I've used many different cleaners in my home ranging from store bought to natural. I like the natural ones the best but I'll admit that I sometimes get the store bought ones at times.
But I truly believe that Natural Cleaning is the way to go. You don't have to worry about bringing lots of harmful chemicals into your home. I've gathered a few recipes from my personal uses and from other resources. These may not right for everyone but they seem to be working great for my family.
ENJOY!
- Window Cleaners -
When I worked at Blimpie as a teen, I learned that you can use vinegar and water to clean windows and other glass surfaces instead of store bought cleaners that could infect our food with harmful chemicals. I would have to make fresh cleaner often due to the amount of times we would have to spray our windows to get all the grummy finger prints off the glass.
I've seen lots of recipes online that say to use White Vinegar. Some say to only use a couple Tbsp mixed with 1 gallon of water.
I personally use Red Vinegar (No reason why, It's just what I was use to seeing at the Blimpie's I worked at) I also use a bit more Vinegar than 2 Tbsp per gallon of water. (Below is the recipe I use at home, less vinegar works also)
What I believe works best - I never make a gallon of window cleaner... Where would I store it all?
- I make my glass cleaner by the Spray bottle.
- I add 1-part Vinegar and 2-parts Water.
- Mix well and spray on windows.
Use Newspaper to clean your windows. WHY? - Because paper towels leave streaks and noone like a streaky window or mirror. (You may get black ink on your hands from the newspaper but it will wash off easily, no ink will get on your glass surfaces)
Vinegar and water also works great when your trying to get stickers off of dressers and tables! (My daughters can "ruin" a dresser with a single sheet of stickers in a heartbeat!) Just spray your Vinegar and Water mixture to the sticker and let it sit for a couple minutes. You then can scrape the stickers off with your finger nails or something else that has a "sharp" flat edge (not sharp enough to hurt you but a knife works great with the mixture also!)
- Natural Multi-Purpose Surface Cleaner's -
Did you know that you could make a Multi-Purpose Surface cleaner out of normal everyday stuff in your house? (This cleaner can be use on bathroom tiles, kitchen surfaces, oven tops, cutting boards, stainless steel and more)
How?
- Sprinkle baking Soda over the surfaces and then scrub with a damp sponge or wash cloth.
- If you have stuck on grime, try adding some kosher salt to the surface and scrub alittle harder
Trying to get those tough water stains or mildew?
- Spray the surface with vinegar,
- Let it sit for a few minutes
- Scrub with a stiff bristled brush
Instead of Bleach, Make your own Disinfectant!
- Mix 2 cups of water with 3 Tbsp of Liquid Soap
- Add about 25 drops of Tea Tree Oil
- Mix Well
- Spray or Rub on surfaces
Big Carpet Spills can be cleaned up by pouring Cornmeal on top of the spill, let it sit for a couple minutes and then vacuum up the soaked up mess.
