DIY Household Cleaners

[misty]

I wasn't sure where to post this so if you need to move it, I won't mind.

The healthiest, least-toxic cleaners you can find are the ones you make yourself. They're effective too: According to a study at Virginia Tech, spraying hydrogen peroxide and vinegar right after one another is just as effective at killing germs as lung-irritating, stream-polluting chlorine bleach. Here are a few easy cleaner recipes to kick-start your Saturday chores.

EIGHT ESSENTIALS
These eight items make up the basic ingredients for nearly every do-it-yourself cleaning recipe.

Baking soda: provides grit for scrubbing and reacts with water, vinegar or lemon by fizzing, which speeds up cleaning times
Borax: disinfects, bleaches and deodorizes; very handy in laundry mixes
Distilled white vinegar: disinfects and breaks up dirt; choose white vinegar over apple cider or red vinegars, as these might stain surfaces
Hydrogen Peroxide: disinfects and bleaches
Lemons: cut grease; bottled lemon juice also works well, although you might need to use bit more to get the same results
Olive oil: picks up dirt and polishes wood; cheaper grades work well
Vegetable based (liquid castile) soap: non-petroleum all-purpose cleaners
Washing soda: stain remover, general cleaner, helps unblock pipes; should be handled with gloves due to its caustic nature. Washing soda is usually found in the laundry aisle of grocery and drug stores.

Don't forget to pick up an empty spray bottle at the hardware store, and keep those old rags and used toothbrushes for wiping up and scrubbing.

Follow the link for recipes for various cleaners:

www.thegreenguide.com/home-garden/cleaning/diy-cleaners?source=email_gg_20090121&email=gg

[Tumbleweed]

I love info like this. I hate the strong fumes from most cleaners. Thanks. I already use baking soda and vinegar for a lot of things. I have never in my life heard of washing soda, though.

[misty]

I googled washing soda and heres what I found:

You can buy Washing soda at your local southern states of farm supply store. It is commonly known as soda ash.

Washing soda is a highly alkaline chemical compound which can be used to remove stubborn stains from laundry. It also has numerous uses around the house, and it is used in a range of industrial applications as well.

In laundry, washing soda accomplishes several things. The high alkalinity of washing soda helps it act as a solvent to remove a range of stains, and unlike bleach, washing soda does not usually stain. It is also used in detergent mixtures to treat hard water; the washing soda binds to the minerals which make water hard, allowing detergent to foam properly so that clothing will come out clean, without any residue. Sodium carbonate is also used by some textile artists, since it helps dyes adhere to fabric, resulting in deeper penetration and a longer lasting color.

Around the house, washing soda can be used to descale things like coffee machines and bathroom tiles which may accumulate mineral deposits as a result of exposure to hard water. It can also be used to strip floors of wax so that they can be refinished, and for other touch cleaning jobs like scrubbing the stove. However, you should wear gloves when cleaning with washing soda, because it is very caustic and it can cause severe skin damage. Incidentally, the best way to treat a chemical burn is with baking soda, also called sodium bicarbonate, as it is a buffer and it will neutralize both acids and alkalis. Apply baking soda to the site of the burn for several minutes, flush the wound with water, and seek medical attention.

Washing soda is sodium carbonate, which can also be found at pool supply stores. There aren't any stores around me that carry the washing soda and I could not justify the shipping cost for ordering it. After some research I found this little tidbit. It cost about the same in pool supply. You can get washing soda at pool supply stores. It is the same chemical as "PH up".

[Becky]

Distilled white vinegar: disinfects and breaks up dirt; choose white vinegar over apple cider or red vinegars, as these might stain surfaces
Hydrogen Peroxide: disinfects and bleaches

Ok, maybe it is just me, but I find that vinegar and peroxide stink. I dont care for the smell of them at all. So I always assumed if you used them to clean, it would just stink up the place. Does the smell bother any of you?

[Tumbleweed]

Actually, I agree. Vinegar doesn't have the most pleasant smell but I think the smell dissipates, either that or my nose just gets used to it. LOL Hydrogen Peroxide doesn't have a smell at all to me, hardly. Now regular peroxide is nasty. I have a feeling it may be a "each person is different" type thing. what is nasty to you may be pleasant to me. I dunno.

But wow, some of the products that are meant for cleaning are so strong! I can't hardly stand to go in someones house after they used Pine Sol (spelling?). It's an instant headache for me.

[Becky]

LOL I love pinesol. I know what you mean, about differnt smells, different people.

I also love the smell of murphys oil soap, and my husband gets sick from it.

I love the idea of DIY cleaners, as I do think that the cleaners I use are so unhealthy to breath. I switched to some all natural ones, but they are so expensive. Maybe I will try to use vinegar and some of the others, and hopefully get used to the smell.

[Tumbleweed]

I love the smell of Murphy Oil Soap too! And actually, I'm not really sure it is the best product out there, I think I use it more for the smell then the end results.