Homemade household cleaners

The amount of chemicals that can be found in our household cleaners can be astonishing. While these chemicals do their job, they can be harmful to adults and pets, and especially harmful to children if ingested. Did you know you can save money and still keep your house clean by using common household ingredients in place of store-bought solutions?

Lemons and lemon juice should be considered a miracle of nature and home cleansing. The juice works to clean and shine pans, is a natural bleach when combined with the sun, and is a natural degreaser. For example, cut a lemon in half and sprinkle it with salt: you now have a safe, abrasive cleaner perfect for wood cutting boards, dishes, and pans.

Baking soda works well as a mild abrasive and also helps remove smelly odors—a perfect bathroom and kitchen cleaner. Mix baking soda with vinegar and scrub away soap scum and toilet bowls. Vinegar alone is a perfect alternative to many expensive floor cleaners. Mix one cup of vinegar with one cup of water and few drops of lemon juice and you have a very inexpensive cleaning solution.

Castile soap is a natural, oil-based soap that can be used to clean most anything in your home. By diluting liquid Castile soap, you can create an all-purpose cleaner, and when used alone, Castile soap is an excellent degreaser.

Essential oils are concentrated liquids containing aroma compounds from plants. They have been used medicinally for thousands of years, and are very common components to thousands of homemade all-natural cleaners. Not only do they add wonderful aromas to your home, they also kill viruses, bacteria, and mold. Add grapefruit, cinnamon, lavender, rose, or lavender (to name a few), to any dishwasher solution, floor cleaner, carpet cleaner, or window cleaner. For more on essential oils, here’s a great article with some ideas.