I'm not sure about the rest of you, but I personally have a hard time swallowing having to pay for something I can make for less in my own time. Especially when I can make it safer than the accepted norm. I put this into practice not only in my home life, but my professional life as well.
As an X-Ray repair tech and Biomedical Engineering tech I've seen some
nasty things and have had to clean them up. From blood and bile to bits of skin on the machines I'm trying to fix, and shit. Yes ... human feces. When you are repairing an X-Ray table that is used for Barium Enemas ... there are the occasional blow-outs, and while I feel bad for the patient when that happens, it sucks for me because it becomes my job to clean the table where the doctors and technicians cannot get to.
Because of this, and the expense that was hitting my pocket book, I did some research over the years and have come up with a myriad of recipes for different types of cleaning agents and how to make them mostly non-toxic and environmentally friendly.
Disclaimer: I am not a chemist, I am not a scientist, what I am is a person that took a few years to collect old recipes from my family and friends that have been passed down through the years over time and have decided to share them here.
Most, if not all the synthetic, modern and chemically altered cleaning supplies you purchase at Walmart nowadays are based on age old formulas that utilized natural ingredients. These recipes were passed down in families as strongly guarded secrets of the family (I know my mother was adamant about her original windex recipe). Boycotting the chemicals and getting back to the original natural ingredients is the best way to make the cleaning products you use work, without polluting, and in the long run, saving you money.
Most of the ingredients you'll see listed here you already have in your cupboards. If not, a quick trip to your local health store or organic aisle (most decent groceres now have a section dedicated to organic sales, although they tend to be more expensive) will net you the required ingredients. By utilizing these ingredients you can simply and easily transform your chemically cluttered household into a non-toxic and healthy living space.
There's no better feeling than knowing that you are providing a safe haven for your family and protecting them from the harmful effects that most modern cleaning agents can give. You'll soon have a home where you can truly rest and recoup, rather than slowly causing you damage and harm because you cannot pronounce the shit that's on the side of the bottles.
I'm going to give you the recipes that my family passed down to me, and that I've been able to glean from other families that were willing to allow me access to their recipes. With these recipes and ingredients I'll show you how to make your very own natural cleaning kit.
Ounce for ounce these recipes have been proven to save you not only time, but money as well by at least a tenth of what you would spend elsewhere.
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Cloudrunner's General Household Cleaning Kit
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MOM'S WINDOW CLEANER Required Supplies: - 1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
- 3 tablespoons vinegar
- 2 cups water
- Spray bottle
The Mix:
Add all the ingredients into the spray bottle and give it a bit of a shake to mix.
How To Use:
Use as you would with a commercial brand
(Note: use some newspaper with this on a mirror to shine it up 
). OVEN CLEANER Required Supplies: - 1 cup or more baking soda
- Water
- A couple squirts of liquid detergent
How To Use:
Coat the bottom of your oven with water and then cover the grime with enough baking soda to turn the surface of the oven white. Sprinkle more water on that to create a powdery paste and let it sit overnight. The next morning you can (usually) just wipe up the grime. Once the bulk of the nasties is up and cleaned dab abit of detergent on your sponge and hit it with a bit of good old elbow grease.
(note: If it doesn't work, you need to use more baking soda.) FURNITURE POLISH
- 1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax)
- 1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice
The Mix:
Combine the stuff in a glass jar. Mix it up.
How To Use:
Dab a rag (soft, don't want to scratch the surfaces) into the solution and wipe onto the wood surface until it shines.
To Store:
Cover the jar and place in pantry. It doesn't go bad.
ALL-PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER - 1/2 teaspoon washing soda
- (Sodium Carbonate, can be found in most laundry detergent aisles)
- A dab of liquid soap
- 2 cups hot tap water
The Mix:
Combine everything in a spray bottle and shake until the soda has dissolved.
How To Use:
Spray and wipe.
Soft Scrub Required Supplies: - A good liquid soap or detergent
- (Dawn is recommended as it is the mostly environmentally friendly, and as an added bonus, a portion of what you pay for it is given to help rescue the animal victims of oil spills around the world).
- Baking soda
- Tea tree oil
The Mix:
Take a half cup of baking soda and place it in a mixing bowl. Add in 5-20 drops of the tea tree oil (for fragrance, adjust this to your personal olfactory taste, you can leave the oil out if you wish). Slowly add enough of the liquid detergent to give a frosting like texture without frothing the mix.
How To Use:
Scoop some out and put it on your sponge and start scrubbing. Extremely useful for porcelain, tile, grout (do a stain test here on a small area first), and other kitchen and bathroom surfaces. The best part is it leaves no grit after it rinses clean, and leave a wonderful scent as well.
To Store:
Mix one teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the cleaner and place left over in a sealed glass jar (mason / canning jars work wonderfully) to keep it moist over time. Otherwise, make only what you need.
VINEGAR DEODORIZER The Mix:
Mix a ratio of five parts water to one part vinegar in a spray bottle and keep near your cutting board, trash can and in bathroom.
How To Use:
Just spray when needed. The strong vinegar smell dissipates after an hour or so. If you strengthen the mix to a 1:1 you can simply spray onto your toilet seat and wipe off (great trick when all you can use is a public shitter, I keep a small thumb sprayer with this in my pocket).
MOLD KILLERS Tea Special
This is the best stuff for mold and mildew battles. It's expensive (Tea tree oil), but a little goes a very long way. The oil is extremely strong, it will go away in a couple days.
Required Ingredients: - 2 teaspoons tea tree oil
- 2 cups water
The Mix:
Mix in spray bottle and shake.
How To Use:
Spray directly onto the moldy / mildew spot. Do not rinse, just let it sit.
Vinegar Spray Required Ingredients: The Mix:
Put the vinegar into a spray bottle.
How To Use:
Straight vinegar will kill 82% of molds found in typical households. Spray the problem area and let it sit without rinsing for as long as you can stand the smell. It'll go away in an hour or two.
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I hope that these little tidbits will enable you to provide your micro-environment a clean and safe haven. Remember that while using these to clean your environment, you are helping to keep the environment at large clean and preserved as well.
)O( Cloudrunner )O(
Disclaimer: Remember to label all your stored cleaning supplies. While these recipes are considered non-toxic, too much of anything can be harmful to a child or pet. Keep them labeled and away from kids and pets.
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