Are you willing to go a step farther with becoming Eco-friendly? Is your house dirty and needs to be cleaned? Did you know that the chemicals in some detergents and cleaning products may be harmful to your health? And they are equally damaging to the Eco-system. This summer, get clean while staying GREEN! The following are exciting make-it-yourself household cleaning supplies that will last a long time and are Eco-friendly! (We are so excited to start using these products in our NYC office!) Feeling crafty? Well, the following five recipes will help you clean your houses while they help save the environment. (Don't worry, everything needed can be found in your local grocery store, online or at your local health food store!!!)
Easy All-Purpose Cleaner
- For a solution that will wipe up messy spots, mix two cups of white vinegar with equal parts water (plus a little essential oil, like tea tree, rosemary or lavender, to add a fragrance, if you want one). To boost its cleaning power, warm it in the microwave in a glass container.
Creamy Soft Scrub:
- Do your bathroom or kitchen tiles need a good scrubbing? Mix two cups baking soda, 1/2-cup liquid castile soap, four teaspoons vegetable glycerin, and five drops of an antibacterial essential oil, such as cinnamon bark, lemongrass and thyme oils, for fragrance. Then, tackle those tiles! And once you are done, you can store the scrub in a glass jar for two years.
Furniture Polish:
- Shine up your favorite furniture by wiping it down with a mix of 1/4-cup olive oil with four tablespoons white distilled vinegar and 20 to 30 drops of lemon essential oil. Don’t have the latter? Swap it for two teaspoons of lemon juice and store the polish in the fridge after you have cleaned, to keep it fresh.
Laundry Detergent
- This detergent gets your clothes clean without the extra chemicals. First, make soap flakes by grating a pure vegetable soap bar with a cheese grater. Then, mix one cup of the flakes with 1/2-cup of washing soda (found in the laundry aisle) and 1/2-cup of borax, a powder or crystalline salt water softener and disinfectant. Use one to two tablespoons of the detergent per load of laundry.
Drain Opener:
- Who knew vinegar works wonders on clogged drains, too? Pour 1/2-cup of baking soda into the drain, and then follow that with a cup of vinegar. After about 30 minutes, flush the train with boiling water.
My plumber once told me to pour boiling water down my drains once a week to keep them clogging up. He said that if I filled my kettle and made one cup of tea, the remaining would be enough for my bathroom and kitchen. While I haven't been religious about it, I do it periodically and have had no clogging issues. He also asked that I not tell anyone that trick as it would put him out of business. Ooops. My bad.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip - I've never heard that, but it sounds great! =)
ReplyDeleteI once heard that cleaning your floor tiles with vinegar and hot water is better than anything on the market...the smell doesn't linger very long, and it's cheaper and better than the harsh chemicals! I personally got rid of the swiffer mop (even though it was user friendly, it was very wasteful) and now use a mop head that you can throw in the sink or washing machine periodically. Now I just have to use it! :)
ReplyDeleteLove my Jamub shoes!
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ReplyDeleteI just cleaned my vegan jambus and all the other vegan sandals i the house yesterday with baking soda and vinegar mixed. It did wonders and I did not have to wear gloves.
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