Last Updated on Friday, 11 November 2011 04:05 Posted by Home Cure Wednesday, 8 June 2011 07:46

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The goal of a good, thorough housecleaning is a home that smells fresh, sparkles with cleanliness, and presents a healthful, pleasant environment.  Unfortunately, in this day and age you may not be getting quite the results you bargained for!

Most of the cleaning products in stores today are supposed to make house-keeping easier and better, but in reality only make it more complicated and hazardous. This is obvious the moment you take the time to read the labels of these “helpful” products:  most give poison center phone numbers, toxic waste disposal information and disclaimers for allergic reactions.  They smell bad, may burn your skin and eyes, or can cause headaches, irritability and shortness of breath.

You may be asking yourself, “Isn’t there there a better way?”

Don’t despair!  We’ve taken the time to put together some healthy, easy, economical and ecological alternatives:

All-Purpose Spray Cleaner
This all-purpose spray cleaner cleanses and disinfects surfaces. The essential oils have strong anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-viral properties, as well as being tough degreasers.  Just combine the following ingredients in a spray bottle and clean away!

6 oz distilled water
2 oz denatured alcohol
¼ tsp lemon, lime or grapefruit essential oil
10 drops tea tree oil

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Vinegar and baking soda dissolve mineral buildup, while essential oils loosen grime and give a fresh, clean scent. Pour the following mix into the toilet bowl and let it sit for several hours or overnight.

2 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp baking soda
½ tsp orange essential oil
½ tsp grapefruit essential oil
1 cup distilled water

Wood Furniture Polish
To clean and condition your wood furniture, warm this mixture slightly and apply to wood in small amounts, then rub with a soft cloth.

2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
3 drops lemon essential oil
1½ cups water

Carpet Deodorizer
To deodorize your carpets, mix the following ingredients, sprinkle on your carpets, leave for 10 minutes and vacuum up. (Please check for color fastness. Do not use on wet carpet.)

1 cup baking soda
20 drops of your favorite non-resinous essential oil

Fabric Softener
For fresh and clean smelling laundry, add the following to the final rinse cycle of your wash. The scent of lavender essential oil also has a calming and uplifting effect.

½ cup white vinegar
20 drops lavender essential oil

Window Cleaner
To clean your windows to a sparkle while also discouraging flies and other critters from invading your home, spray this mix onto your windows. Buff with a clean towel and then scrub and shine them with sheets of newspaper (black and white only.)

½ cup vinegar
6 cups warm water
½ tsp peppermint essential oil
½ tsp lemon essential oils

Hand Sanitizer
Here is an all-natural hand sanitizer that really does the job. Be sure to rinse hands with it often to help keep germs at bay.

2 oz denatured alcohol
2 oz distilled water
5 drops lemongrass essential oil

 

1. 

   asciscopecunia

   August 1, 2011 at 4:09 am

   I love using safe and natural ingredients for cleaning! Try vodka. It works really well too.

   http://www.tspcleaner.com
2. 

   homecureblog

   August 1, 2011 at 4:29 pm

   Thanks for the tip! And for our readers who’d like to learn more about this natural option, we found this interesting how-to article on ehow.com: http://www.ehow.com/how_4556886_cleaning-vodka.html