Products To Avoid
- has high-level signal words
- contains chlorine, bleach or sodium hypochlorite
- contains ingredients derived from petroleum
- contains phosphate
What To Have
- baking soda (buy it in bulk!)
- salt
- distilled white vinegar
- scouring powder (when buying commercial scouring powder, buy brands that are free of chlorine bleach)
- liquid soap (look for perfume- and dye-free brands)
- lemon juice
- borax (although borax is a natural mineral and has no toxic fumes, it can still irritate skin and eyes, and should not be ingested - keep it out of the reach of children and pets)
How To Make The Basic Cleaners
All Purpose
- Mix 4 tablespoons of baking soda in one quart of water. Add vinegar to cut grease.
- Mix 2 teaspoons of borax, 1 teaspoon liquid soap and 1 quart water. Add vinegar to cut grease.
- For a scouring powder, sprinkle on baking soda or salt, scrub with a firm brush, and rinse.
- For a window cleaner, use a 50/50 mixture of vinegar and water in a pump spray bottle. Wipe with newspaper.
Kitchen
- For dishes, use liquid or powdered soap. Do not use detergents because they are petroleum-based. In dishwashers, use equal parts borax and washing soda.
- For the oven, clean with steel wool, baking soda and a few sprinkles of water.
- For linoleum floors, mop using a mild detergent and water. To preserve the floor, you might add a capful of baby oil to the mop water. Adding sour milk or skim milk to the rinse water will shine the floor without polishing.
Living Room
- For a furniture polish, use 2 parts olive or vegetable oil and one part lemon juice.
- For a carpet deodorizer, sprinkle baking soda and let stand for fifteen minutes or even overnight.
- For carpet stains, clean up spills as fast as you can. Blot or scrape up as much of the spill as possible, blotting from the outside toward the center. Blot it dry and then weight down a cushion of rags to soak up all the moisture. Borax can then be used according to label directions.
Bathroom
- For a tub and tile cleaner, scrub with powdered soap and a scouring powder made of baking soda or borax. Use vinegar to loosen lime deposits.
- For a toilet bowl cleaner, sprinkle baking soda into the toilet and scrub.
- To loosen lime deposits around faucets, cover with vinegar-soaked paper towels for about an hour before regular cleaning.
Laundry
- For a fabric softener, add a quarter cup of baking soda during the final rinse.
- For spray starch, dissolve 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in 1 pint of cold water in a spray bottle. Shake well before using.
- Avoid buying clothes that require dry cleaning. Commonly used dry cleaning solvents are extremely toxic.
Car
- For chrome, wipe with a soft cloth dipped in undiluted white or cider vinegar.
- For the interior, with a sponge or soft cloth apply a mixture containing two tablespoons of vegetable-based soap (such as Murphy's Oil Soap), a quarter cup of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of lemon essential oil (optional).