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My Green Cleaning Recipes

My Green Cleaning Recipes

Started by Jennie Frederick on September 29, 2010

17 Comments

Jennie Frederick said #1 Sep 29, 2010 at 5:04pm

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to share my green cleaning "recipes" with you. I have severe allergies and I am chemically sensitive. In addition to reducing my suffering, I am also helping the environment! Commercial cleaners have dyes, fragrances, and waste TONS of materials to store the stuff, not to mention that homemade cleaners can be made quickly, easily, and cheaply!

Laundry Detergent
- 2 cups washing soda (I use Arm & Hammer)
- 2 cups Borax
- 1 cup of shredded Fels-Naptha bar soap (a cheese grater works well)

Place all ingredients in a tub with a lid and shake. I like to repurpose Earth Balance tubs for this! I use two tablespoons per load of laundry, but you may need to experiment with the amount. I did the math once, and it comes out to about .01-.02 cents per load!

Fabric softener
Add ¼ to ½ cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle of the laundry.

All Purpose Cleaner - great for glass and countertops
Fill a spray bottle with ½ vinegar and ½ water. If you don't like the vinegar smell, don't worry - it does not stick around long. You can also add a few drops of essential oil to the bottle, I like lavender.

Febreeze
2 cups water
1 cup fabric softener
Mix in a spray bottle and mist!

Shower Spray
3 cups hot water
½ cup Vinegar
1 tbs Dish Detergent
1 tbs Borax
Mix in a spray bottle and mist daily.

martina soltesz said #2 Oct 6, 2010 at 1:19pm

Hello Jennie,

thank you so much for posting your recipes.

I;m just in a process of creating my own cleaning supplies and laundry detergent. I can;t find washing soda in any store. Where did you got yours???

Thank you very much, Martina

Jennie Frederick said #3 Oct 6, 2010 at 1:49pm

Hi Martina!

I got my washing soda at Walmart, in the laundry detergent isle. I have also seen it at the Harris Teeter grocery store, also on the laundry detergent isle.

Good luck - once you make your own, you never go back! :-)

Jennie

tali said #4 Oct 6, 2010 at 2:52pm

Wow thanks so much! I love using vinegar and water for my countertops too! Do you have a good chemical free solution for cleaning wood?

Starflower said #5 Oct 6, 2010 at 4:29pm

Tali - not sure about cleaning wood, but for wood polish I have used olive oil with a couple drops of lemon essential oil in it.

I'll have to try the shower spray, that's about the only thing I still buy (7th Generation makes a great one). I have been using vinegar for just about everything else for a couple of years now I went shopping with a friend recently and I was shocked at the amount of different cleaning supplies she bought and what it cost! A huge thing of white vinegar from Costco does all the things she needed and costs like $3!

Thanks for the "recipes", Jennie!

Amy Nix said #6 Oct 12, 2010 at 6:24pm

Seeing this makes me happy because a friend of mine and I are on a vegan cleaners kick at the moment. I blogged about it a while back at http://tinyurl.com/25spc5k , but here is the recipe for floor cleaner that I use:

Floor Cleaner

1C Water

1C Vinegar

1C Rubbing Alcohol

9 drops Vegan Dish Soap

Put these ingredients into a spray bottle and gently mix by shaking or rolling the bottle. This is an excellent spot cleaner for carpet or for spraying on a hard floor you're about to mop. I have found myself using it for all kinds of cleaning, though. Walls, sinks, and everything I need something stronger than half-half vinegar water for.

Glass Cleaner

Don't forget that half-half vinegar water is the BEST streak-free glass and mirror cleaner in the world.

Thank you, Jennie, for the Febreze recipe! I have never seen that and will be trying it TODAY! I have a bottle of Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day lavender fabric softener, and I think it will smell gorgeous sprayed through the house.

Lauren said #7 Nov 7, 2010 at 4:17am

Thanks so much! I really do HATE the smell of vinegar, Is there anything else that cleans as well? Or do you have any other suggestions on which essential oils cover the smell the best? Also, where is the best place to pick up essential oils? Thanks so much!

Starflower said #8 Nov 7, 2010 at 9:37am

Tea Tree oil covers the vinegar smell well and has antibacterial properties. It kind of stinks too, though, I think. I have found that several drops of a citrus EO really cuts the vinegar smell - I like Lime the best.

Kacie M said #9 Nov 20, 2010 at 2:20pm

These are great! Thanks for sharing!

How do people with sensitive skin/skin allergies do with the laundry soap?

Do you know of a recipe for toilet cleaner?

Starflower said #10 Nov 30, 2010 at 6:13pm

I just use about a cup of vinegar as toilet cleaner too - pour it in, swish it around, let it sit for a little while, scrub and flush :)

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