Do-it-yourself cleaning products are cheap and effective tools for cleaning every part of your home. Natural cleaning solutions have none of the industrial chemicals and dangerous substances often found in conventional products. With a few common ingredients available at any grocery or health food store, you can create naturally green cleaning products that will sanitize every room in the house without harming the environment.
Definition
Natural cleaning uses plant-based and naturally occurring materials in solutions to clean, shine and disinfect bathroom and kitchen areas, windows, floors, dishes, metal surfaces, laundry, carpets and dozens of other things. Natural cleaning eschews conventional cleansers containing potentially hazardous chemicals and artificial substances.
Key Ingredients
The main ingredients in natural cleaning are the same ones your grandmother probably used. Distilled white vinegar, vegetable oil-based castile soap and sodium bicarbonate--otherwise known as baking soda--are a trinity of items no natural cleaner can be without. Other useful ingredients include borax, a mineral salt; lemon juice and table salt.
Uses
White vinegar is a natural surface cleaner, window polisher, fabric softener, disinfectant and deodorizer. Baking soda provides gentle scouring for hard surfaces as well as fabric softening and deodorizing--who hasn't put a box of baking soda in her fridge to eliminate odors? Castile soap gets rid of soap scum, grease and general dirt; it can also serve as dish and laundry detergent. Borax and salt act as heavy-duty versions of baking soda, while lemon juice and vinegar shoulder the same polishing and disinfecting duties.
Common Solutions
Make an all-purpose cleaner with 1/3 cup vinegar, 1 tbsp. castile soap and about 1 qt. of water. Mix in a reused spray bottle and use on any surfaces except stone or marble. For shiny surfaces such as porcelain or metal, use a solution of 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar. Concoct an all-purpose scouring scrub with a 1/2 cup baking soda and enough castile soap, about 1 tbsp., to form a paste.
Benefits
Natural cleaning products are extremely inexpensive, effective and easy to make. Unlike conventional cleansers, natural cleaners contain no petroleum products, phosphates, phthalates, chlorine bleach or other environmentally toxic materials, so they're safe for our planet. Natural cleaning also eliminates the presence of industrial chemicals that scientists have linked to respiratory and other diseases, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists.
References
- "The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City"; Kelly Coyne and Erik Knutzen; 2008
- Union of Concerned Scientists: Household Cleaning Made Cleaner
Member Comments