Why use homemade cleaners?
Products available in the market for cleaning and disinfecting dishes, floors and tiles contain toxic chemicals that not just harm the environment but also cause problems like headaches, flu symptoms, and respiratory diseases for children and elders. Homemade cleaners are free of such harmful toxins and therefore much better for health.
These cleaners can also be made at low costs if you buy the ingredients separately and mix them at home instead of buying them readymade from the stores.
Here are a few recipes for making natural products for cleansing and disinfecting your home, kitchen, and bathrooms:
All-purpose cleaner
Mix 1/4 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup of vinegar, and 1/2 gallon water to make an all-purpose cleaner. Store it in a spray bottle and use it to clean stains over clothes and kitchens and bathrooms. This solution can also be used to disinfect tiles, floors, and toys to make them safe for kids.
Floor cleaner
Mix one cup of vinegar, a few drops of baby oil, and a gallon of warm water to cleanse ordinary stains. Alternatively, you can also mix equal parts vinegar and vegetable oil and make a cleansing solution out of it. In case you need to get tough stains removed, add ¼ cups of borax to this solution. Borax is a white compound mineral used in making ceramic and glasses. It is also a good antiseptic.
Club soda is an absolutely effective glass cleaner. Fill a spray bottle with club soda and sprinkle it over glass before wiping it clean with a dry cloth.
Bathtub and shower cleaner
These can keep your bathtubs, tiles, and showers sparkling without leaving a trace of smell of bleach and harmful chemicals on them. All you need to do is fill a bottle with half water and half vinegar. Spray this over your shower and bathtubs and leave it for 30 minutes before rinsing it off. You can add liquid detergent for extra strength. This is a simple and easy shower cleaner.
Kitchen cleaning products
Dishwasher soaps and liquids have bleach or phosphates which are extremely harmful if inhaled. Homemade cleaners work just well in kitchen cleaning as with other items. Washing soda and borax combined in equal parts can work as a dishwasher liquid. If you hand-wash your dishes, it's better to use liquid soap by adding a little bit of vinegar to it.
You can also make a natural cleaning solution to clean ovens. All you need to do is mix half a cup each of baking soda, salt, and water together. Add ¼ cup of vinegar and water to it. Gently spray it inside the oven. Leave it overnight and clean it with a clean cloth the next morning.
For carpet stains
Mix in a spray bottle equal parts white vinegar and water. Spray it directly over the stain, let it rest for 10-15 minutes and wash the stain off with warm soap water. If you have to clean a dusty carpet, mix ¼ cup each of salt, borax, and vinegar. Rub the paste into carpet and vacuum it after a few hours. This helps get rid of all the dust.
For coffee and tea stains
You can directly clean coffee or tea stains off your clothes by applying vinegar or lemon to a sponge and rubbing it over the stain. If you have to clean a coffeemaker, mix ¼ cup of lemon or vinegar with ½ a cup of water, put it into an empty coffeemaker, let it come to a boil and then cool down. Drain it off and clean the interiors with a cloth.
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