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.
Toree Warfield (775) 831-1331
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