As a child, your parents tell you to clean your room or take care of other household chores. When you graduate to adulthood, the cleaning doesn’t stop. The only difference is that you don’t have someone bribing you with an allowance to clean your space. If you decide to have kids of your own, you will likely find out that they aren’t so neat. The moral of the story: the cleaning cycle never ends.
We don’t mean to sound like defeatists, but cleaning is a part of life. If you are a maker of messes, you have to know how to clean up properly. If you clean up after your kids, you may want to consider using natural cleaning products, as the harmful chemicals in commercial products may be dangerous to young ones. You can also reduce your own risk of chemical exposure by switching to all-natural cleaning products that you make yourself.
Why Make Your Own Natural Cleaner?
First of all, it can be very difficult to create or find an all-purpose and all-natural cleaning spray. Maybe you experiment with a concoction of your own, only to find that it really doesn’t do much. The cleaning power of the all-purpose cleaner in this recipe uses essential oils, borax, vinegar, and castile soap to help remove grime, soap scum, and everyday dirt.
Making your own cleaner takes less than a minute, and you can save money in the process. It is eco-friendly and free of the toxins found in many conventional household cleaning sprays. Plus, you can customize the surface cleaner by adding different essential oils that work for you.
Borax
You can incorporate borax into an all-purpose cleaning spray and use it on countertops, appliances, and windows. Some people find that it is highly effective at removing tough stains, dust, and food residue. You can often combine borax with water, shake it up, and pour in a spray bottle for use. In the case of this all-purpose cleaner, you combine it with other ingredients for safe and effective cleaning. If you are weary about using borax, you can always omit it from the recipe.
Essential Oils
First of all, not all essential oils are created equal. There are many essential oils out there, but a lot of them are not pure essential oils. That means that other ingredients are added, so you won’t get the maximum benefits. When making a cleaning product, make sure to add your essential oils last to the spray bottle. Oils and water don’t mix well, so make sure to give your bottle a good shake prior to use.
Washing Soda
Washing soda is different from baking soda. Baking soda is usually used alongside detergent to help get rid of stains or foul odors. It is usually gentler than washing soda, so it is not as efficacious. Washing soda is like a more amped-up version of baking soda that does a better job of removing stains and brightening colors when doing laundry. If used in excessive amounts and too frequently, though, it can be harsh on certain materials, specifically fabrics.
Natural All-Purpose Cleaner
Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon borax
- 1 teaspoon castile soap
- 1/2 teaspoon washing soda (not baking soda)
- 4 drops lemon essential oil
- 4 drops lavender essential oil
- 10 drops orange essential oil
- 2 cups distilled water
Instructions:
- Place the borax, castile soap, washing soda, and essential oils in an amber glass spray bottle.
- Pour in the distilled water until the glass is nearly full. Make sure to leave room for the sprayer to slide into the bottle.
- Screw on the lid, shake well, and use as needed. It is great for bathrooms, kitchen, or even on toys.
