How to Make Your Own Green Cleaning Products

If you’re not sure what’s in the detergents on the labels, or you just prefer to manufacture your own green cleaning solutions at home, we’ve collected a comprehensive list of the most often used ingredients. Let’s have a look at some natural ways to clean your house with the aid of some common household items:

Cleaning with Essential Oils: A Step-by-Step Guide

Natural degreasers and antibacterial capabilities are found in essential oils. The majority of the oils are antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral, making them a great addition to any household cleaning arsenal.

Tea Tree Oil is a natural antiseptic.

It may be added to the dishwasher or laundry detergent for use in the kitchen or bathroom.

Oil of Eucalyptus

It’s very useful in the cold. Because it has the potential to destroy dust mites that may be hiding in your blanket, you may add it to your laundry detergent.

Lavender Essential Oil

Lavender oil has a mild aroma and has been used in clothing hangers for generations to keep moths away. Pour it in the dryer or the drawers, and it will fill the room with a lovely scent. It also has a nice flavour when added to water to wash fruits.

Oil of Sweet Orange

Another one of the non-chemical items with a distinctive smell. It may be used for cleaning as well as scenting.

Lemon Juice

It’s a natural cleaning agent, similar to sweet orange oil, and it’s ideal for rustic furniture. Wipe it down with a clean cloth after mixing it with a little quantity of olive oil. The furniture will have a bright shine as a result of this.

Beech Oil cleans effectively and has a pleasant scent. You may use it in the bathroom or kitchen by mixing it with the water you use for green cleaning the floors.

Homemade Cleaning Product Recipes

• Ironing Water: Combine 15 drops of essential oil with 80 mL distilled water to make ironing water.
• Lavender drawer freshener: put a drop of lavender oil on a piece of cotton and place it in the drawer. The lavender scent will help you relax while also warding off moths and other insects.
• Waste bin freshener — 2-4 drops of lemon essential oil on the bottom of the garbage bag helps keep it from smelling too strong.
• Laundry cleaner — a few drops of patchouli oil in the laundry detergent keeps bugs at bay while also repelling undesirable moths. Furthermore, eucalyptus oil drops in the detergent or directly into the washing machine can destroy dust mites, as previously indicated.
• Baby diaper disinfection – add 5 drops of tea tree oil to your laundry detergent to clean diapers for many uses.

Be cautious about how much oil you use in the washing machine. It can harm the plastic parts and rubber seals if there is too much of it.

• Dishwasher detergent for home use 

• • ½ plant-based soap (olive or castilian soap)
  • ½ sodium carbonate
  • ½ baking soda
  • ¼ lemon acid
  • 2 drops patchouli oil

Blend the ingredients until you get a fine dust. Use the same way as the commercial detergent.

• Vacuum cleaner freshener
  • 5 drops of essential lemon oil;
  • Cotton
  • Vacuum cleaner bag;

Soak the piece of cotton  with essential oil and place it in the vacuum cleaner bag. While the effect lasts, your carpets will be automatically deodorised.

 

Advanced Tips for Using Vinegar in Cleaning

Vinegar is one of the easiest to get and most often used domestic savouries – an irreplaceable ingredient for eco-friendly cleaning materials. However, the liquid also happens to be an acid, therefore there are some items that vinegar shouldn’t get on to or won’t be able to clean.

1. Oily utensils – vinegar won’t help as a dishwasher replacement. The alkalic detergents are much more practical to remove oil stains.
2. Paraffin wax – vinegar will damage the cover and will darken its shiny outlook. However, if you plan to remove any paraffin cover, vinegar is arguably your best choice.
3. Marble – vinegar has a corrosive effect on the marble’s porous structure. Any acid-based cleaner is out of the question here.
4. Laundry – apple vinegar, in particular, leaves stains on textiles. However, you can use distilled white wine vinegar, which will whiten the clothes.
5. Aluminium and cast-iron utensils – these metals create unwanted chemical reactions with vinegar. However, you can clean stainless steel and enamelled cast-iron utensils with vinegar.
6. Bleach – do not mix vinegar with bleach – you will create a hazardous aerosol
7. Do not spray plants with vinegar – you can fight off various insects with vinegar spray, but never directly use it on green leaves – the acid can destroy them. Unwanted weeds, on the other hand, can get their dose of just wrath from you.
8. Egg stains – if you try to clean egg stains with vinegar, you will instead create a gluey gooey substance that is even harder to clean.
9. Baking soda – the chemical reaction between vinegar and baking soda produces a short-time all-powerful cleaner, but in a couple of minutes its effects are gone – therefore you have to act fast.

How to Use Baking Soda for Cleaning

A round-up of green cleaning products won’t look and feel the same without baking soda. Let’s see the next basic uses for baking soda in cleaning domestic grime.

1. Use as an abrasive cleaner for different surfaces – equal parts of baking soda, salt and dishwasher can deal with stubborn stains in the bathroom, on fiberglass or in worn-out places with constant running water – the mixture will remove the limescale.
2. Use as a dishwasher – you need a container (or the wash-basin itself) filled with water. Throw in a couple of spoonfuls of baking soda and leave the dirty utensils inside in order for the gunk to dissolve. Rinse well afterwards.
3. Polish old silverware – you need a paste of three parts baking soda and one part of water. Rub the objects with a piece of cloth or a sponge dipped in the paste. Rinse and dry with a cotton cloth.
4. Clean tea and coffee stains – in order to remove the settled stains pour hot water with half a teaspoon of baking soda.
5. Use when camping – baking soda is a necessary attribute to your luggage for camping, due to its multiple uses. You can do the dishes with it, clean the bottom of the pan or the grill heaters, use it as toothpaste or against sweating.

How to Use Isopropyl Alcohol for Cleaning

Isopropyl alcohol, which is often called “rubbing alcohol” (60-70% water solution) is widely used in home making. Don’t forget it’s poisonous and shouldn’t be swallowed or inhaled. Keep away from children and read the labels carefully.

1. Remove permanent marker trails – most of the contemporary countertops are made of material which doesn’t keep the stains (marble or laminate). In order to clean a permanent marker doodle, use a dampened towel with a bit of alcohol on it. Wait until the marker trail becomes liquid and wipe out.
2. Keep your windows shiny during winter – if they easily get frosted, wash them out with a solution of 1 litre of water and half a glass of rubbing alcohol. Polish them with a towel after washing.
3. Remove ink stains – if you inked your clothes, draperies or furniture – here comes the isopropyl alcohol to the rescue – try to soak the stain for several minutes in a small clean amount of the substance before you wash the textile. Read the label of the item beforehand so that you make sure it can be treated that way.
4. Get rid of common fruit flies – the next time you see the annoying fruit flies in the kitchen, sprinkle them carefully with fine spray full of isopropyl alcohol – they will drop on the floor so you can wipe and throw them out. Don’t sprinkle on food, animals or people. Isopropyl alcohol is not as effective as common insecticides, but it’s less harmful.

These are some of the many kinds of green cleaning products you can make at home. Have you used any of those and what are your own recommendations? We would love to hear more on the topic in the comments below.