray on the surfaces, let it sit for a few minutes, and then wipe the surface clean. If your countertop is made from marble, granite, or stone, skip the vinegar (its acidity is no good for these surfaces) and use vodka instead.
Stained Cups , Cutting Boards and Microwave
Use coarse salt mixed with a little lemon juice and scrub. I often cut a lemon in half, add the salt to the cut lemon and use the skin as a handle to rub on the cutting board. Once used up I pop the lemon in a small bowl of hot water in the microwave – cook on high for two minutes, leave to stand for five minutes and then remove and wipe the inside of the microwave clean.
Refrigerator Cleaner
To clean your fridge you just need about ½ cup of Bicarbonate of Soda to a bucket of hot water. Dip a microfibre cloth in the mixture and use it to wipe down the fridge’s insides.
Oven
On a regular basis I just wipe down my oven with our citrus cleaner, but every couple of months it gets a good clean. In fact, it pays to Spring Clean all your appliances at least once a year.
Washing Machine
You really don’t want to wash your clothes in a dirty washer, so I do a monthly clean of it. By keeping on top of it I don’t get the build-up of products (which is more prevalent as I wash clothing at 30%). So check out how to clean your washing machine here.
Windows and Mirrors
I use our Citrus Vinegar Cleaner sprayed on windows, glass and mirror and a special window microfibre cloth.
Floors
For a simple, effective tile floor cleaner, simply combine one part white vinegar with four parts warm water in a bucket with a squirt of Castille soap. Use a mop or rag to scrub down the floors with the solution. No need to rinse off! (Note: this one’s not recommended for wood floors, but I use it on our laminate)
Wood cleaner
1/2 cup lemon juice (from about 4 lemons) or white vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon natural liquid soap and a few drops of olive oil – Combine the ingredients in a bowl. Saturate a sponge fully with the mixture, squeeze out excess, and wash surfaces. A vinegar solution will keep between uses in an airtight jar, but if you use lemon it will only keep in the fridge for about a week.
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