Although making your own cleaning products might be a little more time consuming than simply going to the store, it is worth the extra effort. Here’s why:
Better for your health
Our biggest mistake as consumers is to assume that just because cleaning products are readily available at most stores they are safe to use. While they might not seem ‘so bad’, we have no idea what the health risks are due to repeated exposure over a lifetime. By making your own DIY cleaners, we are reducing the toxins that our families and pets come in contact with.
DIY is cheaper
Most homemade cleaning products can be made with a few key ingredients – vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice. Not only do most of us have these staples in our pantries, but they are also cheap and can be bought in bulk saving money and plastic packaging.
Better for the environment
Many of the ingredients in cleaning products are not only harmful to you and your family, but when poured or washed down the drain they pollute our water systems and become hazardous for the environment.
My favourite homemade cleaning products
Surface cleaner
This cleaner can be used to clean and disinfect almost any surface in your home. From kitchen counter tops to bathroom sinks.
What you need:
1 cup distilled water (I use cooled boiled water)
1 cup white vinegar (distilled vinegar is even better)
The juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)
15 drops citrus/lavender essential oil
This is how:
Pour all the ingredients into a bottle, and shake gently. A spray bottle works well. If you use the lemon juice, store the mixture in a cool place or even in the fridge.
Kitchen soft scrub paste
I love this scrub! It is great for cleaning sinks, counter tops, bathtubs, showers, tiles and grout. Rub it on the surface you want to clean and scrub with a wooden brush, pot scrub or old toothbrush. Let it sit for a few minutes before wiping it off with a damp cloth.
What you need:
1/4 cup Castille soap/Natural liquid dish soap
200gr baking soda
20 drops of citrus essential oil
This is how:
Mix all the ingredients together and store in a glass jar.
The original recipe is from tulips_and_a_toolbox. They add 1 tsp of vegetable glycerine. I could not find vegetable glycerine, so I left it out of the recipe and it still works very well.
Happy and healthy cleaning.
xxx
