Homemade Cleaning Products

Do you love to clean? I don't but I do love the smell and shine of a nicely cleaned home. At one time I believed that the stronger the chemical and smell the better it cleaned. I didn't realize that the toxons in my air could cause premature aging, could screw up your hormones, cause depression, or give you greater risk for allergies or asthma...or worse.
According to the US National Center for Health Statistics, 1 in 3 people suffer from allergies, asthma, sinusitis or bronchitis. Treatment for these conditions should include reducing synthetic chemicals in the home environment.

WHAT ARE THESE CHEMICALS THAT ARE CAUSING SO MANY PROBLEMS?

PARABENS: These are used as a preservative and if you check labels, you'll find they're in almost everything. These are a concern because they're considered to be hormone disruptors. This means that they can mimic estrogen or interfere with your body's natural hormone and reproductive systems.

MINERAL OIL, PARAFFIN AND PETROLATUM
These are basically petroleum products that coat your skin like plastic, clog your pores and create a toxic buildup. They can slow cellular development and create early signs of aging. Can you believe that Minearal oils is the 2nd ingredient in most baby oils!

SODIUM LAUREL SULFATE Also known as sodium laureth sulfate is found in over 90 percent of our personal care products! These break down our skins moisture barrier, cause premature aging, irritate your skin and dry the skin out. SLS is also a prime offender because it easily penetrates the surface of your skin allowing other chemicals easy access and they can combine with other chemicals to become a nitrosamine, which is known as a carcinogen.

FRAGRANCE We see this in so many of our products. When you see the term "fragrance" think of this as a red flag, manufactures aren't required to label what is in it. One of the most frequent ingredients in fragrances is phthalates, which are endocrine disruptors! Use essential oils instead or fragrances that contain essential oils.

RECIPES:
Lets start with Laundry Detergent. Not only do I love this recipe because it smells good and cleans well, but do you know I can make a year supply of this stuff (which is 5 batches) for only 15.00! That includes the purchase of the 5 gallon bucket too!

Liquid Laundry Detergent
1 Gallon boiling water, 2 Gallons boiling water & 1 gallon cold water (separated)
1 bar Zote soap (grated)- pink works best
2 cups borax
2 cups washing soda (not baking soda- found in laundry isle)

1. Add finely grated bar soap to the 1 gallon boiling water and stir until soap is melted. Once melted add the borax and washing soda and stir until all is dissolved. .2. Pour the soap water into a 5 gallon pail. 3. Add 2 gallons of boiling water, stir until well mixed. 4. Once mixed add 1 gallon cold water, mix, cover pail and let sit overnight. In morning add 5 - 7 drops of your favorite essential oil per gallon. Stir the soap each time you use it (it will gel). 1/4 cup of laundry soap per load. If you have a larger capacity washer or an extra dirty load use 1/2 cup. The soap will not be sudsy.

Powdered Laundry Detergent
2 cups finely grated soap
1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
15 drops of essential oils (optional)

1. Mix well and store in an airtight container.
2. Use ¼ cup per load. This is non sudsy and can be used larger capacity washers. Works best if added to water for a while before washing to dissolve grated soap.

Orange Vinegar Window Cleaner
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 gallon warm water
4-6 orange peals (optional)

Make an infusion by placing orange peels in vinegar and sealing them in a jar. Shake daily. Leave for a min. of 3 weeks to allow the juices of the orange peal to disperse into the vinegar. This is optional yet it makes a nice smell with out the cost of fragrances.Add orange vinegar and water together in water bottle. Spray and clean as usual.
Rating: Very good. We'd been warned that plain water could do as well as a vinegar solution, but our subjective impression was that the vinegar made it a lot easier to get rid of smudges. In theory, vinegar is supposed to remove hard-water spots.
Hazards: May be hard on your hands, but safe enough to drink.
Cost: About 7 cents a gallon (not including water)

Amazing All Purpose Cleaner
1 Tablespoon Borax
1/2 cup white vinegar (you can use orange vinegar infusion from above recipe)
1/2 teaspoon Joy dishwashing detergent
2 cups very hot water
15 drops of essential oil (optional)

Combine all ingredients in a plastic spray bottle. Shake your new homemade all purpose cleaner to mix. Use anywhere as needed. Don't be fooled, this mixture is Strong enough to wipe out germs and viruses.

Multipurpose Deep Cleaner-
1/4 cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 cup household ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 gallon warm water

Mix ingredients and store in tightly capped container. Most times I believe we use the big guns to swat flys, but some times you have big flys or colds and flus and need a stronger product...yes, a chemical to kill unwanted virus and cold bugs. Here is your big gun.

Rating: Excellent. Performed as well as top-of-the-line commercial products. Uses: Many. Tile and linoleum floors, formica countertops, appliances – keep away from children!

Bathtub and Sink Scrub: (like Ajax)
1 cup Baking Soda
1 tsp cream of tarter
1 ml or 15 drops of Essential oils (optional- I love tea tree and peppermint)
Mix well and use as needed.

Rating: Excellent. Performed as well as top-of-the-line commercial products, just took a little more elbow grease. use to clean kitchen and bathroom sinks, baths and toilets. This one will leave your home smelling oh so good!

Furniture Polish
1/2 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar

Stir, add to cloth and clean! The vinegar pulls the durt out of the wood and the oil lubricates the wood.

COMMERCIAL FURNITURE POLISH CAN CAUSE DEPRESSION!
Crazy to think I know. Check your labels, most furniture polish contains petrolium which is highly neurotic. Just the smell in the air can lead to bad moods and drpression.

GENERAL USES:
DO NOT MIX BLEACH WITH VINEGAR, TOILET BOWL CLEANER, OR AMMONIA. The combination of bleach with any of these substances produces a toxic gas which can be hazardous. We want to save money without jeopardizing our lives!

Baking Soda- Extremely versatile, baking soda is an all-purpose, non-toxic cleaner. It cleans, deodorizes, scours, polishes and removes stains. There are entire books out about the zillions of uses of baking soda, and the best thing about it is that it's cheap!

Borax:(sodium borate) It deodorizes, removes stains and boosts the cleaning power of soap. It also prevents mold and odors. Great alternative for those who do not want to use bleach.
Cornstarch: cleans and deodorizes carpets and rugs, you can use this to replace expensive "baby powders" also.

Ketchup-great for cleaning copper

Lemon juice-great for whitening items, but vinegar is cheaper . It also cuts through grease and stains on aluminum and porcelain
Pure Soap: cleans just about anything and is mild
Salt: believe it or not, regular table salt makes an abrasive, but gentle, scouring powder. Who would have known?

Washing Soda:(sodium carbonate) Cuts grease and disinfects. It will also increase the cleaning power of soap.

White Vinegar -very cheap and versatile, great for whitening, also fantastic for cleaning hard surfaces, windows and shining up metal surfaces. Removes mildew, stains, grease and wax buildup. This is another natural cleaner that whole books have been written on! The acidic vinegar kills viruses, mold, and bacteria, so you can rest assured that your homemade cleaner is just as effective as any cleaner you can purchase, while being cheaper and gentler on the environment

TIPS AND TRICKS:
If you don't think your home or office is polluted, think again! There's benzene found in oils, plastics, inks, formaldehyde found in foam insulation, particle board and again...MOST CLEANING AGENTS.

PLANTS CLEAN YOUR AIR NATURALLY!

Here are the best ones to use:
SPIDER PLANT
PEACE LILY
CHINESE EVERGREEN
WEEPING FIG
DEVILS CLAW.
Plants can help eleviate sore throats, headaches, irritated eyes and stuffy noses. TRY THEM!

*Get the smell of gasoline off your hands by rubbing them with salt.

LETS HEAR YOUR TIPS AND TRICKS FOR CLEANING!

-Jamie