via Flickr user tinyfroglet
For me, mix-at-home cleaners are all about using the least number of products and ingredients, whether it’s synthetic, natural, or somewhere in between. I do not use natural soap, lemon juice, cream of tartar, club soda, or many food stuffs that you might come across in ‘natural’ or ‘green’ cleaning recipes. Oftentimes, you can usually find a much cheaper and debatably ‘greener’ alternative to the natural cleaners.
Lemons, for example, don’t fall off trees where I live and using lemons to clean is a waste of a valuable food source; use vinegar instead. That’s also how I feel about most foods used as cleaners. If you think of all the resources that go into producing the food item, it just seems very wasteful to not eat it.
I also see castile soap in many homemade housecleaners. As I mentioned previously, soap may be more natural than synthetic detergents but if you have hard water like the majority of U.S. households, then you’ll be using much more water and other ingredients and resources to get the cleaning job done. When you look at the ingredients of major ‘green’ cleaners like Mrs. Meyer’s, Seventh Generation, and Ecover, notice that surfactants and water are their main cleaning agents. Not soap. Soap nuts may be the most environmental cleaning agent but I have not researched nor experimented enough using them as a household cleaner, just laundering.
I don’t use the typical ingredients in mainstream homemade ‘green’ cleaners. Hence, I’ll call these the Minimalist’s housecleaning recipes; I clean my entire house regularly with just 6 basic products/ingredients:
- liquid non-chlorine laundry detergent free of dyes and fragrance
- handwashing dish liquid
- borax
- baking soda
- regular distilled white vinegar solution – 5% acetic acid concentration
- water!
Water with and without liquid surfactant is the base of most of my homemade cleaners. Most other ingredients are what you’d typically find in a well stocked laundry room. It works, it’s safe, and I chose this method with good reason – read the detailed post here.
The Basics: General Cleaners for Around the House
All-purpose cleaner: Fill a standard 32-oz spray bottle with water. Add 1 tsp liquid chlorine-free, dye and fragrance free, laundry detergent. Shake before each use.
Multi-purpose vinegar solution: In a standard 32-oz spray bottle, add 1 cup vinegar. Fill the rest with water.
Duster: Spritz multi-purpose vinegar solution onto Swiffer or lint-free rag.
Glass and mirror cleaner: Equal squirts of all-purpose cleaner and multi-purpose vinegar solution. Wipe clean or squeegee.
Air freshener: In a small spray bottle (I use a 3 fl. oz spritzer), fill 1 part rubbing alcohol to two part water. Add about 10 drops of essential oil(s).
Wipes: Have a big stash of shop cloth terry towels and old cut-up t-shirt squares (or any cotton jersey fabric). Designate a laundry bin or trash can to hold all used wipes. When filled, launder together on hot wash cycle, optionally add borax and/or bleach.
Soil and stain remover: Spot treat. Detailed post here.
For the Kitchen
Use either liquid laundry detergent or hand dishwashing liquid as the base for your kitchen cleaners.
All-purpose kitchen surface cleaner: Use all-purpose cleaner (above) or for tougher stains, wipe or scrub with sponge, hot water, and a small squirt of hand dishwashing liquid. Wipe off with dish rag.
Basic degreaser: Same as all-purpose kitchen surface cleaner but with more dishwashing liquid.
Heavy-duty degreaser: For tough grease and dust build-up and most sticky residue, first use a cloth to rub on cooking oil (used oil if you have it on hand) to dissolve the grease. Then, follow with Basic degreaser.
Oven cleaner: First, scrape whatever you can with a plastic baker’s dough scraper or some other tough, yet scratch resistant tool. Then, sprinkle with baking soda and scrub with sponge, hot water, and dishwashing liquid. Wipe off with dish rag. Repeat as necessary. Follow with multi-purpose vinegar solution spray and wipe off. Repeat as necessary until you’ve wiped off the dishwashing liquid residue.
Kitchen appliance cleaner: Same as all-purpose kitchen surface cleaner, using degreasers as needed.
Mineral build-up (i.e. on refrigerator water dispenser): If the tray is removable, soak in distilled white vinegar. If not, spray vinegar. Let stand at least 30 minutes.
Coffee maker: Pour equal parts vinegar and water into reservoir. Brew. Turn off and let cool, about 30 minutes. Discard vinegar water solution or repurpose (i.e. soak anything that needs mineral build-up removed). Brew a couple more times with plain water.
For the Bathroom
Sinks and countertops: Use all-purpose cleaner.
Mirror: Use glass and mirror cleaner above.
Toilet: On the seats and outside, spray all-purpose cleaner. Use lots of single-use wipes to wipe clean, then toss with other used wipes to be laundered together on hot wash cycle. On the inside, lay toilet brush inside the bowl first. Squirt liquid detergent onto brush, then sprinkle with borax. Optionally add bleach to the water. Scrub the inside rim first. Wet with clean toilet water as needed.
Bathtub: Sprinkle lightly with borax. Squirt liquid detergent onto damp no-scratch scour pad. Clean basin first, adding water as needed. Then, use the scour pad now soaked with detergent and borax to clean the walls. Rinse off with water.
Floor cleaners
Carpet deodorizer: Sprinkle with baking soda before vacuuming. Store baking soda in a large, old spice container. Optionally add a few drops of essential oil.
Tile and sealed concrete floor cleaner: Vacuum or sweep first. Fill bucket with 1 tbsp of liquid detergent to 1 gallon of very hot tap water. Optionally add essential oil. Mop. Optionally and occasionally follow mop with a vinegar rinse solution of 1 part distilled white vinegar to 3 parts water.
Surface-sealed wood and bamboo floor cleaner: Vacuum or sweep first. Mop with water only; use damp mop, not soaking wet. Optionally follow with dry mop. Basically, minimize moisture. Spot clean with all-purpose cleaner and dry immediately.
Heavy duty cleaners: If you have carpeting, it’s worth investing in a deep cleaner. Deep clean at least twice a year. I bought a Hoover SteamVac Carpet Cleaner with Clean Surge
Note on Disinfectants
Trying to rid yourself and your environment of all germs is practically impossible because we don’t live in a bubble! Basic cleanliness using soap or detergent and water is all that’s needed for regular cleaning in a healthy household. Disinfecting was never meant to be a regular household practice. Decades of disinfecting and antibacterial product use have not proven that we are healthier. In fact, many suggests we are ‘sicker’; our germophobic mentality reduced our exposure to normal levels of microbes, thereby weakening our immune system. I cover the subject of microbes in detail in a series of posts here. Nonetheless, if you feel the need to disinfect on the rare occasion, mix anywhere from 3/4 tsp to 6 tbsp of regular unscented 5.25% household bleach with 32 fl-oz of water in a spray bottle. Clean as usual, then follow with the disinfectant. No need to replace or purchase cleaners with disinfectants already in them.
Note on Essential Oils
Use them if you like the scent. I do not use them for their antibacterial or anti-fungal properties but if they happen to have those qualities, great! Citrus, herbal, and woodsy essential oils are common scents in cleaners.
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