Cleaning Your Home The Natural Way
The one thing I love about housecleaning (though I think there isn’t much to love), is the smell my apartment has afterward. I clean my house with essential oils, and things, and my home is clean, germ free, and smells great!
I started getting interested in natural cleaners when I realized just how expensive house cleaners are. Also what worried me was that any time I cleaned the house, the fumes just gave me a terrible headache. I feel that I am doing a service to the earth by making this effort.
So this month, I will share with you a few of the tips I have collected over the years.
Green Tea is high in nitrogen so go ahead and use it in your garden - it will even ward off pests and insects! It can also absorb offensive odors. A few suggested uses for cleaning:
Yoga mats
Pet beds
Litter boxes
Refrigerator
Just use your imagination! This is a great way to reduce the amount of garbage you have by reusing it and recycling.
Beeswax Polish
Beeswax furniture polish with its soft, satin shine is considered the ultimate in wood care.
4 ounces (weight) beeswax
2 tablespoons carnauba wax
2 1/2 cups odorless turpentine
Melt the waxes on high in a microwave or in a double boiler. Remove the waxes from the heat and stir in the turpentine. Apply the polish with a clean cloth and rub in small circles. Turn the cloth as it becomes dirty. Allow the polish to dry, then buff with a clean cloth. If more than one coat is desired, wait 2 days between applications.
Window/Glass Cleaner
½ tsp liquid soap
3 tbs vinegar
2 cups water
Mix the 3 ingredients and put into a spray bottle (Save one you have purchased before). When cleaning glass, newspaper works better than paper towels and they are less expensive too!
Laundry Detergent
1 Cup soap flakes
½ Cup washing soda
½ Cup borax
Mix ingredients together. Add a quarter cup
to washer for regular load.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
1 Cup vinegar
Pour into toilet bowl and let stay overnight.
Scour with a toilet bowl brush the next day.
(Never mix bleach with other cleansers!)
Furniture Water Spot Remover
Gently apply toothpaste with a soft damp cloth.
Unclogging Drains
1/4 Cup baking soda
½ Cup vinegar
Pour baking soda down drain then follow it with the vinegar. After fizzing stops flush the drain with boiling water.
Mold Buster
2 teaspoons Tea Tree essential oil
2 Cups Water
Add to a spray bottle, shake before using. Apply to mold and mildew, do not rinse off. Nothing works as well for mold and mildew as Tea Tree.
Carpet Deodorizer
10 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
10 drops Lemon Essential Oil
20 drops Lavender Essential Oil
1 box (16 oz.) baking soda
Add the baking soda to a large bowl and then add the essential oils. Be sure to mix the oils into the baking soda well. Since lemon essential oil is normally yellow, it is essential that it is mixed well into the baking soda so that no undiluted lemon oil stains your carpet. This blend may be adapted to use your favorite essential oils, but strive to add essential oils that offer antibacterial and disinfectant properties to give the deodorizer an added benefit (the oils in this blend work to accomplish that). After you have blended the oils into the baking soda, seal tight and set aside for 24 hours, then sprinkle on carpet and let set for 15 minutes. Vacuum up. This deodorizer can be stored in a glass jar or airtight container. You can, also, drop several drops of essential oil on a cloth and put it in the collecting bag of your vacuum.
Natural Disinfectant
2 cups water
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 t. tea tree oil
1/4 t. lemon oil
1/4 t. grapefruit oil
Or use:
1/4 t. lavender oil
1/4 t. lemon oil
1/4 t. eucalyptus
Either combination is equally disinfectant. Just shake and spray the counter, the boards, the dish rack. This can also be used for air freshener and on furniture if you want the cats to stay off.
Herbal Vinegar for House Cleaning
Place the herbs of your choice in a bottle: wintergreen for a clean scent; mint leaves for a fresh fragrance; lavender, rosemary or sage, depending on your preference and what is in your garden. Cover with hot vinegar and leave to steep till cool or store for months if you don't get around to decanting it.
Basic Essential oils for the household:
* Eucalyptus. A great disinfectant. Eucalyptus is particularly good in the winter. Again, you can add it to any general purpose cleaning agent for a clean that packs a wallop. In addition, adding several drops to your washing machine kills dust mites in blankets, sheets and pillowcases and fills the house with a clean scent.
* Lavender. My favorite of all time. It has anti bacterial properties, and just smells wonderful. Use it to clean the toilet, mop the floors…
* Orange. There's a reason orange cleaning products sell so well. They work. Add a few drops to your laundry detergent and shake well. It smells sharp and helps get those stains out. It’s also great for mopping the floors, cleaning the windows and for dusting! Put a few drops of it on an old sock and dust away!!
* Lemon. Like orange oil, lemon oil is a natural cleaner and is great for furniture. Mix a little with olive oil, apply lightly to furniture, and buff with a clean cloth for a high shine.
Once you get the basic idea of green cleaning, you will find your own formulas. It is kind to the environment and kind to your wallet!
