There are some heavy-duty cleaning chemicals on the market these days. While they promise to take the hard work out of cleaning, many of them are full of bleach and other toxic chemicals that can have adverse effects on family health. But you don’t have to compromise your health for cleanliness. Here are some excellent DIY chemical-free cleaning ideas.
Straight from the Pantry
There are a number of products in your pantry that will double as excellent cleaning products. Baking soda cleans and deodorizes surfaces, and has proven virus-killing capacity – it also has the ability to cut through grease. Naturally acidic, vinegar will wipe out oil and grease, soap scum and dirt while lemon juice smells nice, adds sheen to hard surfaces and works wonders to get rid of mildew and mould. And good old fashioned olive oil acts as a great polisher.
What about Pest Management?
Keeping your home free of pest infestations is part of keeping it clean. There have been real advancements in safe pest control with companies like Trusted Pest Management offering pest control that is completely safe for children and pets.
Home-made Disinfectant
You can make your own germ-killing disinfectant by mixing 2 cups of water with 20-30 drops of tea tree oil and 3 tablespoons of liquid soap. For a toilet cleaner that also deodorizes add ½ cup baking soda and 10 drops of tea tree oil to the toilet; follow with a ½ cup of vinegar and scrub while the mixture fizzes. You can create a daily toilet cleaner with a spray bottle of vinegar with a few drops of tea tree oil added to it while straight vinegar works well on bathroom mildew. Simply spray and leave for about half an hour before rinsing with warm water.
Natural Air Freshener
Spraying air fresheners can be hazardous to health causing indoor pollution from toxins. For a natural non-toxic air freshener all you need is baking soda and some essential oil. Place some baking soda and several drops of essential oil into a jar with a lid and poke some holes through the lid.
Kitchen Cleanliness
Counter tops can be kept clean and germ free by using a spray bottle filled with equal parts of water and vinegar. To clean and sanitize chopping boards use lemon juice, cut a lemon in half and rub it over the surface of the board, leaving it for 10 minutes before rinsing. To clean your oven you should heat it to approximately 125 degrees and then spray with vinegar. Once the surfaces are damp sprinkle salt onto areas with caked-on grime. Allow the oven to cool and use a damp cloth to clean. You can clean your refrigerator by adding about half a cup of baking soda to a bucket of hot water and washing the inside of the fridge with a clean rag.
Non-toxic homemade cleaning products can all be made from products you’ll find in your pantry, and are much better for your family’s health than the toxic chemical solutions you find at the supermarket. Have a go at some of these idea, save yourself some money, and protect the environment! If you have any recipes for home-made cleaning products please leave them in the comments box below.
