Less is More: 10 All-Natural Ingredients for Highly Effective Homemade Cleaners
If you’re tired of using store-bought chemical cleaning products, it’s time to switch to homemade cleaners. These are natural and eco-friendly, making them better for your health. You can make your own cleaning solutions using ingredients in your kitchen. Here are ten all-natural ingredients that are highly effective for combining and cleaning your home.
Disclosure: My recommended products are ones I have either researched and would personally buy or have already used and would fully stand by. If you click on my affiliate links and purchase, I’ll earn some money to build my fruit orchard – at no extra cost for you. I promise to continue writing high-quality posts about our experiences to help you along your journey.
The Benefits of Creating Your Own Homemade Cleaners
Traditional cleaning products can cause short and long-term health risks – depending on the product or if it was physically touched or inhaled. Switching to natural organic-based cleaners reduces or eliminates these threats. Natural cleaners are safer for humans and animals and free from harmful toxins. They provide a healthier home environment, and natural ingredients break down more quickly in our ecosystems. Furthermore, many store-bought natural solutions are made with essential oils, providing an attractive aroma rather than a strong chemical smell in chemical cleaners.
Homemade Cleaning Solution – Essential Ingredients
1. Baking Soda
Not only is baking soda great for baking, but it’s also great to use as a gentle cleaner – it can clean surfaces, deodorize your home, and even remove stains. Especially when blended with hydrogen peroxide or vinegar, it creates a cleaner perfect for tougher stains. Baking soda is pH neutral, so it’s gentle enough to use all around the house. From dirty dishes in the kitchen to stained grout in the bathroom, baking soda has you covered!
2. Borax
Borax powder is a natural mineral with cleaning properties for tough grease and grime, efficiently eliminating dirt, germs, and odors.
It is excellent for fabrics too! Add a small amount to the wash cycle, and Borax helps to whiten clothes while eliminating the smell. Plus, as a bonus, Borax keeps its potency over time so that you can use it repeatedly for all your cleaning needs.
3. Castile Soap
Castile soap is a plant-based soap that is gentle enough to use on most surfaces. There are several types of soap that you can make with your all-purpose cleaner, dish soap, and laundry detergent.
Traditional castile soap is made with olive oil, while liquid castile soap often uses vegetable or plant-based oils, such as coconut. There’s also baby castile soap, slightly less concentrated and enriched with extra ingredients to ensure it doesn’t irritate sensitive skin and is gentle enough for your baby’s skin.
4. Cornstarch
Cornstarch is a cleaning agent used when cleaning up grease or oil spills. Sprinkle cornstarch on the spill, let it sit for a few minutes, and then vacuum it up. The cornstarch will absorb the grease or oil, making it easy to clean up.
The cornstarch can be mixed with warm water or white vinegar to form a paste. Apply this mixture to the stained fabric and wait at least 30 minutes before gently scrubbing the cornstarch. Depending on the stains, repeat this a few times to fully remove.
5. Essential Oils
Essential oils are a 2-in-1 ingredient – not only does it smell great and have antibacterial properties, and they are safe to use around children and pets. These oils can be used in several ways – from homemade spray recipes to utilizing diffusers or adding them directly to water when washing floors and windows.
Some of the more popular oils for cleaning include tea tree oil, lemon, lavender, and eucalyptus. Tea tree oil is antibacterial and antifungal, while lavender helps to freshen a space with its soothing scent. Lemon and orange essential oils contain potent properties for deodorizing, and eucalyptus is excellent for killing germs.
6. Hydrogen Peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide’s main property is acting as a mild but powerful disinfectant. It’s a great alternative to harsher chemical-based products, especially when cleaning kitchens and bathrooms. It dissolves dirt, grease, and gunk easily, so spraying it onto surface areas or fabrics can make cleaning easier.
To use hydrogen peroxide at its full potential, use a neutral cleaner like soap or detergent to remove particles from the surface before spraying the solution for disinfecting. This can help keep your home fresh and bacteria-free without compromising on safety.
7. Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is an incredibly versatile cleaning agent due to its citric acid properties. It kills bacteria and germs and acts as a natural degreaser. When creating your DIY cleaners, ensure to dilute the homemade cleaner as it can be too harsh for some surfaces.
Use lemon juice to degrease particular spots or stains, then apply it directly and wait a few minutes before wiping it. If there are any tough stains, continue to saturate a cloth in hot water with lemon and rub gently.
You can use the solution to clean your cutting boards, freshen up your garbage disposal, and even remove stains from your clothes.
8. Salt
Salt is known for its gentle scrubbing ingredient that can help lift away tough dirt. Being an all-natural abrasive, when combined with water, it has the perfect grit for tackling grimy spots on countertops, stoves, and even your car’s tires where regular soap may not be enough.
Its natural disinfecting properties make it ideal for tackling bacteria that can accumulate in bathrooms and kitchens. If you have hard water in your home, baking soda mixed with salt is a great way to tackle limescale buildup in sinks, tubs, and toilets – giving you extra sparkling results!
9. Vinegar
For centuries, many have used white vinegar as a cleaning product because of its acidic properties; it can easily remove buildup and break down dirt – making it a great household cleaner. Its all-natural solution makes it easy to use on windows, deodorize drains, or even remove fabric stains.
To make your natural disinfectant, mix one part vinegar with one part water in an empty spray bottle, and you have a powerful way to keep surfaces bacteria-free!
10. Washing Soda
Washing soda is an alkaline cleaning agent used as a less abrasive alternative to traditional chemical-based cleaners. When combined with water, it increases pH, which helps remove stubborn stains from many surfaces like hardwood floors, tile, and grout.
Additionally, washing soda can be a heavy-duty cleaner for tough jobs outdoors, including patios and decks. Unlike common detergents or bleaches, it’s safe to use around plants and won’t damage your garden.
Creating Natural Cleaner Recipes – Homemade Cleaners
The benefit of homemade cleaners is that it allows you to customize the scent and strength of the solution to your needs. Start by selecting a base ingredient such as vinegar or Castile soap. Then, add a few drops of essential oils for fragrance and additional cleaning properties.
Floor Cleaner
1 tbsp Bronner’s castile soap
1 cup white vinegar
5-10 drops of lemon and eucalyptus oils
Moulder Remover
100 ml spray bottle
1 cup white vinegar
10 drops of tea tree
Fill the bottle up with distilled water, then spray generously
Stain Remover
200 ml spray bottle
1/4 cup castile soap
1 tbsp baking soda
10 drops of lemon
Window Cleaner
200 ml spray bottle
10-15 drops of lemon or lime
1 cup white vinegar
Fill the bottle with distilled water
Wood Furniture
100 ml spray bottle
1/4 cup of white vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
5-10 drops of lemon essential oil
Eliminating Toxins From Your Home
Using all-natural ingredients in your homemade cleaning solutions can effectively eliminate toxic chemicals from your home. Not only is this better for your health, but it’s also better for the environment.
Consider making the switch to all-natural ingredients in your cleaning solutions. You’ll be surprised at how effective these ingredients can be, and you’ll feel good knowing that you’re positively impacting the environment and your health.
Conclusion
Remember, less is more when creating homemade cleaners to clean your home. Create your natural cleaner and live in a clean, toxin-free environment. By using baking soda and vinegar, plant-based detergents, and other all-natural ingredients, you can create a wide range of cleaning solutions to suit your specific needs.
