Not only is keeping a green home healthier for you and better for the environment, it’s also a lot cheaper to make your own cleaning products than buy them at the market.
Nourish MD came up with a list of six essential ingredients to keep around to help clean your home with naturally.
Baking soda: Can be used in place of harsh and toxic cleansers and is the ultimate multi-tasker. It absorbs odors, unclogs drains, removes grease stains and more. To make a safe all purpose soft scrub, mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with enough vegetable-based liquid soap to create a frosting-like mixture. Use with a sponge to wash surfaces. You can make this as you need it, or store it in a covered glass jar with a teaspoon of vegetable glycerin, to help keep it moist.
Castile soap: Can be used for disinfecting, cutting grease and it is a great all-around cleaner. The term castile tells you that the soap is vegetable, rather than animal-based.
Lemon juice: Effective for bleaching, deodorizing, cutting grease and removing stains. You can add lemon juice to your regular load of laundry as a bleach alternative. The citric acid in lemons helps to break down stains and get those dull whites back to bright. And unlike bleach, lemon juice is safe for colors, too. Just add one cup of lemon juice to your load of wash along with your usual detergent.
Olive oil: Great for cleaning cast iron pans, shining stainless steel, getting paint off your hands, and polishing wood furniture. Make your own furniture polish by combining 1/2 a teaspoon of olive oil and 1/4 cup of vinegar or fresh lemon juice. Mix in a jar and use with a rag to wipe wood surfaces.
White vinegar: Kills bacteria, deodorizes, and cuts grease and wax buildup. White vinegar also removes mildew and dissolves hard water lime buildup on the inside of teapots. Just add four ounces of vinegar to a pot of water and boil. Rinse well.
Cornstarch: Use to clean windows and absorb spills on carpet, especially from juice, coffee and wine. You can also use cornstarch to get rid of grease stains by patting as much on it as you can, then letting the cornstarch soak it all up.
What other essential items do you use to keep your home naturally clean?