How to Make a Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit
from http://www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html# (modified)

Most modern synthetic cleaning products are based on age-old formulas using natural ingredients that were passed down through the generations because the chemistry was right. Going back to the original naturally derived ingredients is a way to make cleaning products that work, don't pollute and save you money. Most are found in your kitchen cupboards. Mix and match with well-chosen and environmentally friendly green cleaning products found in health food stores, and you can easily and simply transform your home into a non-toxic and healthy haven.

Non-toxic cleaning can give you a deep feeling of gratification in knowing that your family's health is protected, and that your home is a place for your bodies to rest and recuperate rather than promote harm.

Making your own nontoxic cleaning kit will take you no time at all with these simple, straightforward directions, and with this kit you will be supplied with enough cleaning product for months of cleaning.

As an added bonus, ounce for ounce homemade cleaning formulas cost about one-tenth the price of their commercial counterpart—and that includes costly, but worthwhile essential oils, and concentrated, all-purpose detergents for homemade recipes.

As always, be careful when trying a new product or ingredient in your home. Test the cleaner in a small area first, especially on rugs and carpets, which could stain permanently.

SUPPLIES

• Baking soda: Acts as a water softener, odor remover, and scrubbing agent.
• Washing soda: dissolves easily in water and maintains an alkaline pH. The carbon in sodium carbonate also allows it to act as a water softener.
• Castile soap or other good liquid soap: Use as an all-purpose cleaner to cut grease and disinfect throughout the whole house.
• Lemon juice: Can be used as an all natural bleach, deodorant, stain-remover and grease-cutter.
• White distilled vinegar: Kills bacteria and eliminates odors. It also works to remove mildew, wax buildup, lime buildup, and grease.
• Tea tree oil: has beneficial medical properties when applied topically, including antiseptic, antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral action
• 6 clean spray bottles
• 2 glass jars

General cleaners

For most household cleaning, use a simple mix of white vinegar and water in a 1-to-1 ratio to remove dirt and germs. You can use this mixture to clean windows, floors, and countertops. Add a sprinkle of baking soda for scouring power to clean toilets, sinks, and bathtubs.

ALL-PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER

1/2 teaspoon washing soda
A dab of liquid soap
2 cups hot tap water

Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

VINEGAR DEODORIZER - kitchen & bathroom

Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom and use them for cleaning. I often spray the vinegar on our cutting board before going to bed at night, and don't even rinse but let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off.

All-purpose disinfectant. Mix two teaspoons borax, four tablespoons vinegar, and three cups hot water in a spray bottle for an all-natural, all-purpose disinfectant. Need to cut through kitchen counter grime? Add one-quarter teaspoon liquid soap to the mixture.

CREAMY SOFT SCRUBBER

Simply pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn't leave grit.

Note: Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Otherwise just make as much as you need at a time.

WINDOW CLEANER

1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
3 tablespoons vinegar (1 Tbsp. lemon juice)
2 cups water
Spray bottle
Micro-fiber cloth

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past. Spray and wipe with the micro-fiber cloth.

Note: Micro-fiber cloths with just water can also clean windows quite well. Use the spray above for television screens (do not use on flat screens), which collect more dirt due to the static electricity, and other glass objects which are quite dirty.

OVEN CLEANER

1 cup or more baking soda
Water
A squirt or two of liquid detergent

Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You could also make a paste using one cup of baking soda and water.

You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. Lift off large deposits with a spatula and scrub surface with a scouring pad. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn't work for you it is probably because you didn't use enough baking soda and/or water.

FURNITURE POLISH

1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax)
1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.

Most of the old folk formulas for furniture polish ask for 1/4 cup of oil or so, plus a few drops of vinegar. I feel those folk formulas leave the furniture too oily, and in hot weather there is a risk of the oil going rancid.

Instead, I've found that reversing those ratios —using 1/4 cup vinegar plus a few drops of oil—makes for a much better wood cleaner and polish. The vinegar pulls the dirt out of the wood, and the few drops of oil lubricates the wood so that it doesn't dry out.

The best oils to use are those that have the longest shelf life. Olive oil works well. The best choice of all is the liquid wax jojoba, because it never goes rancid. It is found in most health food stores. Boiled linseed oils found in hardware stores have synthetic drying chemicals in them and shouldn't be used. I do love the smell of linseed oil in a furniture polish—it is rich and nutty—but I only use that which is food grade.

You can substitute lemon juice for the vinegar. Organic apple cider vinegar is the best choice of vinegar, although I don't usually recommend this for general cleaning because of the possibility of staining. If you are cleaning something that could possibly stain, use white distilled vinegar.

Homemade Furniture Polish Cloth
Dip a soft recycled cloth, such as one of flannel, in the vinegar and oil mixture, and wipe furniture.

Lemon Oil Duster
Most commercial lemon oil is not all natural, but may contain petroleum distillates. Contact herbalists for pure sources of lemon oil. Traditionally, lemon oil has been used for furniture because it is so lubricating and antiseptic.

10 drops lemon oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
A few drops olive oil or jojoba

Dip a soft recycled cloth, such as one of flannel, in the lemon oil mixture, and wipe furniture.

 

MOLD KILLERS

Tea Tree Treasure
Nothing natural works for mold and mildew as well as this spray. I've used it successfully on a moldy ceiling from a leaking roof, on a musty bureau, a musty rug, and a moldy shower curtain. Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a very long way. Note that the smell of tea tree oil is very strong, but it will dissipate in a few days.

2 teaspoons tea tree oil
2 cups water

Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. Makes two cups.

Vinegar Spray
Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy area, and let set without rinsing. The vinegar smell will dissipate in a few hours.

 

Furniture polish. Mix a one-to-one ratio of olive oil and vinegar to clean and polish wood furniture.

Metal cleaners. Use sliced lemons to clean the tarnish from brass, copper, bronze, and aluminum. For extra dirty jobs, sprinkle the item with baking soda and then rub with lemon. To clean sterling silver, line a plastic or glass bowl with aluminum foil. Sprinkle the foil with a little salt and baking soda and then fill the bowl with warm water. Soak silver items in this mixture and the tarnish will migrate from your silver to the aluminum foil. Rinse and dry the silver, then buff it with a soft, clean cloth.

Floors. To get floors clean without harmful chemicals, add one cup of vinegar per pail of hot water. For linoleum floors, combine one-quarter cup washing soda, one tablespoon of liquid soap, one-quarter cup vinegar, and two gallons hot water. This will work on everything from muddy footprints to greasy spills. But do not use this formula on waxed floors.

Tubs and sinks. Baking soda and liquid soap can work wonders in your bathroom. Simply sprinkle baking soda on porcelain tubs and sinks. Add a little of the liquid soap to a wet cloth and use it to rub in the baking soda. Rinse well to avoid leaving a hazy film.

Toilets. Make your toilet sparkle by adding one-half cup vinegar to the toilet bowl. Allow it to sit for thirty minutes and then scrub with a toilet brush. Alternatively, sprinkle a little baking soda inside the bowl and scrub. To clean the outer surfaces, sprinkle a wet cloth with baking soda and wipe down toilet.

Drain cleaner. Clean sink and tub drains by pouring one-half cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by one cup vinegar. Let the mixture sit for fifteen minutes and then rinse with hot water. For tough clogs, use the same mixture but allow it to sit overnight before rinsing.

Carpeting and rugs. Few areas of the home get dirty faster than the floor. Fabric flooring tends to soak up the odors of the home, whether they are related to a pet or child. To absorb odors and clean your carpet naturally, sprinkle baking soda over the surface of the carpet and let it stand for fifteen to thirty minutes before vacuuming. For more intense cleaning, check out these recipes from Sierra Club Canada (www.sierraclub.ca) for handling heavy-duty dirt and stains.

• Chocolate: Make a paste from borax and water. Rub into the stain.
• Coffee: Rub club soda into the coffee spot and wipe up with a towel or sponge.
• Grease: Cover with cornstarch or cornmeal, let sit a while, rub in, and vacuum.
• Heavy-duty carpet cleaner: Make a paste from one-quarter cup each of salt, vinegar, and borax. Rub into the spot and let dry before vacuuming.
• Mud: Rub salt into the mud. Let dry for one hour and vacuum.
• Red wine: Cover the stain with salt while wet. Let dry completely, and then vacuum.

Mold cleaner. Prevent mold and mildew, by repairing leaks and using an exhaust fan in bathrooms or a dehumidifier in areas where there is a lot of humidity in the air. To clean mold and mildew, mix one-half cup of borax in one gallon of hot water. Spray on and wipe off. Scrub mildew spots with a mixture of borax and water and a scouring pad. Machine wash fabric shower curtains adding one cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.

Porcelain cleaner. Clean porcelain with a paste made from baking soda and water. Rub the paste into the item, let set, wipe clean, and rinse. Use a fine grain wet/dry sandpaper (400 grit) to remove stains from porcelain sinks.