Cleaning your house is a never-ending job, right? If you have kids or pets then you know it feels like the minute you finish cleaning, it gets dirty again! When I was diagnosed with mild asthma, the doctor warned that I should look at the chemicals I use in the house and minimize those that can cause lung irritations.
What I found was shocking! Virtually all of my normal household cleaning products had chemicals that could impact my respiration, but also cause skin irritations. And of course, I paid a premium for those! There just had to be a better alternative.
Natural Cleaning Products
It didn’t take long to find dozens of different homemade, natural cleaners that were significantly less harmful and were really easy to make. I didn’t have to worry about storing dangerous chemicals either. Winner Winner!
Dangers of Household Cleaners
Just in case you were wondering how I found out about the risks associated with the store-bought cleaners, I looked for the Safety Data Sheets (SDS). These used to be called Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS).
For example, I used Scrub Free to clean grime in my bathrooms. I googled “SDS Scrub Free” and found this http://web.mit.edu/8.13/www/shopSDSs/scrub_free_scum_sds.pdf These sheets tell you what the major ingredients are, the dangers, and the treatments. In this case, there is sulfamic acid which can negatively impact both skin and eyes.
Yikes! Try looking for the SDS for the household cleaners that you use.
Best Natural Cleaners That Actually Work
I put together a list of the best homemade cleaners that I could find. These are significantly less toxic that store brands and work just as great!
DIY Cleaning Products and FREE Printable Labels
I love this post. Not only are there recipes for all natural carpet fresheners, fabric refresher, glass cleaners and more, but she includes a free printable label so you can mark your bottles and jars. Definitely make sure you include the ingredients so you know how to refill it.
Eco Friendly Cleaning Routine
This is packed full of great eco friendly tips on how to use green cleaning products and tips on how to make your cleaning routine more sustainable. I especially loved the tips on using your own organic unbleached cotton towels instead of the expensive Swiffer pads. Getting rid of the single use items is a great way to help the environment and save a lot of money!
Natural Carpet Powder
I can’t believe how dirty and smelly carpets can get. The amount of pet dander and dirt that gets in there is insane. I recently had my carpet steam cleaned and it made a huge difference! It scares me to think about everything that was trapped in those fibers. That is why I really like this natural carpet freshener.
The American Lung Association reports that many of our household carpet and upholstery cleaners have Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). These chemicals have been shown to cause or exacerbate respiratory issues. Why risk it when there are perfectly good carpet fresheners that you can make inexpensively that don’t contain those risks.
Vinegar In the Bathroom
Have you noticed how expensive bathroom cleaners are? Insane! Distilled White Vinegar works like a champ. You don’t need much to cut through the grime, and it is just as effective to pour some into a spray bottle. You’ll use a lot less and you’ll be able to target the stains better.
I tried the tip in here about soaking my shower head in vinegar to loosen the hard water stains. I left it in the pail for an hour and it worked perfectly! My shower head was working better than it had in years!
What Type of Vinegar to Use in Cleaning
I was wrong thinking that all vinegar was the same. Balsamic, Rice and Apple Cider vinegars are made from agricultural products, but distilled white vinegar is made in a laboratory from acetic acid. I love it when I learn something new!
There is even industrial vinegar that is much more acidic, but requires some special handling requirements.
Homemade Citrus All Purpose Cleaner
This is an ingenious way to recycle and create an all purpose natural cleaner. It combines orange or lemon peels to distilled white vinegar to create a potent cleaner. I am totally going to add my citrus peels to a jar and make this.
She provides several ways to use this as well. I am excited to try it in the dishwasher to see how well it freshens it up. I found vinegar to work really well there in the past, and this citrus one will too.
DIY Cleaning Wipes
- New look, yet the same Soft Viva Paper towel you know & Love : absorbent paper towels with smooth texture and cloth like durability
- Soft and strong, absorbent disposable paper towels with micro texture to lift away the toughest mess
- Each roll has 58 sheets; 348+ sheets in total for Your all Your cleaning needs
Do you use cleaning wipes as often as I do? I don’t remember these as a kid, but I keep them in my kitchen and bathroom now. I had never thought about making my own until I found this. Not only are the wipes themselves easy to make (with a few tricks), but the container to keep them in is recycled as well! I love that!
Garbage Disposal Cleaning Tips
Don’t you hate it when you get that sour smell coming from the garbage disposal? Think about what is down there. Bits and pieces of food that is who-knows-how-old! Gross.
This article provides a few different all natural cleaning tips to keep the garbage disposal smelling fresh! Best of all, these tips are very cost effective and will save you from buying harsh cleaners from the store.
Natural Home Air Freshener
I jump any time I can open my windows to get the fresh air inside my house. The longer a house stays closed up, the more musty and stale the air becomes.
Unfortunately, it’s hard to keep the windows open during the heat of the summer or the cold of the winter. Those are the times you definitely need a good odor absorbing air freshener. Best of all, these tips provide several different essential oil mixtures so you can mix and match.
Kitchen Disinfectant
This is a simple recipe that is great for almost all surfaces in the kitchen. Just spray and wipe for an easy disinfectant. Definitely mark the spray bottle with the ingredients so you don’t lose track, though.
Natural Linoleum Floor Cleaner
I love this cleaner. It uses a little bit of baby oil to help maintain the luster of the flooring. Definitely don’t use too much, or the floor might get slippery.
Just use a bit of this and mop the floor like you normally would. Save some money and keep dangerous chemicals out of your home.
Green Your Clean E-Book
It’s definitely worth getting this free ebook. It is packed full of natural DIY recipes for common household cleaners and will definitely be a great reference for you.
Closet Freshener – Lavender Sachet
I have several drawers and closets that end up smelling very stale over time. Whether it is the shoes or just being in a confined space, that musty smell drives me nuts. Making some super easy sachets filled with lavender blossoms totally changes that!
I was surprised how easy this was to make and what a difference it made to the aroma!
Organizing Your Homemade Cleaning Products
I laughed at myself when I read this post. It talks about taking an inventory of all the cleaning products under the sink and figuring out how to downsize. I looked under my sink and realized I had enough chemicals under there to sanitize the whole house several times over. Insane!
There are a few great recipes for the most commonly used cleaners. Reducing the ones under my sink will be a task, but I look forward to getting those chemicals out of the house.
Cleaning Goals
My OCD loved the organized approach to cleaning shown here. Cleaning chores are broken down into daily, weekly, etc goals and see if you can follow it to achieve the eight week spring cleaning challenge! Win the challenge and have a sparkling clean house!
DIY Cleaners Using Vinegar
This is a great post with several different vinegar recipes to use in cleaning throughout the home. There are six different recipes and recommendations on how best to use them to keep your house clean and toxin free.
Cleaning Stove Top Drip Pans Naturally
I can’t tell you how much time I spend cleaning drip pans. All the food and drippings get caught here and get baked in. I have been tempted to just buy replacement ones, but I just hate spending the money when these still work.
Homemade Carpet Freshener Recipe
This is one of the easiest recipes out there and is customizable using your favorite essential oils. This is one of the most economical carpet fresheners out there. I typically don’t use any essential oils as I really just like the clean, fresh smell.
Carpet Stain Remover
This is an easy DIY carpet stain remover that works perfectly! She has several other all natural cleaning recipes as well. Definitely grab the free printable labels though. Keeping your products labeled makes it easy to grab the right one, and saves you from scouring the internet to find the exact recipe you used.
All Purpose Natural Cleaner
If I had to pick a one-recipe-to-rule-them-all, it would be this. I use it in my bathroom, the kitchen, laundry room and even used it to loosen gunk when cleaning my window sills.
If you try out any of these natural cleaning tips and tricks, make sure to let us know in the comments! I love hearing from readers and if you have a tip or two, let me know! I’d love to include it in the post!
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