Today I thought I would share with you a few recipes/tips to help you eco-fy your home. Green cleaners are gaining more and more popularity these days as people are beginning to realise that maybe those kitchen and bathroom cleaners that leave your skin stinging for hours after you have used them might not be so great. It can be a little hard to believe at first, but we can have beautiful, shiny, clean homes, without the use of harsh and nasty chemicals. Here are some really simple, basic and most importantly affordable recipes for you to make you own green cleaners to use around the home. I love the fact that I don’t have to succumb to ugly toilet cleaner packaging, and I save on waste because I buy ingredients in bulk and re-use my containers.

Kit Ingredients (nature is totally amazing)

baking soda
white vinegar
lemons
essential oils*

*your choice really, but some good places to start are eucalyptus, lavender, and tea tree, as they are natural disinfectants and antifungals. I usually just add a few drops to my all purpose spray to keep things smelling lovely and clean.

once you have this this “kit” (yeah, that’s right, thats all you need) then get yourself some recycled spray bottles and jars and get mixing!

all purpose spray
great for kitchen counter tops / chopping boards / bathroom
1:1 mixture of vinegar and water
can also add a few drops of essential oil of choice

toilet cleaner
pour 1 cup of vinegar into the bowl of the toilet and follow that with 1/2 cup of baking soda. close the lid. once you have cleaned the rest of the bathroom, just lift the lid, give a scrub with your toilet brush and you are done!

drain cleaner / unclogger
pour 1/2 cup bi-carb soda down the drain and follow with 1 cup vinegar. once the fizzing dies down, follow the whole thing with 2 cups of boiling water.

kettle cleaner
cut up a lemon and put it in your kettle. fill with water and then boil. pour out the water (once cooled) onto your garden and repeat until your kettle is glowing from the inside out! usually only takes 1 or 2 goes.

dishwasher cleaner
place a cup of lemon juice in the bottom of an emptied-out dishwasher, and then run the rinse cycle. the lemon will deodorize and disinfect the dishwasher.

stubborn stain scrubber
cut a lemon in half and sprinkle baking soda on the cut section. use the lemon to scrub dishes, surfaces, and stains. also great on chopping boards.

Tips :: You can also neutralise the smell of vinegar by adding a small amount of lemon to your vinegar-based house-cleaners. Or replace the vinegar for the lemon. The smell might shock you at first, but that is why I use the oils, and trust me, it will go away after a few hours!

There are not really any rules when it comes to green cleaning like this, because everything is safe and natural. Experiment with different mixtures and see what works best for you. Or check out our “eco lifestyle” links on the right to find some excellent green living resources!

All sound too much for you? I can certainly vouch for these AMAZING cleaning products from Murchison Hume. They not only look amazing (yes that is an important factor!), they smell great and are very effective!

{Murchison Hume products via The Design Files – check out that amazing home!}

references
1 :: 2 :: 3

illustrations
renee anne
{who is also me. confusing!}

Filed under:: eco life by {renee} tagged with:cleaning • DIY • eco living • free recipe • green cleaning • illustrations • murchison hume • renee anne