Natural Cleaning Recipes - The Homestead Center
Easy-As-It-Gets Cleaning Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in your favorite spray bottle and voila! You have a quick and easy, yet effective all-purpose spray. (do not use vinegar on marble/granite surfaces) Herbal Antimicrobial This potent antimicrobial all-purpose spray takes the easy-as-it-gets spray up a notch! Choose any combo of the following herbs (fresh or dried will both work): lavender, mint, lemongrass, citrus peels, thyme, rosemary, sage, cloves, or oregano. Loosely fill a quart jar with your herbs and cover with white vinegar. Allow it to sit 2-3 weeks before straining. Pour the quart of infused vinegar into an empty gallon jug and fill the remaining with distilled water. Then, fill your favorite spray bottle with the herb-infused mixture to clean most surfaces (again, no vinegar on marble/granite). Marble & Granite Mix 3 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol with 2 cups of water and add 1-2 tsp of castille soap or an all natural dish soap. The alcohol makes this quicker drying and a safe, neutral ph solution for cleaning marble and granite surfaces. Fill your favorite spray bottle and you re ready to clean!
Window & Mirror 1 ½ cups of water Mix together and store in an airtight container. Use 1-2 tbsp per load. 1 ½ tbsp of above herbal vinegar (can sub plain white vinegar) 1 ½ tbsp rubbing alcohol Mix and add to your favorite spray bottle! I ve found windows and mirrors simply are best cleaned with microfiber window cloth. GIFTS.COM@CREATIVECOMMONS.ORG Borax-Free Laundry 1 bar castille soap, grated 1 ½ cups washing soda ½ cup citric acid DIY Laundry 1 bar castille soap, grated ¼ cup kosher salt 1 cup borax Mix together and store in an airtight container. Use 1-2 tbsp per load. 1 cup washing soda
Both laundry detergent recipes work well in all types of washers. Just double check your manufacturer s warranty info and recommendations. Dishwasher 1 ½ cup citric acid 1 ½ cup washing soda ½ cup kosher salt OPTIONAL white vinegar for rinse dispenser Mix all powder ingredients and store in an airtight jar. Use 1-2 tbsp per load. I ve found for extra greasy and heavily soiled dishes, 3 drop of dish soap in the prewash compartment plus white vinegar in the rinse dispenser works perfectly. White vinegar can be used regularly for rinses. ***A QUICK NOTE ON ESSENTIAL OILS*** You ll see that my recipes don t include essential oils. I like to use easy to find and common place ingredients in my recipes. Also, as an herbalist, I simply prefer whole plant materials as it provides a wider range of benefits. But, there is no harm in adding your favorite essential oils in moderation (5-10 drops is plenty for most every recipe I ve shared) to add a lovely scent to your cleaners. I always, always recommend double checking contraindications before using any essential oil especially around children or pets. http://www.usingeossafely.com/ is my absolute favorite website for evidence based practices around eo use and safety.
Mandi Sanders is a natural parenting educator and herbalist. You can find more about her at www.sonsandmoon.com