I read this in another thread (http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=10172&highlight=baking+soda):

you can clean your whole house with baking soda, vinegar, and a few drops of different types of essential oils.

It made me curious since I would love to use some homemade cleaner instead of the chemical-heavy store brought ones (even the "green" cleaners have dozens of ingredients).

So if anyone actually does use such homemade cleaners, please share your experiences and "recipes".

Thanks!! :)

ohh, i'll have to dig mine out. but the vinegar and baking soda thing is so easy. i just bought one of those re-fillable spray bottles, and mixed a solution of 2 parts water and 1 part distilled white vinegar. i put baking soda in a container with a lid that allows for sprinkling. then i go around to counter tops, walls, tile floors, toilets, tubs, sinks, spray with the vineger mixture, sprinkle with the soda, wait a minute or two, and then wipe clean (using water if neccessary). white vinegar is naturally anti-bacterial.

We use straight vinegar, not diluted, in a small spray bottle. (Plain white vinegar. Buy it by the gallon.) Works for almost anything. Baking soda, a mild abrasive, is terrific in place of cleansers.

When used together, they create a surprising foam that's excellent for clearing clogged drains as well as safely cleaning almost any surface. We don't use them together too often b/c we've found that they generally work well separately.

Both vinegar and baking soda cut through grease, eliminate odors, are excellent fabric softeners in the wash, can help reduce the amt of laundry detergent and dishwashing liquid you use (sink only, not dishwasher), and are great room deodorizers.

For really tough jobs, we use a citrus-based cleaner ("Right Stuff") or another enviro-friendly cleaner ("Earth Rite").

We haven't used anything else in over 10 yrs.

Those mini-steamers are also good for the really tough jobs. I have a friend who uses one quite often. What could be safer than plain water?

:)

For cleaning grease from the stove, I use a mix of vinegar and table salt. Works better than the degreaser crap my roommate bought a while back and is non-toxic.

I also have a recipe I'll have to dig out for a shower spray--I think it's basically vinegar and borax, but I'm unsure of the mix. It works like those "clean shower" sprays so you don't have to clean your shower as much.

Plain white vinegar and old newspapers works as good as anything to clean mirrors and windows.

I've been using vinegar and baking soda to clean almost exclusively for years. I have recipes to make them smell nice, but I'm too cheap, er, thrifty to buy the essential oils. Somewhere in my office I have a book of recipes for homemade, environmentally-friendly cleaners -- something for almost any purpose. I'll try to dig it up soon.

I read that vinegar can be used in place of jet dry in a dishwasher. I haven't tried this, mostly because I very rarely use my dishwasher for anything but a drying rack. But it'd still be nice to know if it works -- has anyone tried this?

You should read the book "Clean House Clean Planet" by Karen Logan. It has alot of good recipes that use just vinegar, baking soda, and castile soap.

I make a floor cleaner (from the book I mentioned above) by mixing a solution of 1 cup water, 1 cup white vinegar, and a few drops tea tree oil(for fragrance). I put it in a spray bottle. It works great.

When I do a load of laundry, I use half of the recommended amount of detergent, filling the rest of the cup with baking soda. This also works very well. (Another tip from the book.)

For general cleaning, I just sprinkle baking soda on a sponge along with a squirt of castile soap(I like Dr. Bronner's Peppermint). When I'm done, I rinse with a little water, and use a spray bottle with vinegar to get rid of any baking soda residue.

When I do a load of laundry, I use half of the recommended amount of detergent, filling the rest of the cup with baking soda. This also works very well. (Another tip from the book.)



Have you ever tried laundry soda? I use it in every load of laundry and it works great. I also use borax in my laundry--sometimes I don't even use detergent.

Is that soda ash? (I think it's also called washing soda?) I have some on hand that I use to make the stuff I dye colorfast, but I've never used it for laundry. How much do you use? It would be nice to not have to use detergent!

I swear that baking soda is a miricle! So is vinigar, but it smells funny :s
I mean, not only can you use baking soda for brushing your teeth and as deodorant, but as an all pourpose cleaner aswell! I love it! For scrubbing floors i just take a damp cloth and put making soda on it! and watch that floor shine! wha-hoo! (ok someone has to make cleaning sound semi fun) umm vinigar is great too! i use it lots n lots!!! xoxo :bobo: :vebo:

Is that soda ash? (I think it's also called washing soda?) I have some on hand that I use to make the stuff I dye colorfast, but I've never used it for laundry. How much do you use? It would be nice to not have to use detergent!

Could be the same thing...I've only ever purchased it as laundry soda, but I'm sure washing soda is similar.

Yeah, it's nice to not use detergent very often! Some baking soda, some laundry soda, and some borax (usually about 1/2 cup of each, but I don't really know 'cause I just dump some in) works well for cleaning non-heavily-soiled loads. Use the hottest temp water appropriate for the load and it's a good idea to mix the stuff with hot water and then add to the wash water as it's entering the machine. Otherwise, you can end up with powder on your clothes.

Vinegar and hydrogen peroxide (keep in separate spray bottles, spray onto surface together when cleaning) make a good disinfectant - and the peroxide completely eliminates the vinegar smell! Obviously, don't use this on anything that you're worried about bleaching. I use it mainly to clean my rats' cages.

I have allergies. Baking soda is the only thing that will a) clean the house and b) allow me to breathe while cleaning is being done.

has anyone heard of Magick Colloid Cleaner? I saw it at this site:


www.kokogm.com/Green_Market/HouseholdCleaning.html


I wondered how well it worked.

I'd love to use the baking soda and vinegar for cleaning, but I'd like to know which essential oils would work to make it smell nice. I hate the smell of vinegar. Also, how do you get this stuff to go around the inside of your toilet bowls?

I started a thread very similar a while back, and got a lot of great advice from pghmountainbiker:

http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=8602

My grandma used to always clean with vinegar. She was like the windex guy on My Big fat Greek Wedding. Every time I smell it, I think of her. It is an excellent cleaner, but can get pretty stinky. Mixing baking soda and vinegar in your pipes is a good deplugger (is that a word?):). The chemical reaction breaks down clogs like drano would.

By the way Oatie...I lurv your avatar. You look like a sexy tomato man!!!

:hamster:

Sunshine is back!!! The tomatoes are homegrown!! :lick: :D

ive started using baking soda for cleaning my teeth (the recipe i use is from 'How it All Vegan', and also includes salt, peppermint oil and tea tree oil). It works a treat! :cool:

I really like the idea of making my own cleaners. I can't decide if I want to buy the book " Clean house, clean planet" or "Clean and Green". If anyone has read both books and recommends one over the other, please let me know. I am leaning towards the first one since Pip recommended it.

Dish Soap works great on bathtubs. I don't know why, but it makes the porceline shinier than anything I've ever used.

:hamster:

Sunshine is back!!! The tomatoes are homegrown!! :lick: :D
Yeah, my bro in law dropped off my computer. He didn't realize he had taken it.

A vinegar and water mixture works great for cleaning up cat pee too, and that's the mother of all stains.

ive started using baking soda for cleaning my teeth (the recipe i use is from 'How it All Vegan', and also includes salt, peppermint oil and tea tree oil). It works a treat! :cool:
ooh..that sounds great! I didn't know you could use tea tree oil like that though? I guess it's okay if you don't swallow it..??

Wow. I had no idea. I am going to try the vinegar cleansers. Does anyone know if you can use other vinegars, like apple cider or rice? Does it have to be white distilled to be antiseptic?

Oh, and the white toothpaste for silver cleaning-that works sooo well. I started doing that years ago. It works better than any chemical cleaner for sure.

If you have hard water, the lime deposits sometimes build up (or least that's what makes the water really hard where I live). Straight vinegar dissolves it like no other. House smells, but it works.