They tell me that posting non-jewelry related content on my website is very unprofessional, but it's my bit for the environment so call me unprofessional :-)  I've been honing these recipes for years and I truly believe they work better than the toxic stuff and are inexpensive and nice to use.

 GLASS CLEANER

 * club soda (allow to go flat)

 * spray bottle (I like the heavy duty spray bottles from garden centers, but you can also reuse another glass cleaner bottle).

Directions:  pretty self-explanatory:  put flat club soda into a spray bottle and use it like any other glass cleaner. 

Notes:  Club soda is about 69 cents per liter, never goes bad, doesn't streak and you can spray it near plants, toothbrushes, kids, pets, carpets, car interiors, etc and it's fine.  GIve your preschoolers the bottle and a rag and let them clean their own smeary fingerprints off the sliding door!  There's a reason flight attendants have been using club soda to take out stains for decades.  If you only change one of your cleaning products this is it.  Nothing could be easier.  Tell all your friends.

 
VINEGAR CLEANER AND DEODORIZER

 * 8 ounces water, purified or filtered 

* 8 ounces white vinegar 

* 10 drops pure essential oil, optional (available from health food stores--don't buy fragrance oils) 

* spray bottle 16 oz or larger (preferably the kind with measurements marked on it, but any will do.  I like the heavy duty ones from garden centers) 

Directions:  mix all ingredients together in the spray bottle. 

Notes:  This is so gentle and effective that I use it for almost everything:  cleaning the inside of microwave ovens and the refrigerator,  countertops, deodorizing waste baskets, kitchen sponges, cutting boards, diaper pails, liter boxes, misting inside smelly shoes, etc. Vinegar will kill over 90% of germs, mold and mildew.  It's an effective cleaner, but also safe enough to keep handy under every sink in the house without having to worry about toddlers poisoning themselves with it.  Young children can learn to clean using it.  This also makes a great pre-treatment before cleaning tubs and showers.  Mist it on and let it set for a while to loosen up soap scum and hard water stains.  If you aren't fond of the smell of vinegar you can add pure essential oils such as lemon, lavender, peppermint or grapefruit to help mask the smell.  If you add tea tree essential oil it will be a more effective germ killer since tea tree oil kills almost any germ.  The vinegar smell will go away just as soon as it is dry.  If you just make sure there is good ventilation it will clear quickly.  Vinegar is an outstanding deodorizer.  NOTE:  The acid in vinegar can eat away at grout so avoid strong vinegar cleaners on tiled surfaces.  Contrary to popular belief, vinegar will not clean up greasy messes very well.  For tiled surfaces and greasy messes you need the next recipe. 

ALL PURPOSE HOUSEHOLD CLEANER

* 2 tablespoons white vinegar (if using strictly for tiled surfaces skip this) 

* 1 teaspoon borax (natural mineral powder available in the laundry aisle--will neutralize the vinegar's acidic ph) 

* 1 1/2 cups hot water, purified or filtered 

* 1/4 cup Dr Bronners liquid soap (available at most health food stores or at GNC stores.  It's not cheap, but it goes a long way and it comes in different scents or "baby soap" which is unscented.  I like the almond scented soap) 

* 10 drops pure essential oil, optional (available from health food stores--don't buy fragrance oils) 

* spray bottle 16 oz or larger (preferably the kind with measurements marked on it, but any will do.  I like the heavy duty ones from garden centers) 

Directions:  dissolve borax and vinegar in the hot water before adding the soap and essential oil. 

Notes:  This is a heavy duty version of the vinegar cleaner above and is inexpensive to make.  I usually just use the vinegar cleaner instead, but this has borax which will kill germs and is very effective on mold.  The alkalinity of the borax makes it a good grout cleaner.  It also has soap which will take care of greasy messes such as on the stove top or in the microwave.  You have to be sure and rinse or wipe this away whereas you can just mist the vinegar cleaner and leave it.  The borax is a very alkaline so keep it away from children.  The borax will also change the scent of the essential oils over time.  If you are using this where mold or mildew are a problem, put in extra borax and use extra tea tree essential oil.

SOFT SCRUBBING CLEANSER/TOILET BOWL CLEANER 

* 1 2/3 cups baking soda (one small box) 

* 1/2 cup Dr Bronners liquid soap (available at most health food stores or at GNC stores.  It's not cheap, but it goes a long way and it comes in different scents or "baby soap" which is unscented, I like the almond scented soap) 

* 1/2 cup water (tap water will do) 

* 2-3 tablespoons white vinegar 

* 15 drops pure essential oil, optional (available from health food stores--don't buy fragrance oils) 

* large bottle about 20 oz  (I like to use either an empty Dr Bronners soap bottle, an old shampoo bottle, or especially a rubbermaid flip top liquid bottle because it has a nice large hole in the lid for the thick cleanser and you can remove the lid for cleaning the bottle.  I don't like oval shaped bottles because they tip easily) 

* funnel 

Directions:  Mix baking soda and liquid soap in a medium-large size bowl (larger than you think you will need).  If the bowl has a pouring spout it will be even better.  Dilute mixture with the water and mix.  Add vinegar and mix.  The mixture will really foam and become light enough to go through a funnel.  Fill bottle.  Shake well before each use.  If mixture sits for a week or two it may become hard.  Just add a little water or vinegar and shake, but remember that the vinegar will cause a chemical reaction so make sure you don't seal the bottle right away or the lid will pop off!  I find this cleanser works very well if you spread it around and give it a chance to work on it's own.  This will save you a lot of scrubbing. 

Notes:  After using this you will wonder why you ever used anything else.  It's wonderfully foamy and rinses easily.  It's gentle enough that I use it to scrub glass shower doors and strong enough to clean toilet bowls with ease.  You can scent it any way you want.  It's really a luxury product! 

You can also use this to clean ovens.  Apply to burnt on residue in a COLD oven and leave for an hour before scrubbing.  If stains are bad it may take several applications. 

Don't substitute liquid dishwashing detergent for the Dr Bronners soap or this will turn rock hard!

If you prefer a powder cleanser or just don't like to mix up your own, good, old-fashioned BON AMI cleanser like your grandmother used to use is a good option. 

SPRAY FURNITURE CLEANER

* 2 teaspoons olive oil 

* 10 drops pure essential oil, optional (available from health food stores--don't buy fragrance oils) 

* 1/4 cup white vinegar 

* 8 ounces water, purified or filtered 

* 16 oz spray bottle 

* lint free dusting cloths 

Directions:  Mix ingredients together in a spray bottle.  Use like any other dusting spray shaking well before each use. 

Notes:  Don't use too much olive oil--you just need enough to help dust stick to your cloth.  This is for removing dust and dirt, not for polishing.  I normally use an ostrich feather duster 3 weeks out of the month and then use this once a month.  I like to leave this unscented so it doesn't compete with the scents of my other cleaners, but a lot of people really like a lemon scent in a dusting spray. 

ROOM FRESHENER / LINEN SPRAY / BODY SPRAY 

* 8 ounces vodka 

* 20 drops essential oil (available from health food stores--don't buy fragrance oils) 

* 8 ounce misting spray bottle (available from beauty supply stores) 

Directions:  Mix vodka and essential oil in the spray bottle.  Shake before each use.  Keep out of reach of children. 

Notes:  You may also substitute water or witch hazel for the vodka, but the water will not evaporate as quickly and the witch hazel will add it's own scent. 

Room fresheners, sprays, candle scents, fabric deodorizers, plug ins, and the like are some of the worst offenders when it comes to putting toxic chemicals into your home.  This spray is a great alternative.  You may also simply add drops of your favorite essential oils to a waste basket, sink or shower drain or right into the toilet bowl and the scent will diffuse into the room for a while.  Putting drops of essential oils in water will help the scent to last a little longer as will putting it in an oil such as canola or almond oil or putting it on something porous like terra cotta pottery or potpourri.  Some essential oil scents have more staying power than others.  Often you can buy a small bottle for $5 and it will last a very long time.  Prices of the oils will vary depending on how difficult they are to produce.  The ones I list below are all very affordable. 

Pick your essentail oils carefully.  If applying this to skin or linens you will want something suitable for skin.  Some essential oils may be irritating (such as cinnamon or wintergreen).  Some good ones are lavender (traditional for linens and used to promote relaxation), lemon, tangerine, grapefruit, bergamot, ylang ylang, sage, cedar, rosemary, and peppermint, but many choices are available.  Peppermint is especially good if you have a headache. 

If you want something ready-made, go to a large health food store such as Whole Foods or to a Middle Eastern grocery store and buy a bottle of rose water, orange blossom water or lavender water (8 oz for $5-10).  These are often so pure they use them to flavor delicate pastries. 

FABRIC SOFTENER

* white vinegar

* Downy ball dispenser, optional (only for washing machines with no built-in softener dispenser)

Directions:  If you have a washing machine that has a fabric softener dispenser, pour 1/4-1/2 cup of white vinegar into the dispenser at the beginning of the wash and it will dispense for the rinse cycle.  If your washer doesn't have a dispenser, fill a Downy ball dispenser to the fill line and throw it in at the beginning of the wash cycle.  It will dispense during the rinse cycle.  You can also just pour the vinegar in during the rinse cycle, but I never manage to catch it then.

Notes:  Fabric softeners and dryer sheets are some of the worst culprits for putting toxic chemicals into the environment, your home and on your clothing.  They work by putting softening agents on your laundry.  These build up over time making your laundry stiff and dull.  On the other hand, white vinegar is perfectly natural and works by taking away build-up from detergents, softeners and hard water leaving you with laundry that is even cleaner.  It is also frequently used to set dyes so it will help keep your blue jeans and other items from fading as quickly. You can buy a 1 or 2 gallon jug of white vinegar very cheaply.

If you are not sure about this try it on a load of towels and you'll be convinced!

I have a lot more recipes and will add to this from time to time.  Keep checking back and share these with your friends.      

© 2008 Susan E Runyon 

Sue Runyon