Good Green Cleaning

In case you’re feeling like you would in fact like to make your own cleaners I thought I’d list some recipes for you.

That's today’s Easy Eco Idea, making your own cleaners.

Making good natural non-toxic cleaners is really quite simple. Most of the ingredients are things you probably already have in your house.

The items you need most for making your own cleaners are:

• Castile soap
• White distilled vinegar
• Baking soda
• Lemons
• Tea tree oil
• Orange essential oil
• Spray bottles
• Glass jars

Why do those make good alternatives to the harsh stuff we’ve been using? Well I’ll tell you; white distilled vinegar works on germs because of its high level of acidity, baking soda’s alkaline properties make it perfect for absorbing odors, and tea tree oil is a natural antiseptic, antifungal and antimicrobial.

This means that you can still get your home just as clean as you would with the products that are sold in stores.

I thought I’d list a few of my favorites and then the website you can find more recipes at.

So here it goes:

• Soft scrub cleaner: combine 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon castile soap. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture. You can also add 1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin to keep it moist if you want to store it.

• Super easy counter cleaner: if your counter just needs a quick wipe down, soak a rag in vinegar and wipe away, this will also deodorize your counter tops.

• Clean and deodorize the garbage disposal with vinegar ice cubes. Put a few vinegar ice cubes down the drain while flushing with cold water.

• For mold and mildew: fill a spray bottle with 2 cups water and 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil, spray on the areas and let dry. You don’t need to rinse or scrub. Tea tree oil has a very strong smell so be sure to open the windows. Also, it may take a few days for the smell to go away. But it’s still heads and tails better then the smell of bleach.

These are the ones I use the most, but there so many more. All of which are easy and much less expensive than readymade cleaners.

Here are the sites the above recipes came from, vinegar tips and care2. Some other good sites are kids organics and women and environment.

If you have any easy green cleaners I’d love to hear about them.