Natural cleaning tips include using homemade cleaners that are safe for the environment. Most natural household cleaners are available at home or at the grocery store.
Whether a house needs a good spring cleaning or just everyday cleaning, using natural cleaning tips to get the job done is easy. Many products that are environmentally friendly are already in many homes. These products are often used in cooking, like vinegar and baking soda, or for personal use, like olive-oil based soap and hydrogen peroxide.
Whole Property Management Team says that knowing how to use these all natural cleaners is a good first step to living a green life at home. Testing each of the homemade cleaners on a small, unseen portion, like the bottom of a pan, of what is going to be cleaned is a good practice to ensure the item being cleaned will not be damaged from scratching or fading.
All-natural Cleaners From the Kitchen
The kitchen is a goldmine of all natural cleaners. Many items can be successfully used to create homemade cleaners that will clean the house without using household chemicals often found in commercially available, prepackaged cleaners. The following list contains common kitchen products and their applications in natural cleaning:
- Baking soda can be used as a soft-type scrub to clean almost anything.
- Cornmeal can be used as an abrasive scrub on kitchen sinks, pots and pans, bathroom sinks and bathtubs.
- Lemon, lime, orange, or grapefruit peel can be rubbed on cutting boards, kitchen counters, and sinks to deodorize and lightly bleach items, and to freshen the air.
- Salt acts as an antibacterial scrub to disinfect surfaces and will not scratch most surfaces.
- Vinegar can be used to dissolve calcium buildup on faucets, fixtures, and drains; to remove tarnish; and can be added to the washing machine to clean clothes.
Homemade Cleaners From the Bathroom Cabinet
The bathroom cabinet may not be the place that first comes to mind for natural cleaning products but it does contain a few ingredients for homemade cleaners. The following list contains some bathroom-type personal products and their applications in natural cleaning:
- Hydrogen peroxide can be used to disinfect because of its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties. Also removes stains from clothing.
- Olive oil-based soap, also known as Castille soap, can be used as a gentle cleaning solution.
- Pumice stone can be carefully used as an abrasive cleaner to remove water deposits and hard water mineral build up. Ground pumice stone can also be added to homemade soap recipes as an exfoliate.
Additional All Natural Cleaners to Consider
Homemade cleaners also can be made from less common products that are all natural. These items can be purchased at grocery stores, health food stores, or the Internet. The following list contains a few of the items to consider for natural cleaning:
- Beeswax can be used to polish furniture and wood floors. It is available from bee keepers and on the Internet and from craft stores.
- Borax can be used on heavily soiled areas such as the oven, garages, basements, etc. to clean. It is advisable for people with sensitive skin to wear rubber gloves when cleaning with borax solution.
- Essential oils, such as eucalyptus, lavender, pine, and tea tree can be used in small amounts. They can be added to cleaning solutions for fragrance and as a disinfectant. Caution is advised for allergic reactions
Using Natural Cleaning Tips to the Best Advantage
Reading a book on making homemade cleaners is advisable to understand how each component works, the ratios to use, and what products to avoid mixing. Being aware of the natural products and how they can replace caustic products that contain chemicals is the first step to making a green house into a home for comfort and health.