5.20.2009

Healthy Cleaning

Environmentally safe cleaning products can be expensive. "Green" dish soap, dishwasher soap, detergents and all-purpose cleaners are generally a lot more expensive than the chemical based cleaners. However, by creating your own products you can save money and use products that are not harmful to your health or the environment. Here are a few recipes that I have tried...

Laundry Detergent:
I found a variety of laundry detergent recipes online and made a powdered detergent back in November. It has lasted a really long time, I am just now starting to run low. I can't remember exactly how much I spent on all the ingredients but I would guess around $20. Seven months of detergent for two adults is a little over $2.85/month. That is not bad considering the other green laundry detergents are much more expensive and last for substantially less amount of time. Anyway, here is the recipe for the detergent that I use...

12 cups Borax
8 cups Baking Soda
8 cups Washing Soda
8 cups Bar soap (grated)

Mix all ingredients well and store in a sealed tub. Use 1/8 cup of powder per full load.

**Tip: The recommended soaps to use are Fels-Naptha, Ivory soap, Sunlight bar soap, Kirk’s Hardwater Castile, and Zote. Don’t use heavily perfumed soaps.

Click here to see this recipe and other detergent recipes at TipNut.com

All Purpose Cleaner
This makes about 2 cups of formula, and it works really well cleaning dirt and grime.

1/2 teaspoon baking soda or washing soda
2 teaspoons borax
1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent
2 cups hot water

Combine all the ingredients and the water into a spray bottle. Shake well. This is a great formula for cutting grease. Find this recipe and others here.

Vinegar Cleaner and Deodorizer
Pour 1/2 white household vinegar and 1/2 water into a spray bottle. Use it to clean countertops and cut grease on the stove. Vinegar kills mold and mildew and is a natural deodorizer.

Bathroom Cleaner

To clean the bathtub, you can sprinkle baking soda in your tub or sink. Add some water to form a thick paste. Scrub all areas and then rinse clean.

1 comment:

  1. These are so smart and rediculously cheaper! I don't know why I really never thought of baking soda as a great house hold cleaner! - Sam

    ReplyDelete