How To Clean Naturally

Many of us are beginning to realize how many chemicals there are in standard household cleaners.  Luckily there are few things that we can do to get our homes clean but in a more natural environmentally friendly way.

There are six things that you will need on hand for your natural cleaning:

• Water
• Baking Soda
• Washing Soda
• Distilled White Vinegar
• Lemons
• All-Purpose Liquid Detergent

For washing sinks, shower stalls, stainless steel, etc. you can make this cleaner:

Ingredients:

• Baking soda
• All-purpose Liquid Detergent

Add liquid detergent to 1/2 cup baking soda;  mix until it is the consistency of thick batter.  Use as a soft scrub.  This cleaner is great for bathrooms.

All-Purpose Cleaner:

Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. washing soda
• 2 cups very hot water (be careful not to get burned)
• dab of liquid detergent
• empty dry spray bottle

Combine your ingredients in the spray bottle; and you are ready to use this on toys, appliances, banisters, countertops, and more. 

For those of you who need something for laundry you can always steam clean which is a great choice.  Fabric steamers are great for making your clothes last longer in between washes.  The hot steam is great for quick freshening, creasing, and removing tough wrinkles.It penetrates deep into fabrics and relaxes fibers, releasing wrinkles faster than ironing and freshening clothes in seconds.

For cleaning white clothing:

Mrs. Stewart's Liquid Bluing can be found in our Laundry Room and the great thing about this is that it is is nontoxic, biodegradable, non-hazardous and environmentally friendly.

Now for drains (sinks, tubs) in order to sanitize these (they get pretty icky) you can pour a cupful of white vinegar down your sink weekly (this is especially great for the kitchen sink) and since vinegar is a natural antibacterial it helps to keep your sink sanitary.

What recipes do you have on hand for making natural cleaning products?