Why go out and spend money on chemical cleaners when you can do it yourself for cheaper while leaving less of a footprint. Every time I spray a chemical cleaner, my nose and eyes burn like crazy. I can’t help but wonder what it’s doing to my pets and my baby. I have slowly started integrating green products into our home. Here are five DIY green cleaning products that are cheaper than buying store bought.
Laundry detergent. I have done quite a bit of research, and there are plenty of DIY laundry detergent recipes out there, but most of them include borax, which doesn’t feel more green to me. At the same time, I don’t want to use a product that isn’t actually working. The recipe I like is:
1 bar Castile soap, grated
2 1/2 cups washing soda
1 cup white vinegar
Mix in a bowl and form into balls or into an ice cube tray once the mixture starts to clump. Let harden overnight. Use 1-2 cubes per load.
Wool Dryer Balls. I was actually going to put a post up later this week on how to make wool dryer balls from 100 percent wool yarn. It is so much cheaper and all you have to do is run it through a few cycles in the washer and dryer until they felt. Look for this tutorial later this week. There are so many cancer-causing chemicals in dryer sheets, that I can’t justify saving on static and making clothes smell good. If you really want your clothes to smell good, use a high-quality essential oil on your dryer balls. They will actually save electricity by drying your clothes faster!
Scrubbing Cleaner. Need something that will get the grime off of sinks and showers? Try a 3 ingredient combination of:
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup Castile soap or Sal Suds
1 tbsp hydrogen peroxide
Store in a sealed mason jar, leaving room at the top for the ingredients to expand if needed. Wipe onto a non-porous surface and leave on for a few minutes before wiping off.
Fruit and Vegetable Scrub. This scrub will not only clean residue and wax from your produce, it is also a green pesticide! It will even help the produce last longer! All you need are three ingredients:
1 cup water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp baking soda
Mix the gradients together in a spray bottle.
Spray your produce liberally and let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing off with cold water.
Drain Cleaner. We recently moved into an old house and the previous tenants left behind a bottle of Drain-O and now I know why. Our bathroom sink drains so slow and it feels like EVERYTHING clogs it. It just doesn’t feel right pouring chemicals down the drain on a weekly basis. You can easily make drain cleaner by pouring 1 cup of baking soda over the clogged drain. Then, slowly pour 1/2 cup of white vinegar in the drain and quickly cover it with a small plate or large mug. Let it sit for half an hour then run hot water down the drain for 3 minutes to clear the pipes. If the clog is still there, repeat the steps.
These are just five DIY cleaners that are not only more economical, but also much cheaper! What other green cleaners have you made at home?
Nice tips and can make easily at home.