How to Make ANY House Cleaner You Need NATURALLY

Apartment Therapy's "green" division, Re-Nest, just posted a neat article on natural cleaners and it inspired me to compile all my homemade cleaner recipes.

Everything used is cheap, non-toxic and easy to find (lemons are in the produce department, baking soda and salt are in the baking aisle, castile soap in the cleaning aisle or health food store, vinegar with salad dressings, borax is in laundry and essential oils are either in the home section or in a health food store, hydrogen peroxide may be in the pharmacy).

My favourite oils are lemon, oregano, pine, eucalyptus and tea tree.

If you make extra, store it in a labeled mason jar, or re-purposed spray jar.

All-purpose cleaner: 2 cups water + 1 cup hydrogen peroxide + 1/4 cup lemon juice

Bathroom
- Tub: 3 parts baking soda + 1 part castile soap + 1 part water + splash vinegar, apply with a cloth
- Toilet: 1 part borax + 4 parts vinegar, mix in bowl, let sit 15 min, scrub, flush
- Shower glass & mirror: 1/4 c vinegar + 4 cups water, spray, wipe with old newspaper
- Drain: Same as toilet, follow with hot water
- Tile floor: 1/2 cup borax + 2 gallons warm water, mop
- Soap scum: sprinkle of baking soda, scrub, rinse
- Calcium deposits on shower head: soak with vinegar
- Mold: 1 part borax + 1 part vinegar, scrub, rinse
- Shower grout: 1 part vinegar (or baking soda)+ 1 part water, scrub with old toothbrush

Kitchen
- Sink & stovetop: 1/3 cup baking soda + water to make a paste, scrub
- Microwave: 1 cup water + 1 T vinegar, microwave until 1/2 evaporated, leave for 10 min door closed, remove bowl carefully, scrub with baking soda paste on a cloth
- Burnt pan: 1 cup vinegar + 2 T baking soda + 1 cup water, boil in pan, scour (with baking soda if necessary)
- Silver: 1 piece aluminum foil + 1 L water + 1 T baking soda, boil, place silverware in solution
- Appliances: baking soda paste, scrub, rinse
- Stubborn grease: vegetable oil, followed by baking soda, rinse
- Stove: hot water, let soak to soften tough messes
- Oven: sprinkle with baking soda, leave overnight, scrub with damp cloth, use castile soap if necessary, rinse
- Cast iron pan: olive oil and coarse salt paste

Living Room
- Steam cleaning, vacuuming, dusting & sweeping are toxin-free!
- Wood polish: juice of 1 lemon + 1 T olive oil + 1 T water, polish with cloth
- Carpet stains: 1 part salt, 1 part borax, 1 part vinegar, apply, let dry, vacuum away
- Brass: 3 parts lemon juice + 1 part baking soda, work in with cloth, rinse
- Marble: spray with warm water, rub and dry with cloth
- Room Spray: 1 oz vodka + 6 oz water + 20 drops essential oil

Laundry
- Washing machine: 2 parts grated soap bar + 1part washing soda + 1 part borax, use 1 T per load, also: tennis balls in the wash cycle
- Pretreatment for grease stains: rub with white chalk
- Fabric spray (for freshening/dewrinkling): 2 T vinegar + 6 drops essential oils, mix in spray bottle, fill with water
- Whitener: (same as all-purpose cleaner) 2 cups water + 1 cup hydrogen peroxide + 1/4 cup lemon juice

Other
- To remove rust: salt and lime paste, let sit 2 hours, scrub, rinse, let dry

Great uses for olive oil:
- get paint off your hands
- scratches on leather
- protect wicker furniture
- shine stainless steel


Now I ask you: How often should you clean these things? Wood floors, oven, windows, linens, carpets, toilets, tubs? What does your weekly cleaning look like? Daily?