If you haven’t been using them yet, it’s time to switch to all natural cleaners for your home!
It doesn’t take long for a house to get dirty especially in high-traffic areas like kitchens and bathrooms. Keeping these areas looking spotless requires a lot of cleaning – which can mean a lot of exposure to chemicals.
If you use harsh store-bought cleaners to keep your house in sparkling shape, you might be exposing yourself to toxic ingredients that can burn your skin if you touch them or damage your nervous system if you inhale them. Products like this can be dangerous to keep around if you have kids or pets at home, and if they get into the water system, they can be destructive to the environment.
Luckily, there are plenty of ways to keep your house squeaky clean without resorting to using harmful chemical cocktails. Protect yourself, your family, and the environment by using these six all natural cleaners instead.
White vinegar
White vinegar is one of the best all natural cleaners you can use. It’s slightly acidic, which makes it great for killing bacteria and fungi, and it can be used on almost any surface – countertops, floors (even hardwood floors!), microwaves, showers, and ovens. Just don’t use it on granite or marble, since the acid in the vinegar can wear away at the rock.
To make your own all-purpose vinegar cleaner, mix equal amounts of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Add a few drops of essential oil for scent if you like.
Hydrogen peroxide
You’ve probably used hydrogen peroxide on cuts and scrapes before but its foamy bubbles are just as effective at disinfecting surfaces in your kitchen and bathroom. Sterilize your sponges and dish cloths by soaking them in hydrogen peroxide, and use it to wipe down your countertops, cutting boards, and the inside of your refrigerator. You can also spritz it on your shower curtain to keep mold and mildew at bay.
Make sure to keep hydrogen peroxide in an opaque spray bottle, since it loses its effectiveness if it’s exposed to light.
Lemon juice
You might love the smell of lemons, but did you know they’re a very effective cleaning agent too? Lemons are great at disinfecting surfaces due to their mild acidity, and their juice can also remove stains from kitchen surfaces like food containers, microwaves, and cutting boards.
Use lemon in the bathroom too – lemon juice removes lime scale from metal fixtures, and it makes a great glass cleaner when mixed with rubbing alcohol (use a ratio of ½ cup alcohol to 3 tablespoons lemon juice). You can even make your own lemon furniture polish by combining ½ cup of whatever oil you have on hand with 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
See Also: 10 Super Creative Uses for Everyday Things That You Already Have
Baking soda
Baking soda isn’t just for baking – it’s also useful for cleaning your house. Baking soda does double duty as a natural deodorizer and a gentle abrasive that’s great for scrubbing away stains and grime, making it one of the all natural cleaners you should keep on hand all the time.
Put a box in your fridge to absorb food odors or sprinkle it inside Tupperware to banish lingering odors from strong-smelling leftovers. If your pots and pans are crusted with tough cooked-on food, soak them with a mixture of water and baking soda overnight – the residue will scrub right off in the morning.
You can also mix 2 cups of water, 2 cups of vinegar and 04 spoons of baking soda to clean stains of your bamboo pillow. You can even use baking soda to clean out your oven.
Tea tree oil
Tea tree oil is a powerful disinfectant, making it ideal for use as a household cleaner. Be careful with this stuff, though – although it’s all-natural, tea tree oil is very strong and needs to be diluted with at least 10 parts water to 1 part oil to be safe for household use.
Make a simple disinfecting spray by mixing 2 cups of water with 10 drops of tea tree oil, or add it to a mixture of vinegar and water for an extra-strength cleaner.
Tea tree oil’s powerful antibiotic properties also make it a good toilet cleaner. Put ½ cup baking soda and 10 drops of tea tree oil in the toilet bowl, then add a splash of vinegar and scrub with a toilet brush.
Salt
Add salt to your list of kitchen surface scrubbers – it kills germs and lifts tough stains. Salt is an ideal cleaner for cast iron pots and pans, and it’s great for soaking up grease and oil spills.
If you need a quick all-purpose metal cleaner, a combination of salt and lemon juice will do the trick. It’s good for drains, too. Pouring a mixture of salt and hot water down your drains periodically will help keep them clear.
See Also: Five Tough Spring Cleaning Projects and How to Tackle Them
It’s not hard to make your own all natural cleaners for your house – in fact, you probably have most of these ingredients in your kitchen already. By switching to non-toxic, natural cleaning agents like vinegar, lemon, and tea tree oil, you’ll keep your house germ-free and smelling fresh, and you’ll be able to feel good about protecting your family and the environment from the toxins in commercial cleaners.