Natural Home Cleaners from Doralynn Jordan
Most homes contain various store-bought products for cleaning. Many
of these manufactured cleaning products
are toxic. You can replace
these products with safer alternatives that are easy to make and
economical, too.
============ ========= ========= ====
The basic ingredients are items that are either readily available in
your home or easy to find at your
local grocery store. Homemade
cleaners are versatile, so they require less storage space than all
of your conventional
cleaning products. The results are impressive
and will equal and often outperform commercial cleaners.
Basic ingredients checklist
Baking soda
Vinegar
Water
Lemon juice
Ammonia
Salt
Borax
Vegetable
or olive oil
Club soda
Isopropyl alcohol
Toothpaste
Spray bottles
Before you get started
Mix in a well-ventilated area.
Label containers and store in a safe place.
Use
containers with tight-fitting lids.
Don't reuse old containers from other cleaners.
Don't mix bleach and ammonia.
Don't
store in food containers.
Test an area before using any cleaner.
Quick tips
Dusting — Re-use dryer sheets, instead of Pledge or Swiffer cloths.
Linoleum floors
— Use club soda.
Fabric softener — Add vinegar to the rinse cycle.
Microwave cleaner — Mix 2 tablespoons
of baking soda or lemon juice
and 1 cup of water in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for five
minutes or until the
liquid boils and condensation builds up inside
the microwave.
Chrome cleaner — Use toothpaste.
Dishwasher rinse — Use 1-1/2 cups of white vinegar added to the rinse
compartment of your
dishwasher.
The following recipes are safe and non-toxic.
Glass Cleaner
1 gallon water
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon liquid dish detergent
or
1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
Mix and add to a spray
bottle.
Wood Floor Cleaner
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Mix well.
All-Purpose Cleaner
1 tsp. borax
1/2 Tsp. washing soda
2 T. lemon juice
In a spray bottle, combine
the ingredients with 1 cup of hot water
and shake.
Furniture Polish
1 cup vegetable or olive oil
½ cup lemon juice
Combine in a spray bottle mix,
shake well and apply a small amount to
a cloth.
Multi-Purpose Deep Cleaner
1 cup household ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
1
gallon warm water
Mix well.
As you can see, homemade cleaners are simple and frugal to make. They
are safe and effective, too. Replacing
even one of your conventional
cleaners with a greener alternative can make a difference. You've got
to ask yourself
if you're "killing yourself" trying to clean your
house with commercial chemicals.
Pest Control From The Kitchen from Doralynn Jordan
Whether in the garden, yard or in the house, all of us have at one
time or another had to deal with
pests. Here are some ways to get rid
of insects and other pests without spending a lot on expensive
products.
1. For garden pests, make a mixture of 1 tablespoon liquid
dishwashing soap and 1 cup of cooking oil.
Mix about 3 tablespoons of
this concentrate with a quart of water in a pump bottle, and spray it
on the plants. Another
recipe for insect control: soak citrus rind
(lemon, orange, grapefruit) in water for a few days. Pour the water
into
a pump bottle and spray on plants.
2. Sprinkle cayenne pepper around plants to keep cats away.
3. Cucumber peel on a kitchen shelf will deter ants. You can also try
washing or spraying your cabinets
with vinegar and water.
4. Basil is a natural insect repellent. Keep a pot in your kitchen.
Take a few leaves along with you
on a picnic and put them out on the
table to keep the flies away.
5. Bay leaves in your pantry will keep pests away. A bay leaf in a
container of flour, cornmeal or cereal
will keep weevils out.
6. Plant peppermint around your house. It will keep ants out, and it
repels mice also.
7. Cinnamon sprinkled around your foundation is said to keep ants out.
8. Weeds are not really pests, but they can be really pesky! Hot
water will kill most unwanted plants.
Just boil some water and pour
it over the plant you want to kill. Some weeds may require more than
one dousing.
9. Mint tea bags can be used in your clothing drawers or in your
closet to repel moths.
