Home-made cleaning products
I've been using home-made cleaning products for a year now, trying to cut down on the amount of plastic that enters (and leaves) this house, and to keep things toxin-free.
These three recipes clean all of the yuck up in our house. Full disclosure, I have a cleaning lady who does the lion's share of this work and (also full disclosure) she LOVES these sprays! They clean really well and smell great.
I got these recipes from a blog called An Organised Life. This is one of those websites I go down a rabbit-hole with, wishing I had been born with the budgeting, organising, tidying gene (I wasn't). Anyway, these recipes are really good, and they work for us.
NOTE: The oils used in these recipes are the ones I like. You should use the ones YOU like! 💋
Also: The castile soap is a great all-over body wash...kids included.
ALSO! The glass bottles I use are re-purposed Sarson's vinegar bottles which I buy from the supermarket. The squirter tops are from old 'Method' cleaning product bottles and they are a perfect fit - you may have to snip the plastic tube slightly as it's a little long).
General all-purpose cleaner
This can be used everywhere - no vinegar in it so you can use it to clean your marble if you have any (I have a lot).
It's cloudy and the oils tend to rise to the top, so you need toshake it gently before use.
In a bottle put:
6 drops Dr Bronner's Castile soap
30 drops tea tree oil
20 drops orange oil
Fill to top with water
Simple all-purpose cleaner (not pictured)
This is a cleaning spray without any oils in it, that I let my children use to wipe down the table after we have eaten etc. It smells truly lovely, because of the rose scented castile soap. Shake gently before use.
Small squirt of Dr Bronners Castille Soap (see above)
Fill up with water
Loo and bathroom spray
We use this to clean the loo and all other parts of the bathroom.
Spray and allow to sit for a few minutes to remove dried on toothpaste or OTHER unmentionables.
1 cup Dr Bronner's Sal Suds
1 cup white vinegar
80 drops tea tree oil (see above)
NOTE: this is strong-smelling. I like it but it is pretty vinegary! If you can't bear the vinegar smell then infuse your vinegar with lemon rinds for a week or so. This reduces the smell.
Glass and mirror spray
This is an excellent window and glass cleaner. Obviously elbow-grease is needed too.
1/2 cup alcohol
1/2 cup white vinegar
fill to top with water
Again, this is pretty punchy in the scent department but hey, unlike some other cleaning products, it won't make you ill.
I do hope that was useful. It seems like everyone is doing this at the moment which is absolutely brilliant, so if you don't like the look of these, then do find something else and try it out...Cleaning products never need to be toxic or dangerous - I've been reading really awful things recently about people getting very unwell through unwittingly chucking a certain cleaning product (which I won't even name) into the loo having previously cleaned said loo with bleach. Impaired lung function. Eye injuries...just AWFUL. Take care out there. I haven't even mentioned baking soda! Another time.
x Laetitia