Saturday, October 4, 2008

DIY Earth-Friendly Cleaning Products

I found recipes for DIY eco-friendly cleaning products on The GirlieGirl Army blog. This site has awesome content ranging from 'cheap couture' to 'Best of' lists and indie band reviews.
Check out the orignial post HERE, or read below for the simple, easy to follow recipes...for most of them all you need is Dr. Bronner's soap, baking soda/powder and white vinegar!
BTW, doesn't Dr. Bronner look creepy? He looks like one of those scientists in my dusty Houghton Mifflin textbooks from the '80's...

Text is from the original post, from http://girliegirlarmy.com/this_week/on_our_radar/

ALL PURPOSE CLEANER: 2 TBSP White Vinegar, 1 Teaspoon Borax (natural soap), 16 ounces of hot water, 1/4 cup Dr. Bronner’s. Mix vinegar and Borax in a clean spray bottle. Fill with water and shake until the Borax has dissolved. Add Dr. Bronners. Shake and use.

KITCHEN ALL PURPOSE: Baking Soda, Essential oil. Fill a shaker halfway with Baking Soda. Add 20 drops Essential oil of your choice. Stir. Add more Baking Soda, then shake. Sprinkle a bit on dirty surface, then sponge off with warm water. Rinse well.

FOR FILTHY POTS: 1 cup fine-grade Pumice, 1/2 cup Clay Powder, 2 TBSP grapefruit essential oil, 1/4 cup Baking Soda, 1/4 cup Sodium Lauryl Sulfacetate, 1/2 cup Boiling Water - enough for thick paste. Mix all ingredients together and stir. Store in a container that closes tightly. To use, apply gently with a damp sponge or cloth and scrub.

FLOOR CLEANER: White Vinegar, Water, and Essential oil. Fill a squirt bottle with equal amounts of Vinegar and Water. Add 20 drops oil. Mix and squirt on floor.

FOR THE BATHROOM: 1 2/3 cups baking soda, 1/2 cup Dr. Bronners, 1/2 cup Water, 2 TBSPS White Vinegar. Mix Baking Sode and Dr. Bronners in a bowl. Dilute with water, and add the Vinegar. Mix with a fork until lumps are gone and mixture has a smooth consistency, adding a little more water is fine. Pour into a squeeze container, then shake well. Keep lid on firmly to avoid drying out. Use.
Alternates: 1 cup Dr. Bronners, 1/2 cup Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon Borax, 6 cups hot Peppermint tea, 1 teaspoon Eucalyptus Essential Oil. Add Mint tea to liquid soap, stir to mix well. Add baking soda, borax and eucalyptus oil. Store in plastic jug or squirt bottle. Shake before using. This soap can be used for washing floors, tubs, and cleaning almost anything (except your mouth after a round of dirty cursing).

FOR THE TOILET: Use White Vinegar and a brush. Baking soda can also be used if you like the SoftScrub vibe.

GLASS CLEANER: 1/4 cup White Vinegar, 1/2 cup Dr. Bronners, 2 cups Water, Essential Oil (only if you’re fancy.) Mix soap and water in a spray bottle. Add vinegar and essential oil. Shake it up and spray. We suggest using old newspaper to clean mirrors and windows. It’s exponentially more effective, and lighter on planet earth since you are re-using. To use, spray and wipe. If you don’t want to add the soap (which requires a stronger arm, but think of the bicepts you’ll have!!), it’s fine to omit it and stick with 1 cup of Vinegar per 2 cups of Water. Alternates: Experiment with lemon juice, club soda, and cornstarch, all of which (mixed together) clean windows well.

KEY LIME DISH DETERGENT POWDER: This recipe is a litte more elaborate, so only go there when you are feeling super badass. 1/2 cup Clay Powder, 2 TBSP Lime Essential Oil, 2 cups Sodium Lauryl Sulfoacetate, 6 cups Baking Soda. Wear a dust mask to mix this formula. Mix clay powder and essential oil; then, in a 2 gallon pail, combine the baking soda and sodium lauryl sulfoacetate. Mix well. You can convert this recipe to a liquid detergent by mixing 2 TBSP’n of powder to 2 cups boiling water, and stir until ingredients are dissolved. You should use a squeeze top bottle to store this. To use, add aboout a tablespoon of powder or liquid per sink-load while filling sink. For tough jobs, make a paste by adding water and rubbing directly on spot.

LAUNDRY DETERGENT: Use Dr. Bronners, straight up. We like the Lavender scent! Use two small cap fulls for a large load of dirty clothes.

FABRIC SOFTENER: Toss 1/4 cup of White Vinegar to the last rinse cycle of your wash load. Don’t worry, it won’t smell like vinegar. The Vinegar also brightens, like a natural bleach.

DRYER SHEETS: Pour a few drops of Essential Oil (your choice of smell, there are so many!) on a hand towel or wash cloth. Toss in dryer with your clothes. Re-use forever (adding the drops of essential oil each time).

3 comments:

Tracy Roa said...

These tips sound great. I'll have try to them some time. Thanks!

Kimberly said...

ooo thanks for this girl -- def. gonna put it to good use!
and thanks for the compliment on my Toki-inspired tattoo!
It's finally healing up nicely ^_^

Neeyuh said...

Awesome post! I love DIY stuff, especially earth friendly. I'm definitely gonna try these!

Ohh and yes Dr.Bronner does look creepy he looks like a weirder Bill Nye the science guy! lol (I hope you know who that is, if not I just made a lame comparison! haha)