When your house calls for cleaning but your cleanser cabinet is bare, there’s no need to run out for more store-bought cleaning products. A search through your kitchen cupboards will turn up plenty of natural cleaning products to keep your house clean without damaging the environment.
For instance, banana peels are perfect for polishing shoes; salt can make mildew disappear, and vinegar does everything from making windows shine to clearing tough drains to softening old paint.
There are easy alternatives out there to toxic household cleaning chemicals. Here are few of our favorite natural cleaning products:
#1 Lemons to Clean Copper
Don’t reach for tarnish remover to polish up your copper-bottomed pans, make your own with this recipe: Cut a fresh lemon in half and sprinkle salt on it. Using the lemon, rub the salt into the copper and you’ll be amazed how fast the tarnish melts away.
#2 Vinegar to Clean Glass
Fill a spray bottle with 1 quart water and add 1 tablespoon white vinegar. For larger jobs, like floor and tiles, add 1/4 cup white vinegar to 1-gallon hot water.
#3 Baking Soda to Clean Bathrooms
Mix a paste of either baking soda or borax with water and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Borax or baking sodas are also good alone to replace abrasive cleaners. For toilets, drop either a few vitamin C capsules or denture cleaning tablets in the bowl and let sit overnight.
#4 Borax to Clean Surfaces
Mix 1/2-cup borax in 1 gallon of hot water for counters, floors, cabinets and tiles.
#5 Vinegar and Hot Water to Clean Drains
Pour 1/4-cup baking soda down the drain, and then follow with 1/2 cup of vinegar. Cover. When fizzing slows, flush with hot water.
#6 Baking Soda and Water to Clean Ovens
Use paste of baking soda and water. Scrub stains with steel wool.
#7 Vinegar and Lemon to Clean Microwaves
Mix teaspoon of vinegar and lemon in cup of water and microwave for 2 minutes.
#8 Lemon Juice to Polish Furniture Polish
Add 1/2 cup lemon juice to 1 cup of vegetable or olive oil.
#9 Vinegar and Salt to Eradicate Mildew
Use equal parts white vinegar and salt. Or use strong Thyme tea.
#10 Flour, Salt, and Vinegar to Clean Brass
Mix equal parts flour and salt into a small amount of vinegar.
With these recipes for natural cleaning products, you can save money and enjoy a clean house without heading out to the store for commercial alternatives.
Information from the Money Pit