Green Cleaning

I believe strongly that the chemicals we are using in our homes in the name of cleanliness are harmful to our environment and our health.

For the do-it-yourselfer, here are some tips and a recipe:

Basic ingredients already found in the home can be used to create a variety of cleaning products. Raid your cupboards and get ready to Green Clean:

Baking Soda
White Vinegar
Hydrogen peroxide
Borax
Castile soap (like Dr. Bronner's)
Vegetable glycerin (available from BulkApothecary.com
Essential oils, like tea tree oil, lavender oil, eucalyptus oil, or lemongrass oil
Fresh herbs, citrus, or citrus peels
Whole lemons
Olive or vegetable oil
Water
Various sizes of squirt bottles

Search the web for many more recipes but here are a few tips:

Cut a lemon in half, dip it in salt and rub the cut edge along copper pans or fixtures.
Make your own furniture polish: 2 Tbsp olive oil, ¼ cup distilled white vinegar, ¼ tsp lemon oil (or use fresh or bottled lemon juice). Shake well and squirt onto a clean, micro-fiber cloth; wipe with the grain, then polish with a clean, dry cloth.
Mix one teaspoon of dish soap with a cup of hydrogen peroxide to clean blood, red wine or ink stains.
Don’t like the smell of vinegar? Try this: Add citrus rinds, a couple whole sticks of cinnamon, and three whole cloves to a quart jar. Fill the jar ¾ full with vinegar and top off with water. Cover the jar and place in a sunny spot for two weeks. This process reduces or eliminates the vinegar odor while maintaining its cleaning and disinfecting properties. Pour the liquid through a strainer into a spray bottle.
Make cleanser by mixing ¼ cup of baking soda with enough castile soap to make a paste.
General purpose cleaner: Mix 3 Tbsp liquid castile soap and 2 Tbsp borax in a large bowl. Boil 6 cups of water and pour it over the soap and borax mixture to dissolve. Stir in 2 cups of distilled white vinegar, allow to cool. Store mixture in a spray bottle.
Countertop stains can be removed by allowing lemon juice to sit on the stain for a few minutes. Scrub the area with baking soda and watch the stains disappear.
Window cleaner: 1 ½ cups vinegar, ½ cup water, 8 drops of citrus essential oil.

Basic cleaning solution:

To a 16 oz. spray bottle, add these ingredients and shake thoroughly:

1/4 cup white vinegar
1 3/4 cups water
30 drops essential oil (choose a scent you like)
1 teaspoon borax