Forget the smell of harsh chemicals when cleaning, you can clean just as effectively by combining just a few natural ingredients. Using various different products like white vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice and essential oils you can keep your house crystal clean!
Enjoy!
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Ditch store-bought products and make your own with this handy infographic. You might be surprised at just how versatile everyday natural products can be.
Lemon Juice: Great for detox, digestion, sore throats, immunity, whitens clothes, cleans glass, highlights hair, can reduce wrinkles, skinks pores and can disinfect!
Coconut Oil: Can polish wood, used as wd-40, lip gloss, deodorant, prevents wrinkles, improves thyroid function and can reduce migraines, just to mention a few.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Repels fleas, deodorizes laundry, can soothe a sunburn, washes hair, treats acne, great for detox, can help control blood pressure, can cure yeast infections, prevent colds and much much more!
White Vinegar: Can polish silver, clean windows, unclog drains, cure an upset stomach, soothe a bee sting, used as a natural conditioner etc…
Baking Soda: Puts out fires, helpful for cleaning toilets or ovens, can be used in deodorants and toothpaste, heals diaper rash, treats heartburn just to name a few.
Castile Soap: All-purpose cleaner, dish soap, can mop floors with it, body wash, pet shampoo, toothpaste, treats eczema, psoriasis, acne and other skin problems.
Castor Oil: Keeps away rodents, helps plant health, strengthen eyelashes, heals cracked heels, softens cuticles, treats dry/itchy skin, can be used as a laxative, helps induce labor and can even reduce menstrual cramping.
This acidic wonder can wipe out tarnish, soap scum, mineral deposits, and more. Among natural cleaners, it’s the clear champ. Distilled white vinegar creates an environment that inhibits the growth of mold, mildew, and some bacteria, such as E. coli and salmonella, says Jeffrey Hollender, author of Naturally Clean.
Price: About $1.80 for a quart at supermarkets.
Coffeemaker: Pour equal parts vinegar and water into the machine’s water chamber, then switch on the brew cycle. Halfway through, turn off the coffeemaker and let the solution sit for about an hour. Turn it on again to complete the cycle, then run several cycles with clean water.
Dishwasher: To disinfect the interior of the machine, pour ½ cup vinegar into the reservoir and run an empty cycle, says Hunter. Or place a small bowl filled with vinegar on the bottom rack and run an empty cycle.
Drains: Clean drains―and the pipes they’re attached to―by pouring vinegar down them. After 30 minutes, flush with cold water.
Floors: Add ¼ cup vinegar to a bucket of warm water to clean almost any type of floor except marble (vinegar can scratch it) or wood (vinegar can strip it).
Glassware: For spotless hand-washed glasses, add 1 cup vinegar to the rinse water.
Moldy walls: Spray vinegar on the affected areas. After about 15 minutes, rinse and let dry thoroughly.
Showerheads: To combat mineral deposits, pour vinegar into a plastic grocery bag and knot the handles over the neck of the showerhead, securing with rubber bands. Let soak overnight. Rinse with water in the morning.
Steam iron: To get rid of mineral deposits, fill the iron with equal parts vinegar and water; press the steam button. Turn off, let cool, empty, and rinse.
Windows: Mix ¼ cup vinegar, 2 cups water, and a squirt of liquid Castile soap in a spray bottle. Spritz windows and wipe with a sheet of newspaper.
The Kitchn offers a nifty trick for cleaning burnt enamel pots and pans, and it doesn’t require hours of scrubbing. All you need is baking soda and water.
Let the water come to a boil, add the baking soda, and give everything a good stir. After a few minutes of simmering, use a wooden spoon (no metal on that enamel surface, please!) to nudge off the burned-on bits. Just like that, all that yucky stuff will release from the pot, minimal elbow grease required.