Lately, I have been looking for solutions to reduce the amount of chemicals in my home. My sister just had a baby, and I wanted to help him grow up in a toxin-free home environment. Many conventional cleaners have harsh chemicals and are potentially deadly if consumed, which is the last thing I want around my new baby nephew. As I surveyed all my products that needed changing, the last place I looked was the place that housed the most chemicals: under the kitchen sink.
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Rather than seeking out any alternatives, I decided to try making my own cleaner. I hopped online and found many recipes for homemade, all-purpose cleaners. The following recipe (provided by gorgeouslygreen.com) was the one I liked the best. Gorgeously Green also has many other homemade ideas that I have found very useful.
After checking out the recipe, I’ve found that combining just some very basic ingredients can eliminate many chemicals from your household permanently. Surprisingly, you will find that many items are already things you have in your cupboard. I found all the ingredients at my local grocery story and the spray bottle can be a reused bottle or cheap one from a dollar store.
What You’ll Need
- 1 spray bottle
- 2 cups Distilled water
- ½ tsp. Baking soda
- 1 tsp. Borax
- ½ tsp. Liquid castile soap
- 2 tbsp. White vinegar
- 20 drops Tea tree essential oil
Directions
First, take 2 cups of warm distilled water and fill in a plastic sprayer with a funnel – if you have an old bottle, that would be great. Once you pour the water in the bottle, mark the water line with a permanent marker so you don’t have to measure the water next time. It’s also useful to write the recipe on the bottle. Now add the baking soda, borax, castile soap, and vinegar. Let it cool before adding the tea tree oil. After it’s been added, screw the top on and give it a shake.
Most of the recipes I found had the same basic ingredients: water, vinegar, and baking soda. The other ingredients are useful too, though. Borax adds cleaning power to just bakin
g soda alone, the castile soap helps dissolve dirt, making this cleaner more versatile, and the tea tree oil is a natural antibacterial. I found a castile soap that already had tea tree oil in it, so I only added a few extra drops at the end. If you want to make it smell nicer, try adding lavender essential oil or grapefruit for a citrus zing.
After making my first bottle, I cleaned everything! I was pleased to find out how well it cleaned, especially with the windows. But most of all, I like knowing I had removed so many chemicals from my home and that I knew exactly what was in the product I was using. I encourage you to try it, not only to remove toxic chemicals from your home, but also to save money. Happy cleaning!
