10 INGREDIENTS IN HOMEMADE CLEANERS
Sarah Aguirre, @ About.com / gleaned from Grandma Rosie @ Homesteadblogger.com
BAKING SODA: Works as a mild abrasive, helping to gently scrub things that need to be scrubbed, but not scratched. Baking soda also works well to remove smelly odors, making it a prime candidate for a bathroom & kitchen cleaner. Baking soda also works to removes stains & can be used to help soften laundry.
BORAX: is a laundry booster that can be used in a few different ways around the house. Borax is actually a natural mineral, but can be an irritant on skin & shouldn't be ingested. Borax can be used as a stain remover & a substitute for bleach. Borax can also be used to repel insects, although care should be used around pets & small children.
CASTILE SOAP: is an oil based soap that can be used to clean almost anything in your home. Diluted liquid castile soap can be used as an all-purpose cleaner. Liquid castile soap is an excellent degreaser.
CORN STARCH: can be used as a starching solution for clothing. Cornstarch also absorbs oils & greases, making it a great help in the laundry room or for stains on countertops.
ESSENTIAL OILS: Essential oils help add a pleasing scent to homemade cleaning solutions. Be careful when using essential oils. A little goes a long way. There are people w/high sensitivities to essential oil fragrances.
LEMON & LEMON JUICE: can be great for scrubbing copper bottom pots. The juice works to clean & shine the pans. Lemon juice is a natural bleach, especially when combined w/the sun. Lemon juice is a natural degreaser which comes in handy w/dishes.
SALT: is an abrasive solution for scrubbing. Use salt to get rid of rust & mildew. Salt also works to help polish copper & silver.
TOOTH PASTE: works as a very mild abrasive, similar to soft scrubbing gel solutions. Toothpaste can be used to clean silver. It can also be used to remove stains on white clothing, tennis shoes & in many other places where a light scrubbing is needed.
VINEGAR: can be used as a fabric softener in the rinse cycle of your washing machine. Vinegar makes a great all-purpose cleaner. Mopping w/vinegar is an inexpensive way to keep your floors clean. Vinegar is a great stain remover. Vinegar carefully combined w/baking soda, makes a great foaming toilet cleaner.
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE: can be used as a disinfectant. It also is one of the most effective blood stain removers.
NOTE: ***With all of these ingredients, BE CAREFUL about mixing cleaners together. Use new clean bottles. Follow storage guidelines for cleaners. Rinse thoroughly & always follow instructions.
This is is so helpful! Thank you :) I found some castille soap, it already has essential oils in it and hemp oil so I probably won't add anything to it but it was all I could find :) I am waiting til the liquid soap I have runs out :) Can I post this to your credit on acw?
ReplyDeleteNanny ~ sure, you may post it. I borrowed it from someone else myself (see top of post). :-) I'm so glad you could find some Castile soap. I try to get the kind that doesn't have any fragrance/essential oils added to it - just my own preferrence - I prefer to add my own & since I don't the ratio of the amount they use, I don't know how it will 'react' to anything I add. It would probably be ok, just a 'phobia' of mine. :-P
ReplyDeleteLet me know what you are using the hemp oil for.
Blessings from Ohio...Kim<><
Great Post! I love making my own cleaners! I save our home so much money doing this!
ReplyDelete