As a human being, all you need to survive is water, food, a shelter, and good hygiene to maintain your health. Living is pretty easy. Well, at least it used to be.
Before all of those chemicals had invaded our everyday life, you only had to worry about getting the essentials. Now you can’t even get a cleaning product without reading its list of ingredients and wondering about all of the risks you’ll be exposing yourself, and your loved ones too, by using it.
If you feel stuck and are worried about your health and well-being, you’re not alone. And luckily for all of us, there are a lot of other natural and green alternatives we can use to make our own green cleaning supplies.
Some of the Toxins In Cleaning Products
While their main purpose is to provide you with a clean and sparkling house, there are many dangerous chemicals added to most of the cleaning products.
- Most detergents contain chemicals that could trigger asthma, even if the user is a healthy individual.
- Some products have antibacterials that were banned by the FDA for use in soaps, but they’re still used in other products. Beside causing endocrine disruption, they increase the dangerous risk of antibiotic resistance.
- Some oven cleaners, stain removers, and degreasers contain a substance that causes eye and skin irritation. Others contain substances that are carcinogenic and neurotoxic.
- Chlorine and chloroform found in bleachers have been linked to neurological and respiratory disorders, as well as cancer.
- Most of the cleaning products are fatal if swallowed.
We haven’t even started with the effects of these chemicals have on the environment.
Household Ingredients You’ll Need To Go Green
With so many factors that could go wrong with cleaning products, it’s wise to start searching for a safe, green, alternative. Whether you’re looking for a cleaning service in cleveland ohio to provide the best green care for your house, or you’re searching for ways to take care of the health of your family, there are many alternatives you can use that can do the job just the way you want it done.
Some of the ingredients you’ll need to stock for your DIY green cleaning supplies cabinet are:
Baking Soda
Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is great for cleaning, softening water, whitening, and can even be used as a deodorant.
Alcohol
An excellent disinfectant, alcohol can be used in cleaning surfaces and killing microbes at the same time.
Soap
Staying away from scented and fragrant soaps, and those made from petroleum derivatives, soap in any form can clean anything.
Lemon Juice
Lemon juice or citrus solvents contain very strong acids that could clean stains, grease, oil, paint brushes, while also killing bacteria with their strong antibacterial properties.
Corn Starch
Corn starch can clean many surfaces, and even polish furniture.
White Vinegar
Vinegar is great in dissolving and removing wax material, cleaning grease, and getting rid of bad odors.
Washing Soda
Washing soda, or sodium carbonate, can remove grease, clean up stains, walls, floor tiles, sinks, bathtubs, or even soften water. It reacts with aluminium though, so make sure you don’t use it on aluminum surfaces.
Hydrogen Peroxide
It’s usually used as a disinfectant for wounds, but its use as a disinfectant can reach kitchens and bathrooms too. It also has a mild bleaching effect, so can effectively remove fabric stains.
Oxygen Bleach
Oxygen bleaches are made from a combination of sodium carbonate and peroxide, combining the actions of both. It can remove stains, whiten fabrics, and get mixed in many recipes.
Vegetable or Olive Oil
They’re used in polishing wooden surfaces.
Water
This one is easy.
Some DIY Recipes With Your Green Cleaning Ingredients
All-Purpose Cleaner
You can make an all-purpose cleaner in many ways, if you couldn’t find one ingredient, just move on to the next recipe.
- By mixing half a cup of vinegar, quarter a cup of baking soda, and two liters of water. Use it to remove stains of bathroom stalls, the bathroom floor, windows, mirrors, any surface you find.
- Add four tablespoons of baking soda to 1 liter of water, and you have a magical formula to clean kitchen appliances, refrigerators, counters, and stovetops.
Fragrant All-Purpose Cleaner
- To add in fragrance, add some rosemary sprigs to a bottle containing a 1:1 solution of water and vinegar, and lemon peel. Shake, let it rest for a week, and then use it freshen your laundry or spray on carpet stains.
Glass Cleaner
To get clean, sparkly, clear glass and mirror, you can spray and clean them up using:
- Two cups of water, added to half a cup of vinegar (white or cider), add in a quarter a cup of 70% concentrated alcohol, and a couple of drops of orange essential oil.
Brass Cleaner
Clean your cabinet pulls and bathroom appointments using a simple solution of:
- White vinegar or lemon juice on a sponge, then add to it a sprinkle of table salt.
After rubbing it lightly, use water to rinse thoroughly, then dry immediately with a clean cloth.
Going Green
Taking the best care you can of your family and yourself is a great responsibility, and it may not be very easy. But thankfully, there are hundreds and thousands of green alternatives out there to make it a bit easier. There are even many ways to make a recipe for the same purpose, giving you the freedom to try them all and choose your favorite one. Speaking of which, what’s your favorite DIY green cleaning recipe?