Living a busy life makes it easy to gravitate to chemically-laden cleaning products that boast the ability to tackle all kinds of cleaning jobs. You may feel tempted to grab that bottle of bathroom scrub when your tub and toilet need a quick clean – or you may pick up a fancy wood cleaner to make your floors and furniture shine.
However, all of these products can be replaced by greener ingredients. You can use and combine three simple ingredients to make powerful all natural cleaners to use in your home.
The Key Three: All Natural Ingredients
When it comes to finding all natural ways to clean your home, you don’t have to spend large sums of money on fancy “natural” products. In fact, the only 3 ingredients you need can likely already be found within your home:
White Vinegar
White vinegar is a common household ingredient but also an amazing and all natural cleaner. Although it may have an initially pungent smell, white vinegar works well as a deodorizer by clearing out other odors – its own scent dissipates quickly.
It can also be used as a solvent for dissolving other substances or as a disinfectant to kill germs. The acidic nature of white vinegar makes it a powerful cleaner against hard water deposits and, when combined with baking soda (a natural base), the two ingredients form a powerful cleaning agent.
Baking Soda
Although widely used in baking, baking soda has a variety of household uses including cleaning and deodorizing.
Baking soda is a well-known and effective deodorizer. It works by absorbing odors and is often used in refrigerators or sprinkled onto carpet to eliminate unpleasant smells.
The texture of baking soda is abrasive, so it works well to dislodge particles and remove stains. Mixing baking soda with a little bit of water creates an all natural scrub that can be used to clean tubs, sinks and even remove stains from laundry.
Also, a combo of baking soda and vinegar can make a wonderful natural drain cleaner! However, if this combo of baking soda and vinegar doesn’t work, drain cleaning experts may be required.
Lemon Oil
Lemon oil is a natural ingredient extracted from the peel of lemons. It differs vastly from lemon juice, which is squeezed from the pulp of the lemon.
Its deodorizing properties purifies the air and its cleansing properties helps to add polish and shine to floors and wood. Lemon oil is also a disinfectant and can be used to sanitize skin and surfaces.
All Natural Cleaning Recipes
Using only the three ingredients mentioned above – white vinegar, baking soda and lemon oil – you can create these all natural cleaners for your home:
All-Purpose Cleaner
- ½ cup white vinegar
- 2 tbsp. baking soda
- 10 drops lemon essential oil
Mix the white vinegar and lemon oil with a little bit of water before adding the baking soda in a glass spray bottle. Fill the rest of the bottle with water and gently shake to mix. To use, simply spray on surface, wipe with a cloth and allow to dry.
Drain Cleaner
- ¼ to ½ cup baking soda
- ¼ cup white vinegar
Sprinkle baking soda down the clogged drain and follow with vinegar. Cover the drain and allow the mixture to sit for 15 minutes to an hour (depending on the severity of the clog). Pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain to rinse.
Repeat the process if necessary.