I've always heard that baking soda & vinegar will clean just about anything…thanks to Felicity at MiniMomos.com for taking the time to explain exactly how to use them!
Being budget-minded and green when cleaning makes good sense for both your wallet and the planet. Homemade cleaning products don’t take much time to make, allowing you to get on with enjoying your sustainable living.
Homemade Cleaning Products
The Kitchen
From the oven to your chopping boards, there is an easy homemade kitchen solution at hand.
Plastic boards harbor more germs than wooden ones, as wooden boards have anti-bacterial properties.. Keep both types of boards clean by scrubbing with hot water and soap. To clean off raw poultry, use boiling water (wear gloves to protect your hands from scalding). Finish up rubbing over a little lemon juice or vinegar to deodorize and disinfect.
The alkaline nature of baking soda makes it perfect as an all-round kitchen bench cleaner. Apply it dry to bench tops as an abrasive cleaning powder; use long-lasting plastic cleaning scrubbers to scrub. If you need a stronger solution, mix baking soda with white vinegar. Expect some fizz but you’ll have a powerful cleaning combination that works for most stains on kitchen benches.
Clean your oven using baking soda. Make a light paste of baking soda mixed with water. Using an old toothbrush, scrub inside the oven. It gets easier with each clean.
Deodorize the refrigerator with baking soda. Simply tip an amount onto a saucer and place on a shelf inside the refrigerator. It will start absorbing odors immediately. Replace every two weeks. To clean the refrigerator, dissolve one teaspoon of borax in a half a pint of warm water. Mix well. Wear gloves and wipe the solution over the shelves, door, etc. It both cleans and deodorizes.
The Bathroom
For the bathroom, the baking soda bench scrubbing mix described above works well on bathroom benches, basins, and tiles.
Remove mildew from shower curtains using a paste of baking soda and water. Leave the paste on overnight and wash off the next morning using warm water.
Clean limescale out of the showerhead with vinegar. Remove the showerhead, dip it into a bowl of one part vinegar, three parts water. Leave for half an hour; check to see if the limescale has come off, or leave longer if needed. Limescale can be wiped off taps using vinegar on a damp cloth, wrapped around the taps for half an hour.
Your own furniture cleaning dusters
Some wonderful cleaning dusters can be made very easily using lemons. Fill a bowl with 2 parts water, 2 parts vinegar and 2 drops of lemon oil. Soak clean rags or dusters in the solution for half an hour. Squeeze out the excess and remove the damp cloths. Place pieces of freshly peeled lemon rind inside each rag. Roll up the rag and place into an airtight jar with a lid (old glass food jars are ideal). Use when needed. After use, wash them and repeat the lemon scent infusion process.
Safety first
Always label and date homemade cleaning products for storage. Keep out the reach of children and pets. Borax is toxic if swallowed. Even non-toxic products can be cross-contaminated when used for cleaning.
By Felicity Tepper
Felicity is the adult community coordinator for MiniMonos , a site where sustainably minded kids meet and play. Felicity makes her own homemade cleaning products regularly.
