Green Clean House Cleaning

Toss what is making you and your family sick. Add wholesome, green, clean products.

It is super easy to make your own green household cleaners from just a few ingredients already in your kitchen.

The first time I thought about greening up my house-cleaning routine was when I became a mother. I strove to keep my family safe by making sure my daughter and later my son don’t get their hands on harsh chemicals and that we don’t breathe in toxic fumes from cleaners and deodorizers. However I was still using commercially bought products, and the list of ingredients on some of them was subpar. 

Also, switching to DIY home cleaning products is effective and easy on your wallet.

Toxic Ingredients

Here is the list of ingredients from a well-known, “green” product you can buy in any store:

• Water
• Decyl Glucoside
• Lauryl Glucoside
• Sodium Carbonate
• Sodium Gluconate
• Lauryl Ethoxylate
• Potassium Citrate
• Fragrance
• Polymeric Colorant.

If you check them with the Environmental Working Group’s Skin Deep Cosmetics Database, all but the last two are clean. “Fragrance” and “Colorant” are phrases that hide something unknown. While the product might be perfectly healthy and quick in making me feel better using it, why spend $5 on something unknown when you can make your own product that is as effective and for a fraction of the cost? 

Why Switch to Green, Clean Ingredients?

Since my illness, I knew I needed to up the ante. I wanted to know exactly what goes into everything used around the house. Unchecked chemicals can build up toxicities in our bodies, leading to major problems in the long run. Endocrine disruptors are chemicals that can interfere with endocrine (or hormonal) systems at certain doses. These disruptions can cause cancerous tumors, birth defects, and other developmental disorders. Why risk it?

7 Green Clean Ingredients from your Kitchen

You can make super effective laundry detergent, all purpose cleaner, bathroom desinfectant and so on with natural ingredients, most of each are good enough to eat. It takes less than a minute and it’s more effective and easier on your wallet.

Here are the super 7:

• white vinegar 
• lemon juice 
• liquid castile soap 
• hydrogen peroxide 
• baking soda 
• borax 
• washing soda 

Optional Additions:

• essential oils (for fragrance) 
• glass spray bottles and sustainable jars (avoid plastic as it can hide endocryn disruptors)

Take this all purpose cleaner as an example:

Mix 1 tsp of borax, 1/2 tsp washing soda, 1tsp castille soap with 2 cups of distilled water and (optionally) 15-20 drops of essential oil of choice (I like lemongrass, lemon, and eucalyptus blend). Place that in a spray bottle, shake vigorously, and done! You can us this as a surface cleaner and bathroom desinfectant. 

Or this scrubbing powder for sink, tub, and shower deep cleaning:

• 1 cup of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of washing soda
• 1/2 cup of non-iodized salt,
• a few drops of essential oil (optional)

Mix well together and keep in a jar. To use: wet the surface to be cleaned, sprinkle the powder generously, and let sit for five or so minutes. Come back and scrub the paste off with a brush (you may spray it with vinegar for extra deep cleaning afterward). 

I also like making my own air freshener/bathroom deodorizing spray:

• 3 tbsp of vodka or grain alcohol
• 1 cup of distilled water
• 15-20 drops of essential oils of choice (e.g. orange+mint, lavender+encalyptus, lemongrass+tea tree)

There are endless recipes for DIY cleaners on the internet, Pinterest, You Tube, etc. Enjoy!