Keep it Clean, Keep it Green: A Simple Guide to Homemade Cleaners

One of the main tenets of living a green lifestyle is to rid one’s home of toxic substances. The most prevalent offenders of home toxicity are commercial cleaning products. Not only are these products harmful to us and the environment, they are a miraculous waste of money. Making homemade cleaners are cruelty-free, non-toxic, cheap, effective, and safe if made right. Below are some recipes for some common household cleaners. But first, it is best to put together a cleaning ingredients kit. Here is what you will need:

• 3-4 spray bottles, 1 for each type of job (you can rinse out commercial bottles, rip off the labels and use those) 
• 1 gallon of liquid castile soap. I recommend Dr. Bronner’s in any scent. You can get it at any natural foods store. I recommend Trader Joe’s for the best bargain. Also, many natural foods stores will let you refill the bottle if you bring it back so as to reduce waste. 
• 1 box baking soda 
• 1 box corn starch 
• 1 bottle lemon juice (or keep fresh lemons in your fridge and squeeze them when you need them) 
• 1 bottle white vinegar 
• 1 bottle hydrogen peroxide 
• 1 bottle rubbing alcohol
• 2-3 old toothbrushes 
• Sponges 
• Towels 

WARNING: Do not mix vinegar and baking soda together, unless you want this to happen.* Also, never ever mix bleach and ammonia together. The fumes are toxic.

Here are the recipes:

All-Purpose Cleaner:
2 tbsp castile soap
1 tbsp baking soda
2 cups warm water
Put it all in a spray bottle and shake it up. Use almost anywhere!

Disinfectant:
1 cup water
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
1.5 tbps lemon juice
Put all in a spray bottle and shake it up. Test on small part of surface before using.

Window Cleaner:
2 tbsp castile soap
2 cups water
1/4 cup vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
Pour soap, water and vinegar into bottle and shake it up. Add lemon juice and then use on your windows!

Stain Remover:
Pour hydrogen peroxide on the stain (do not saturate) and work in with a toothbrush in a circular motion. For clothes, use hydrogen peroxide, water and cornstarch to make a paste and work the in the stain with a toothbrush. Promptly throw clothing in the washer.

Laundry:
For a medium to heavy load, use 1/4 cup castile soap and 1 tsp baking soda. Use less for side-loading or high efficiency washers.

Have a clogged drain? Try this recipe for unclogging drains.

For several recipe options for making your own automatic dishwasher detergent, click here.

For more homemade cleaner ideas, see this article on the Mother Nature Network.

BONUS: Castile soap can also be used as body wash and shampoo! It can mixed with essential oils to provide the scent/moisture that you like. If you have long hair, I highly recommend that you use conditioner after washing your hair.

*EDIT: The exception for this is the clogged drain recipe since the fizzy action is contained and helps remove the clog.