It's that time of the year to spring clean. It's better to make your own cleaners; no harsh chemicals, cheaper, and it's better for the environment. To clean my kitchen and bathroom counters, I sprinkle baking soda on them and then scrub with a cleaning brush. To clean windows, I use 2 tablespoons of white vinegar with a gallon of water. Put in a spray bottle and you're all set. You can also use lemon juice instead of vinegar which smells good.
Instead of buying expensive drain cleaner for clogged drains, I use 2 cups of baking soda. Pour into the drain and then pour hot water from the teapot in. It works really well.
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This non-toxic method was developed by Susan Sumner, from Virginia Polytechnic Institute, as a way of sanitizing food. Not only does it work great for that but I have found it useful elsewhere around the home.
Over the years, I have tried to use less commercial products and make more of my own products for myself, my family and my home-naturally, simply and economically!
A drop of lemon, say citrus-fruit experts who have been meeting here in annual conference, can: remove tea spots from table linens, remove rust, especially from clothing
Don't throw away those lemons after you've used them. They are great for scrubbing the kitchen sink. Simply take half a squeezed or unsqueezed lemon, dip it in some baking soda and scrub away.
This green cleaning method is a great way to sanitize those yucky places in your home. Check out this video and learn how easy it is to clean green.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I like to make homemade cleaners to save money, but are they any better for the environment? For example, the one I make the most is basically a little lemon ammonia and water with a squirt of Dawn in it. I make a whole bottle for pennies, but is the ammonia bad? Do you have any cleaner recipes that would be better? I have not had good luck with just vinegar and water. Thanks.
Go to diynetwork. look for advice from the queen of clean and go to dollarstretcher.com One cleaner I know of that is environmentally friendly is to mix 1 tbsp. of baking soda in a quart of warm water, and yes, ammonia is bad for the environment.
I personally don't think homemade cleaners are any better for the environment. Ammonia is not any more harmful than baking soda, as long as you are only using small amounts of it. It is a stronger base, but sometimes you need something stronger.
Homemade is better for our environs because the mileage is so small. Once baking soda is in your hands, all those thousands of miles of travel for the exotics in cleaners is saved, along with dollars.
Debra Dadd's columns online are reliable sources of environmental as well as personal safety at home.
She is tough on petrochemicals.
I can't use ammonia since I am allergic to it. My favorite cleaner is homemade and I use it on everything but glass.
1 cup borax (found in laundry section)
How many and which herbs can be substituted for the traditional rather toxic store bought cleaners, i.e. rug cleaners, laundry bleach, fabric softeners, window cleaners, etc.?
By Joyce
Herbs can't be substituted for everything but I think you'll find this list helpful:
