Homemade Cleansers

Less Costly, in Every Way

There is a staggering amount of pollution that comes from our household cleaning/maintenance habits, as well as in the production of many everyday items we take for granted so common is their useage. Everything that goes down the drain goes directly into our enviroment. Every product that we buy is manufactured by proccesses which, by their very nature, create byproducts.

The cumulative damages to our environmental quality have far-reaching effects that we will not be able to escape. We do not exsist in a vacuum; the fruits of our habits and purchasing trends will be bitter indeed when the higher quality of life we seek in the usage of dangerous substances and incautious use of resources produces a state in which any reasonable level of comfort is impossible. This is an instance in which a long term view is paramount.

The first on my list: cleaning supplies. There are a lot of alternatives to expensive cleaning products that do just as good a job, but cost you a fraction of the price and relieve the percentage of dangerous substances in our homes. I've listed a bunch below that I use in my own home.

If you have tips or ideas for this section that you would like to share, I welcome them in the form of email; just use the 'contact us' link and send them on in. I'll try them out, and if they do the trick they'll be posted here with full credit. Make sure you include your name for credit.

Some Staples

Baking Soda: (sodium bicorbonate)
Washing Soda: (sodium borate)
Vinegar
Vegetable Oil Soaps: Castile (Murphy's), glycerin, etc.
Lemon or Lime Juice
Cornstarch
Cotton Rags

Basic Cleaning

Baking Soda: (sodium bicorbonate) an excellent abrasive for sinks and toilets. Effective carpet deodorizer. I also like to use 1/2 cup in my laundry to soften the water and brighten whites.
Washing Soda: (sodium borate) also softens water, excellent in the laundry to brighten colours and whites.
Vinegar: very good for cleaning glass. 1/3 cup vinegar to 4 cups of water. You may have to remove commercial cleaner residue with alcohol. Also: 1/2 cup in your laundry to brighten colours.
Vegetable Oil Soaps: Pure soaps made only from vegetable ingredients. Usually in liquid form, these are great for "general cleanup" solutions; dilute them according to manufacturer's instructions.
Lemon/Lime Juice: 1/2 cup in laundry will help to brighten colours. Mixed into a paste with baking soda it makes an excellent metal polish.
Hydrogen Peroxide: bleach replacement.
Cornstarch: much better than talc for baby bottoms, use it the same way. Great for cleaning up grease/oil spills: sprinkle it on the spill. The starch will soak it up and make it easier to clean.
Cotton Rags: I am far too cheap to use paper towels for much of anything. T-shirt and pajama rags are not only reusable, they often do a better job (less lint). I especially like to use cotton rags to both wash and dry windows, but I'm a freak about streaks.

Grandma's Concoctions

Furniture Polish: 1/2 tbsp. white vinegar, 1 tbsp. olive oil, 2 cups water - shake it up very well. This is an excellent way to reuse some of those little glass bottles we all end up with. Also suggested: 1 part lemon juice to 2 parts olive or vegetable oil. I have not tried this one, but it comes with high recommendations.
Shoe Polish: Nut or olive oils applied sparingly with a soft, dry rag makes leather gleam. Beeswax will protect the leather from salts and moisture, and buffes up easily to a rich shine.
Scuff Remover: Remove black shoe scuffs from tile and linoleum flooring without scratching or marring the surface. Apply a little vegetable or nut oil on a rough cloth and buff marks away with small circular motions.
Rug Shampoo: 4 cups water, 1 cup vinegar, 2 tsp baking soda, 1.4 tsp essential rosemary or ginger oils. Pour into spray bottle, shake very well and spray onto stain. Scrub area in small circular motions, blot suds and let dry.
Moth Ball Alternative: Cedar balls or blocks, herb satchels that contain rosemary, lavendar or clove.
Fruit Fly Trap: put half a cup of water in a small bowl together with 2 tbps. of lemon juice )or two slices of lemon. Use a piece of used-up grocery bag or other soon-to-be-tossed plastic to cover the top of the bowl and secure with an elastic. Poke a few small holes in the covering plastic and place in an area where fruit flies are a problem. They'll be able to get in, but not out.
Drain Cleaner: Always try a plunger first, but if that doesn't work: pour 4 ounces baking soda and 8 oz. vinegar down drain and wait for fizzing to stop. Pour boiling water down after it. (NOTE: Do NOT do this if you have already used commercial drain cleaner, it can cause toxic fumes. Better yet, NEVER use commercial drain cleaner.)
Air Freshener: Ready? Fruit skins and spices in a small pot on the stove with enough water to cover. Heat it till simmering temperature then turn it off, the heat remaining will cause the scents to continue to diffuse. Orange peels, lemon peels, cloves, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice. Choose your favorite scents and go to. You can avoid toxic residues on your floors, furniture, and in the air by making your own simmering scents with scraps from your kitchen. For the bathroom: essential oils. A drop or two in the toilet does wonders, especially those with antibacterial or antispectic properties.

You can find a list of my favorites in this short essential oils for the home list.