Want a clean kitchen? Natural cleaning products are better for you, your health, and your wallet. Forget toxic chemicals and having to remember dangerous combinations. These homemade cleaning products will keep your environment smelling and looking clean and fresh. Cleaning your home with these green products is better for the air, water, children, and animals surrounding your home. Here’s your very own kitchen cleaning checklist of things to keep on hand.
Vinegar
Vinegar is one of the most versatile natural cleaning agents that we can use in our homes. Vinegar can be mixed with your favorite natural dish soap to create a shower cleaner. Pour 1/3 cup of white vinegar in your laundry in place of fabric softener. Use 1-2 cups of vinegar to clean your toilet without a strong chemical odor. Mix vinegar with water to steam-clean a microwave. The list of possible uses for vinegar is quite long.
Basic Castile Soap
Not only can you use castile soap in the bath, it can also be used on your dishes and laundry. You can also mix a few tablespoons of your favorite castile soap with a gallon of water to mop your floors. It’s also a safe cleaning product to use as a dog shampoo if your dog needs a bath. Try using castile soap to keep ants out of the home as well: Mix approximately 1/4 cup of soap to a quart of water and spray the problem areas to deter the ants.
Cooking Oils
Besides coating your cookware, these oils also serve as a safe cleaning product for different areas of the home and the body. Mix a vegetable oil with coarse sea salt to make a scrubbing paste for pans with cooked-on food. Use vegetable oil on leather shoes and buff them to a shine! Cooking oils can also be used on outdoor wicker furniture to keep them shining and safe from cracking.
Hydrogen Peroxide
This one item is useful in many areas of the home. Hydrogen peroxide can be used in the kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room. Mix some into a sink full of cold water to wash your fruit and veggies. Mix peroxide with baking soda to create a scrub for dirty pans or add to your dishwasher as a cleaning booster. Pour about a half cup into the toilet, let sit for a few minutes, then scrub as usual. Peroxide is also safe to use on kids toys – spray plastic toys, doorknobs, tables or anywhere else your kids are playing. It’s safe for kids as it won’t irritate their lungs.
Vodka
Did you know that you can clean with vodka, not just drink it? Who knew?! Vodka can be used to clean and deodorize different areas around the home without irritating your skin or lungs. Have some clothes that need to go to the dry cleaner? Mix 1 cup of vodka with 1 cup of water and spray over the clothes to keep them smelling fresh for a little while longer. Want a chemical-free alternative to GooGone? Use vodka to remove that sticky gunk. Pour some into a sink full of cold water to clean fruits and vegetables. Vodka also makes a great window & glass cleaner, so use it with newspaper to avoid the streaks. In general, sub vodka for anything that requires isopropyl alcohol.
Baking Soda
Baking soda is a must-have natural cleaning product. It can be used on hard surfaces, drains, and even carpets. Sprinkle a little baking soda over rugs and carpets, let sit for a few hours, then vacuum the baking soda up to keep them fresh. Mix baking soda with vinegar to clean and deodorize drains or scrub tubs and sinks. Try sprinkling a little baking soda in your cat’s litter box to keep smells to a minimum – it’s safe to use around your pets.
Club Soda
Club soda isn’t just for drinking. It helps remove stains when applied quickly to a fresh stain. Club soda can be sprayed on windows and mirrors as a cleaning agent. Club soda can also be poured into warm cookware to keep food from sticking, before putting the cookware in the dishwasher.
Lemons
Lemons have amazing cleaning abilities. Lemon juice can be poured in a load of laundry or can be diluted with water for an easy countertop spray. And why buy an extra jar of metal polish when lemon will also clean grills and chrome?
Coffee Grounds
Have a stinky refrigerator? Put an open cup of used coffee grounds in the refrigerator to soak up the odors. Used coffee grounds can also be used as an abrasive scrub on surfaces or cookware. You can utilize coffee grounds to help clean out a fireplace, if you have one. Pour coffee grounds on ashes to weight them down. Weighing down the ashes helps keep the dust from the fireplace from pouring out. And did you know that coffee grounds are a natural repellant to all the pests that want to eat your plants?
Borax
This naturally occurring mineral is another top natural cleaning product. It works for almost anything. Borax can be used to scrub sinks, tubs, toilets, and other surfaces – just make sure to rinse everything well with clean water. Borax can also be used in the laundry as a detergent booster and to remove stains. Even try it in the garden to deter pests and kill weeds.
Most of these safe cleaning products can be purchased at your local grocery store in bulk – making it easy to keep your home naturally clean at all times. For a fraction of the cost, you can use these products from around your home to keep your environment more healthy for you, your family, and your pets.
SEE ALSO: Energy Savings with Green Living
