Are you tired of the smell of chemicals after each time you clean your house? A lot of products we use contain some heavy chemicals which have quite a strong scent.
Not only this isn’t the best for your health, but it’s also not the best for the environment. These products are heavy on your breathing system, your skin, and eyes. They also often come in plastic bottles that end up littering our planet.
To put a stop to this, we have come up with some DIY home cleaning tips and recipes. These can help you achieve the same results without using harsh chemicals. Check below for some useful tips you can implement as soon as today.
What’s the problem
The first step to change is knowing what exactly is damaging your environment. Check the cleaning products you have and what ingredients they contain. Check it they have the harsh chemically smell. If they do, they are most definitely horrible for your lungs, skin, and eyes.
Effects of exposure result in headaches, irritation of nose, eyes, and possibly even skin if you’re not using gloves. Fatigue and irritation of throat are also quite frequent. Long-term effects include respiratory and heart disease and even cancer. There has also been a huge problem with kids ingesting household cleaning products that has even resulted in death.
Unfortunately, the government doesn’t regulate the labeling, so companies can state a product is safe even when it’s not. In other words, you’re never safe with this type of cleaning supplies.
The answer is in the non-toxic cleaning solutions that aren’t damaging your health or the environment. In most cases, you can make these with ingredients you already have at home, so no additional plastic bottles or packaging would be wasted.
Here are the ingredients you’ll need:
- Baking soda
It’s the best ingredient to remove stains, deodorize, brighten, and clean grease. You probably already have it in your pantry, and if not, you can buy it in bulk.
- Vinegar
Vinegar is quite acid, so it’s ideal for cleaning different areas of your home. It’s useful in cleaning soap scum, grease, and grime. However, vinegar is much gentler than chemicals.
- Castile soap
It’s usually made from 100% plant oils, and no chemicals or animal products. Castile soap cleans grease and all kinds of gunk.
- Lemon juice
Natural juice cuts through mold, mildew, and grease. It makes hard surfaces shiny, and it smells amazingly fresh.
- Essential oils
Essential oils are popular in aromatherapy where they have a significant role. In DIY home cleaning, essential oils are great scent additions to cleaning products. Adding a bit to vinegar mixtures is excellent for eliminating the heavy smell. Although they’re generally safe, they can trigger some allergies, so you should be careful with how you use them.
- Olive oil
It’s a great product that helps bring shine to different surfaces.
- Borax
It’s actually a mixture of a boron mineral and salt, making a non-toxic alternative to different cleaning products. However, some people believe Borax irritated their skin and eyes, so you might want to be careful with how you use it.
Before we proceed to actual tips and recipes, you should pay attention to how you mix these ingredients. Although most of them can be combined, castile soap, vinegar, and lemon juice don’t go together.
When mixed, they cancel each other out because castile soap is basic while vinegar and lemon are acids.
Bathroom
Use a mixture of baking soda and tea tree essential oils to scrub the toilet. You’ll need some ½ cup of baking soda, and about ten drops of the essential oil. Pour it into the toilet and add ¼ cup of vinegar before you scrub it.
Vinegar is also a good solution for cleaning your shower and tub. For mildew, spray some white vinegar on the area and let it sit for about half an hour before rinsing it with warm water. Use a sponge if the gunk won’t clear out on its own.
Kitchen
Use a mixture of vinegar and water in equal parts to spray the countertops in your kitchen. If your countertops are made from granite, marble or stone, replace the vinegar with rubbing alcohol or vodka.
Is your sink drain clogged? If so, add ½ cup of baking soda into the drain and pour two cups of boiling water right after it. If that doesn’t unclog the sink, add about ½ cup of vinegar and cover it with a pot lid. Once the fizzing slows down, follow the mixture with one gallon of boiling water.
If you have a dishwasher, you can make a detergent from the abovementioned ingredients. Use a mix of one cup of liquid castile soap and one cup of water. If you want, you can also add two teaspoons of lemon juice. You can also use eco friendly detergent sheet via Amazon.
You can make this in a jar and then just add some to one of the detergent compartments of your dishwasher.
If you wash dishes by hand, combine a cup of liquid castile soap with three tablespoons of water. You can add some essential oils if you want to as well. Pour the mixture in a bottle and mix it before use.
Living room, bedroom
For windows, you can use a mixture of one part white vinegar and four parts water. Adding lemon juice is recommended but optional. Use a sponge of your choice to scrub the windows and mirrors in your entire house.
If you hate the chemically smell of your furniture polish, you should try the DIY version. Combine ¼ cup vinegar with ¾ cup olive oil and use a soft cloth to polish your furniture. A mixture of ¼ cup lemon juice with ½ cup olive oil might be a better option for wood though you can also use it as an alternative.
For floors, you should mix one part white vinegar and two parts warm water in a bucket. Use your rag or a mop to scrub the floors with the mixture you made. Not only the solution cleans everything with ease, but it also doesn’t require rinsing. However, this isn’t recommended for wood floors.
