Cleaning

Make your own Green Cleaning Supplies

Make your own Green Cleaning Supplies

While there are several great green cleaning supply brands that are safe, healthy, and effective, some people like the option of going “full green” and making their cleaning supplies using simple ingredients. By making your own cleaning supplies, you know exactly what’s in the solution and can reduce waste. Not only will you help the environment, but you can also save money.

You might be surprised to learn what ingredients you can use to clean and which ones might already be sitting in your pantry.

The following are common ingredients that can be used to clean, either alone or with other ingredients:

– Lemon
– Baking soda
– White vinegar
– Cornstarch
– Eucalyptus oil
– Aloe vera gel
– Isopropyl alcohol
– Borax
– Citrus extracts
– Hydrogen peroxide
– Castille soap

Here are a few essential cleaning products you can make yourself:

Hand Sanitizer
Making your own hand sanitizer is easy to do and only requires a few ingredients: isopropyl or rubbing alcohol (99 percent alcohol volume), aloe vera gel, and a few drops of an essential oil, such as tea tree oil or lavender oil, or you can use lemon juice instead. A 2:1 proportion of alcohol to aloe vera keeps the alcohol content around 60 percent, which is the minimum amount needed to kill most germs, according to the CDC.

Disinfectant
Behold the wonder of citrus! To disinfect, just use lemon juice. Lemon can even remove oil stains on laundry.

All-Purpose Cleaner
Mix a quart of water with four tablespoons of baking soda for a quick and easy all purpose cleaner.

Window Cleaner
Forget common cleaning products that use ammonia. Make your own window cleaner by combining four cups of water to every one cup of vinegar. Add a couple of drops of essential oils for a pleasant smell.

Air Freshener
You can easily make your own air freshener by boiling lavender or citrus extracts in water.

Carpet Cleaner
If your carpet is a little smelly or just needs to be freshened up, simply sprinkle baking soda or corn starch onto the carpet and let it sink in for up to an hour. Then vacuum.

Furniture Polish
For every one cup of vegetable oil, mix in one teaspoon of lemon oil. Mix together and use a dry rag to make your furniture shine like new.

Grout Cleaner
Using a 50-50 mixture of water and white vinegar, clean your grout with a toothbrush. For more hard-to-budge dirt, mix baking soda with water to create a paste and scrub with a toothbrush.

Increase the Shine of Stainless Steel
Simply use olive oil on a dry cloth and buff to make your stainless steel appliances shine bright.

Rust Remover
Have a buildup of rust on a metal pan? Use salt and lime. Sprinkle salt onto the rust and add lime juice over the salt. Let sit for three hours and then use the lime rind to remove the mixture.

No DIY cleaning is a substitute for a professional cleaning, so if you’re looking for a professional, browse our cleaning and restoration specialists nationwide here.

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