Green Cleaning - Eco-Friendly and Clutter Busting Recipes

My favorite part of making less trash is finding ways to have less clutter.   Over the past year, we have pared down our cleaning supplies to a few items, by making some of our cleaning supplies.  I used to think this would be time consuming - and depending on the concotion you choose to make, it can be.   but, I have found you can make very effective cleaners with just a few minutes, a few supplies and an empty container to hold it.  

Many people think a place isn't clean unless you can small the chemical cleaners - but that really isn't true.  You can have a clean and nice smelling house - with a few simple ingredients.   In the past,  I have made a simple counter-top cleaner  and our own laundry detergent, both work really well!

You can make virutally any type cleaner with these ingredients:

• Vinegar
• Baking soda
• Peroxide
• Castile soap 
• Borax 
• Essential Oils
• Olive Oil
• Lemons

You can make furniture polish with olive oil and lemon juice!  Essential oil is optional.   Click on the image to link to the recipe.

There are literally thousands of recipes out there to try for all purpose cleaner, anti-bacterial  cleaner,  bathroom cleaner, glass and mirrors and more.  Apartment Therapy has a compilation of 25 recipes here.   Keeper of the Home has a list of over 67 recipes here. 

My favorite "cleaning" tip is for hotel rooms - I used to always wake up in hotel rooms with a sore throat and stuffy nose from the air fan.  Now - I grab a tissue the minute I check into my room, and I put about 10 drops of lavender essential oil on the tissue.   and I stuff the edge of the tissue into the vent.  The air is cleaned by the anti-bacterial and antiseptic qualities of the essential oil.  And the room smells like I am on a spa vacation.  I usually add more drops to the tissue just before bedtime. 


 What is your favorite DIY green cleaning tip?

Washing... without all that pesky packaging

Since we have revised the way we shop, our garbage has reduced dramatically.  Taking our own containers and bags (almost all the time - we do slip up on occasion), has really made a difference in our trash output.  The one area where we still were bring home a fair amount of packaging was for cleaning supplies.   so we decided to try and make it ourselves.  

First up, laundry detergent:  I love Method laundry detergent.  It is awesome that the company makes their detergent ultra-concentrated.  Four little pumps, and that dirty stinky load of clothes would come out fresh and clean.  My first solution was to buy their refill.  It is enough for 85 loads of laundry... but it still comes in plastic packaging, and we are trying hard to cut down on that.  

I decided to make my own laundry soap.  None of the liquid recipes I found were very concentrated.... so I will attempt to use dry detergent for this first batch and see how it works.   I took the most common recipe I found on the internet,DIY Natural claims to have posted it originally: 

• 1 4-5 oz. bar of soap - I used Dr. Bonner's Castile Soap
• 1 cup of borax
• 1 cup of washing soda (This is different than baking soda)
• Optional:  essential oil 5 to 6 drops of lavender or tea-tree oil.

Grate your soap, with a cheese grater, mix in your other ingredients, well, stir for about 5 minutes then you are done!  Store in an airtight container, and keep out of reach of children.  You only need one tablespoon, per load, two tablespoons for a really dirty load.

Borax and washing soda come in boxes that are enough to make many batches of detergent,  so the waste impact of this project is minimal.  One paper wrapper from the soap.  Not bad for 30+ loads of detergent.

Next Up... Counter-top cleaner made from vinegar and orange peel!