How to Make Your Own All Natural, Non-Toxic Cleaners

How to make your own natural, non-toxic cleaners.
Here is a great resource by Annie B. Bond, author of Clean & Green (Ceres Press, 1990).

Most modern synthetic cleaning products are based on age-old formulas using natural ingredients that were passed down through the generations because the chemistry was right. Going back to the original naturally derived ingredients is a way to make cleaning products that work, don’t pollute and save you money. Most are found in your kitchen cupboards. Mix and match with well-chosen and environmentally friendly green cleaning products found in health food stores, and you can easily and simply transform your home into a non-toxic and healthy haven.

Non-toxic cleaning can give you a deep feeling of gratification in knowing that your family's health is protected, and that your home is a place for your bodies to rest and recuperate rather than promote harm.

SIMPLE SOLUTION: Making your own nontoxic cleaning kit will take you no time at all with these simple, straightforward directions, and with this kit you will be supplied with enough cleaning product for months of cleaning.

As an added bonus, ounce for ounce homemade cleaning formulas cost about one-tenth the price of their commercial counterpart—and that includes costly, but worthwhile essential oils, and concentrated, all-purpose detergents for homemade recipes.

SUPPLIES
Baking soda
Washing soda
White distilled vinegar
A good liquid soap or detergent
Tea tree oil
6 clean spray bottles
2 glass jars

CREAMY SOFT SCRUBBER
Simply pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit.
Note: Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise just make as much as you need at a time.

WINDOW CLEANER
1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

OVEN CLEANER
1 cup or more baking soda
Water
A squirt or two of liquid detergent

Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn’t work for you it is probably because you didn’t use enough baking soda and/or water.

ALL-PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER
1/2 teaspoon washing soda
A dab of liquid soap
2 cups hot tap water
Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

FURNITURE POLISH
1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax)
1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice
Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.

VINEGAR DEODORIZER
Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom and use them for cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting board before going to bed at night, and don't even rinse but let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off.

MOLD KILLERS

Tea Tree Treasure
Nothing natural works for mold and mildew as well as this spray. I've used it successfully on a moldy ceiling from a leaking roof, on a musty bureau, a musty rug, and a moldy shower curtain. Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a very long way. Note that the smell of tea tree oil is very strong, but it will dissipate in a few days.
2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water
Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. Makes two cups.

Vinegar Spray
Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy area, and let set without rinsing if you can put up with the smell. It will dissipate in a few hours.

HELPFUL HINTS: Make sure to label all your homemade cleaning products, and keep them away from pets and children.

If you would like to purchase all natural cleaners instead, here are two compaines that we recommend at Healthy Choice Home Care: http://aromalogics.com/store.asp/CAME_FROM/pennysense
http://www.kickstartcart.com/app/?Clk=1978697

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To Be Green or Not To Be?

Welcome to our Healthy Choice Home Care, All Natural Cleaning Page. We look forward to sharing tips and insight with you and helping create a healthier home and working environment for you and your loved ones. You may be asking, why natural cleaning? Is it effective? and other questions related to natural cleaning. We hope to answer these questions and any other questions you may have related to "Green" all natural cleaning.Let's ask a question~Is a product all natural because it says "Natural" on the label? Many companies are cashing in/marketing on the term natural. It sounds good but buyer beware. I always like to use this questions when talking with family and friends when it comes to natural cleaners. The question is: If a product has 90% natural ingredients and 10% synthetic/chemicals ingredients, is it natural? I will let you answer that question.Our goal is to give you information and help you make the decision to who makes natural cleaners, who are the natural cleaning companies, etc...Our mission is to change the way the world cleans, one house at a time.Feel free to visit our site at http://www.thecleanchoice.com/ today if you are interested in natural cleaning and are in the Raleigh, NC area.

Some Simple Green Facts

Did you know? Within 26 seconds after exposure to chemicals, they can be found in every organ in the body.


Why is this important?In 1989, the EPA determined the toxic chemicals found in common household cleaners, often dispersed in fumes, are three times more likely to cause cancer than are other air pollutants.According to the American Cancer Society, prior to the 20th century, only 1 out of 8,000 people in the United States were stricken with cancer. Since the Industrial Revolution the introduction into our lives of a myriad of chemicals, the incidence of cancer has increased to a startling 1 out of 3 people.Since World War II, we have developed more than 80,000 chemicals for use in cleaners, pesticides, plastics, personal care products, industrial products and other modern day conveniences. We know very little about the effect of these chemicals on a child's developmentThe Clean Water Fund estimates that the average American uses 40 lbs of unsafe household cleaners each year (multiply that by 245 million Americans)Only three percent of the carcinogens (known to cause cancer) are known and registered- Cancer is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to health effects of chronic low-level exposure to neurotoxin poisons.

All Natural Cleaning, Not All Are Equal.

Welcome to our Healthy Choice Home Care, All Natural Cleaning Page. We look forward to sharing tips and insight with you and helping create a healthier home and working environment for you and your loved ones. You may be asking, why natural cleaning? Is it effective? and other questions related to natural cleaning. We hope to answer these questions and any other questions you may have related to "Green" all natural cleaning.

Let's ask a question~Is a product all natural because it says "Natural" on the label? Many companies are cashing in/marketing on the term natural. It sounds good but buyer beware. I always like to use this questions when talking with family and friends when it comes to natural cleaners. The question is: If a product has 90% natural ingredients and 10% synthetic/chemicals ingredients, is it natural? I will let you answer that question.

Our goal is to give you information and help you make the decision to who makes natural cleaners, who are the natural cleaning companies, etc...

Our mission is to change the way the world cleans, one house at a time.

Feel free to visit our site at http://www.thecleanchoice.com/ today if you are interested in natural cleaning and are in the Raleigh, NC area.