I need some recipes for homemade GREEN cleaners??

Question

What are you favorite Green formulas that you make yourself, do they work good? Can anything homemade and natural replace bleach??

Thanks in Advance!!

Answer 1

I don't know about the bleach thing.  I have never used it much anyway.  

Baking soda - works on counter tops, sinks, stoves and bathtubs.  Baking soda can clean alot!

white vinegar - helps kill odors, works well on floors

liquid castile soap - which I have not found yet.  I have looked at two different stores so far.  

I have just started cleaning this way.  It takes a little bit more time then spraying something out of a bottle, and usually you have to apply a little bit more elbow grease but I feel it's worth it!

Good luck!

Answer 2

The easiest replacement for chlorine bleach is oxygen bleach. It is a mixture of hydrogen peroxide and washing soda. Lemon juice is a great whitener as well as a germ killer. I use it in the laundry and on my cutting board.

As far as disinfectants I use caution, unless you have a weak immune system there are only 2 reasons to use them, in the kitchen to avoid food borne bacteria and to kill mold or mildew. Vinegar kills a high percentage of bacteria, mold and viruses. Spray onto clean surface and let stand. Just remember all your ancestors lived before we started using all these chemicals and few died from their kitchens not being sterilized.

The overuse of antibactirials is creating resistant strains, it is more important for the soap to spend time on your hands than to have germ killing chemicals in the soap.

As far as recipies, I haven't made too many because I've found a natural soap, baking soda and vinegar to clean almost everything. I so use a store bought laundry and dishwasher soap, I use Seventh Generation and have been very happy. I do plan on adding a few new items to my cleaning routine and am using the book "Green up your Clean Up" as a guide.

Answer 3

I have tried using the 'at home' cleaners. They didnt work well. I tried using vinegar to clean and stunk up my whole house! Its a good A for effort. The good news is that you don't need to do that. There are plenty of cleaners out there that are safe and non toxic. Here is a link to a website that I buy for my cleaning purposes.

http://www.supplybrothers.com/simple-gre...

This is a direct link to non toxic, biodegradable, and non flammable cleaning products.

Answer 4

You can use hydrogen peroxide to replace bleach.  You can also clean with baking soda and vinegar.  

You can take a 16-oz spray bottle and put in about 1 TBSP of dish liquid and fill it up with water and use that for an all-purpose cleaner.  You can add some tea tree oil if you want to disinfect.  

You can make your own foam soap:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article...

Answer 5

Scour the pantry and try these recipes:

Drain cleaner

Equal amounts of baking soda and vinegar. Pour baking soda into a semi-clogged drain, then add vinegar. Wait several minutes and flush with boiling water. Repeat.

The combination of baking soda and vinegar turns the fatty acids in the clog into soap and glycerine, which then washes down the drain.

To prevent odors from building up in drains, pour in baking soda and flush with boiling water weekly.

Drain cleaner II

You'll need 1/2 cup of baking soda, 1/4 cup of washing soda (often available in the laundry aisle at grocery stores), 3-4 tablespoons of cream of tartar, 4 cups of cider vinegar.

Mix baking soda, washing soda and cream of tartar thoroughly, then pour mixture slowly down the drain. Heat vinegar to near boiling, then pour it into the drain. Wait several minutes before flushing with hot water.

Drain cleaner III

Pour a 1/2 cup of baking soda and a 1/2 cup of salt down the drain and then flush with about a half-gallon of boiling water. Let sit for several hours, then flush with water.

A couple of hints: to clear a clogged drain, a  plunger is a great tool. Once you've cleared the drain with the plunger, then try one of the above drain cleaners.

Here's a recipe I use frequently:

Extra-Strength All-Purpose Cleaner

1/4 cup baking soda

1/2 cup white vinegar

3/4 household ammonia

1 gallon warm water

And finally:

Toilet Cleaner

1/3 cup lemon juice

2/3 cup borax

For stains: flush toilet to wet sides; combine the lemon juice and borax to make a paste. Coat the stains; let sit for 1-2 hours; scrub toilet with brush.

For regular cleaning: sprinkle baking soda in toilet bowl and brush.

There are a lot of books, magazines and websites with a ton of information and recipes.  I seldom use bleach.

Answer 6

Here's a great article with recipes!  I've been using my own green cleaners since the late 70's.  They do work!

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-yo...

Here's a post on my blog about making your own antimicrobial spray:

http://www.thenatureinus.com/2008/04/mak...

Hurray for you for wanting to use healthier cleaning supplies!  

Answer 7

There are a lot of products in your home that are cleaning products too, such as:

- vinegar- it kills mould, viruses and bacteria

- baking soda: a natural deodorizer and a good cleaner too

- lemon juice: great for greased-on stuff

- Olive oil: a natural oil that helps to nourish and polish wood

-Use white vinegar to clean your floors, since white vinegar is an all-purpose cleaner, deodorizer and disinfectant. Use essential oils if you want a nice scent left behind.

-Mix salt with baking soda or lemon juice to clean tea and coffee stains in cups, or for removing red wine stains from tablecloths.

-For wood surfaces, combine three parts olive oil to one part white vinegar in a spray bottle, or one part lemon juice to two parts olive oil. Use on any wood surface, or use to clean fingerprints on stainless-steel surfaces.

-Mix water with white vinegar and pour solution into spray bottle. Use on walls, shower curtains, and tiles to help eliminate and prevent mould and mildew from re-emerging.

-For a window cleaner, use 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 tsp natural dish detergent and 2 cups water, pour the mixture in a spray bottle, and use. You can use reusable cleaning cloths, microfibre cloths, old dish rags or newspaper to clean with.

-To clean calcium stains in your toilet, drop a 1000 milligram tablet of vitamin C into the bowl overnight, and your stains will come out naturally!

-To clean your oven, pour a mix of baking soda and hot water over the scuffed up surface of your oven, leave for overnight, and scrub with a soapy abrasive sponge the next morning, taking the mess right off.

Instead of using bleaches to disinfect, you can use Borax as an alternative. Borax is a natural mineral compound, and is odourless, not flammable and not reactive. You can use borax as a natural laundry booster, multipurpose cleaner, fungicide, preservative, insecticide, herbicide and disinfectant.

These are just a few, but i have more on my site if youre interested in more eco-friendly cleaning products or just want to look at some eco tips. hope these helped!