Green Cleaning

I loved 'being green', before being green was cool. I was an UVM grad, after all, and Vermont has always been a little ahead of the curve when it comes to the environment. While we have always used green cleaning products in our home, we've also been guilty of using some very not-green ones.

When I was pregnant with A, I went through and cleaned out every toxic cleaning product I could find, and vowed that during my maternity leave, I'd make a whole slew of all-natural cleaners that we'd use exclusively after the baby was born. Ha! That did NOT happen. 

This past weekend, I set out to finally check that item off my list. I had pinned several natural, homemade cleaning recipes for future reference, and was so thankful I did that. I've listed the original sources along with the recipes, below.

INGREDIENTS

• White Vinegar
• Washing Soda*
• Castile Soap
• Essential Oils
• Baking Soda
• Ammonia
• 6 empty spray bottles
• Labels

*I, of course, didn't look to see what I needed before I started this project. Luckily, I googled Washing Soap, and found out that you can make this from baking soda (original post here).

I purchased these bottles the week before, so that I'd have fresh bottles to work with, and this sample pack of essential oils.

RECIPES

One thing of note before beginning... the reviews of the plastic bottles all recommend waiting for your mixture to cool completely before attaching the spray-component. So while these are all relatively easy to make, I did wait almost 6 hours for them to cool before using them.

All-Purpose Cleaner (original post here)
• 3 tablespoons vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Washing Soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Castile Soap
• 2 cups hot water

I was impressed with how well this worked. I definitely thought it cleaned just as well as my other all-purpose cleaners.

Grease Cutter (original post here)
• 2 Cups water
• 1/4 Cup Castile Soap
• 10 drops lavender oil

Again, impressed with how effective this was. I've never used a specific cleaning product just for grease, but it really did a great job on the stove and countertops after a weekend of cooking. It also smells pretty good, too!

Tub & Tile Cleaner (original post here)
• 2/3 Cup baking soda
• 1/2 Cup Castile Soap
• 2 Tablespoons vinegar
• 1/2 Cup water
• A few drops of Tea Tree oil

This may be my new favorite cleaning product. I was literally amazed how well this worked, and how well it smelled. The recipe above does not make a lot, so the next time, I would double it. The bathroom is a place I tend to use very abrasive cleaning products, and honestly felt that this was just as effective. The best part was that the bathroom smelled of Tea Tree Oil instead of cleaning products, afterwards!

Glass Cleaner (original post here)

• 1 cup Water
• 1/4 cup White Vinegar
• 2 to 3 drops Dawn Dish Soap

I didn't use Dawn Dish Soap, since I only had Castile soap. This works well, although you have to wait for it to 'evaporate' a bit from the glass. At first it looks a little hazy and dirty, but within 30 seconds the glass was clean and dry.

Miracle Stain Remover (original post here)
• 2/3 cup Dawn Dishsoap
• 2/3 cup ammonia
• 6 tablespoon Baking Soda
• 2 cup warm water

 Warning: this makes ALOT. more than could fit in a 16oz spray bottle. I recommend cutting the recipe in half.

 I haven't had to use this yet, but I'm sure A will find a reason for me to try it soon! I promise to post about how effective it is, especially since this is the product I'm most skeptical of.

Linen Spray (original post here)
• 2 tablespoons Vodka
• 10 drops of essential oil
• 1 cup warm water

Love this! Easy to make, smells great and dries quickly. I give our couch and rug a quick spray every other day to avoid the dog-smell that sometimes takes over the house. This works very well, and I'm not worried about A being on the couch immediately afterwards since it contains no harsh ingredients.

I didn't realize it when I purchased the spray bottles, but they were also the perfect size to store in my wooden create (purchased from Hobby Lobby years ago)!

Love that my new products also have cute new storage :)
Would love to hear what kind of green cleaning products you are using in your home!

Happy Thursday, friends!

Linking up with A Bowl Full of Lemons