All-natural cleaning recipes

**cheriede** · 09-20-2008, 07:47 PM

Just wondering if anyone would share some of your favorite homemade cleaning recipes.

Here's one of mine..

2-3 T. Vinegar
15-20 drops Lavender Essential Oil
Fill rest of the spray bottle with water

I use all over the house to freshen up things around the house.

**Lady_V** · 09-20-2008, 08:03 PM

where do you get the essential oils?

**cheriede** · 09-20-2008, 09:11 PM

Originally Posted by Lady_V

where do you get the essential oils?

I have picked up a few bottles from my co-op and one from a local health food store. Since I am now ready to begin make my own soap and skin care, I will probably order EO when I'm purchasing other things. Here is one place.. http://www.wholesalesuppliesplus.com/Default.aspx . I think Amazon.com may even have some too.

**missyali** · 09-20-2008, 09:15 PM

Thanks for that advice. I love vinegar for cleaning ~ carpet cleaner, windows, counter wipe downs. The one thing that always kept me going back to those horrible store-bought products were some of the scents. My dh & kids are very sensitive to smells, so we are often fragrance free. But I could control the fragrance and get what I want while not infringing on their comfort! Thanks again!

**pollypurebred39** · 09-21-2008, 11:10 AM

Believe it or not most of the time I just use good old bar soap or dish soap. I lather up a rag and wash down my bathroom, or my kitchen. I have to use clean water to rinse out my rag and wipe it down again, but it really is not all that much more work. Everything sparkles in my kitchen and bath and most of the time it is just plain old soap. I use vinegar or lemon jucie on lime scale on faucets and shower heads. I'll remove the shower head and let it sit in a dish of vinegar over night. Most of the time I wet dust my furniture, just a damp rag and when needed I use regular salad oil on a damp rag to wipe down wood furniture and kitchen cabinets, then I just buff to a shine with an old towel. Bathtubs and inside of toilets clean up great with a bit of borax, baking soda and a few drops of dish soap. My floors get a water bath most of the time, however if there is road salt or heavy dirt I'll again use a bit of soap and vinegar and then rinse, again a bit more effort but it is natural and no one in house has to suffer through allergic reactions by using harsh chemicals.

I do keep a few bottles of natural cleaners for heavy duty stuff like permanant marker or crayons on the walls, scuff marks on the floor. Or in the case of sick room cleaning, or the animals litter boxes or accidents I keep a natural disifectant that is made from tea tree oil that kills everything including HIV, Strep, e-coli ect. But I rarely use any of these things. They are expensive and only needed for extreme situations. Keeping your windows open and airing out the house does wonders in keeping the house fresh and germ free. Fresh air is so important, unless you live in a highly congested area then I would suggest GOOD air purifiers.

**staciah** · 09-21-2008, 11:27 AM

These are my cleaners

All purpose Cleaner:

Vinegar
Water
1 tsp of dish soap
1 tsp or 2 of Tea Tree Oil
Mix in a spray bottle

Soft Scrub:

Baking Soda
Small amount of Dish soap (anitbacteral)
Tree Tree Oil

Mix together put in a reusable dish with cover

Lemon juice and small amount of Olive Oil to clean wood

Bees Wax melted in a dish and mix with oil until you have a paste. Use as a Furniture Polish/Wax. Don't need alot to use.Last forever.

Lemon juice and water for your butcher block. Also can use Vinegar and water

Baking soda will clean and deodorize

**Trishagirl** · 09-21-2008, 10:44 PM

I use vinegar or lemon jucie on lime scale on faucets and shower heads. I'll remove the shower head and let it sit in a dish of vinegar over night. Staciah I do the same thing with vinegar it works so well!

**Trishagirl** · 09-21-2008, 10:47 PM

Cherie Lavender is a great relaxing smell for all over the house. Expecially on the bedroom sheets to sleep!

**cheles2kids** · 09-22-2008, 09:17 AM

This is my most favorite Multi-Purpose cleaner:
(I'm guesstimating on the measurements, I just kinda eyeball it)
4 cups water
2 cups vinegar
1 tsp. of Dawn dish soap
Shake well each time you use.

THE best thing that I've found for cleaning my tub?
Shampoo.

Any kind of shampoo, cheap works great!
Run a bit of water in the bottom of your tub, add a nice squirt of shampoo, then take a washcloth and dip it in the water and wash down the tub.
This is great for any water spots.
(If you have some kind of stain that the shampoo won't remove, then just sprinkle a bit of baking soda and scrub just a bit)

**jdr250** · 10-10-2008, 05:50 PM

This is a great hard surface cleaner:
2 cups water
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp dish liquid
1 tbsp baking soda
1 tsp borax
Just shake before you use and spray your surface and wipe it's really great and cost just pennies to make.

Furniture polish and cleaner:
1 cup olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
Just wipe furniture with polish then buff with a dry cloth.

**truepeacenik** · 11-02-2008, 03:59 PM

the basic ingredients for cleaners in my home:

Dr Bronner's peppermint soap.
Dr B's Sal suds
these both dilute very well. for shower soap it is 12:1
Sal suds straight will degrease an engine. Sal suds one drop to a gallon or so of water mops the floor.

Vinegar.
take Cheriede's mix but in a bucket and that is an awesome floor wash. I use it on wood floors and the linoleum in kitchen and bath. (sal suds is the first of the month mopping)
also glass cleaner at various ratios.

baking soda
anywhere some grit is needed.
also deodorizes.

and I use cheapo shampoo in the tub with baking soda as well. Chelle, do you use soap based body cleaners (poo bars, etc)? I've been thinking that the detergent in the shampoo liquid cuts the stuff left by soap better.
I'm also wondering if the reverse is true.

**Rosebush3** · 11-02-2008, 05:18 PM

Originally Posted by asimplegirl

My favorite is a mixture of white vinegar, tea tree oil, hot water, and lemon juice... If I need to scrub something really dirty, I will spray this then sprinkle on some baking soda.. I even clean my floors with this.. I think borax may make it even better, but haven't tried it yet...

Works great in the toilet, shower, on the floor... if I really need to disinfect, I will also spray some peroxide on it... but make sure to keep it in the brown bottle.. if light hits it, it changes the chemical composition and it becomes just plain ol water.

(dh likes me to still use a little bleach every now and then, shhh, don't tell)

The BEST thing I have found is to clean the bath tub with olive oil. Just rub it on.. I mean stuff I couldn't get off with bleach..its that good.. the fatty acids attach themselves to the scum and then the scum just wipes off..It's my new secret.. everyone wants to know how I get the bathtub to stay so shiny.

I've never heard of cleaning the bathtub with olive oil, I am going to have to try that! I have been using shampoo - but I like the sound of using olive oil much better - considering all the chemicals in shampoo. How do you follow up after cleaning to avoid an oil slick and potential accident with arms and legs wildly flinging about?

**truepeacenik** · 11-02-2008, 05:46 PM

^^^eagerly awaits the answer.

**cheles2kids** · 11-03-2008, 07:59 AM

Originally Posted by truepeacenik

and I use cheapo shampoo in the tub with baking soda as well. Chelle, do you use soap based body cleaners (poo bars, etc)? I've been thinking that the detergent in the shampoo liquid cuts the stuff left by soap better.
I'm also wondering if the reverse is true.

I use both actually.
I keep bar soaps in the tub & we use body washes in the shower.
But I've always had good results using the shampoo to remove either.

Mike told me years ago that while he was in the Navy, that's how the guys cleaned the showers.
After they got done showering, they would just use whatever shampoo they were using and wipe down the showers.

After that I started using it & have done it for the past 15 years or so.
I love the fact that you don't have to buy a special product (unless you don't want to use a more expensive shampoo), and it's something that's always on hands close by.

**Patty A** · 11-03-2008, 10:13 AM

My favorites are vinegar, rubbing alcohol as a disinfectant, and baking soda.

I have to wonder if you could use cheap shampoo as a laundry soap? has anyone tried this?

I have a couple websites that I always go to looking for natural cleaning ideas, and some of them have some great ideas.

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/homecleaning1.html

Clean and Green:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/P...88/clngrn.html

Organic house cleaning:
http://www.essortment.com/all/organiccleaning_rase.htm

Cleaning Recipes:
http://www.vanessasgift.com/cleaning_recipes.htm

These have some ideas on things I had never thought of, hope they help!