A Simple, Homemade, All-Purpose Cleaner

As we talked about here, store-bought cleaning supplies can be harmful to humans, animals, and the planet!  We shared a recipe for a homemade disinfecting spray here and below are a few recipes for homemade cleaning supplies! These safe and effective cleaners use simple ingredients that you probably have around your home.

A simple all-purpose cleaner

Nothing beats vinegar and water for cleaning countertops, floors, walls, windows, and mirrors.  For countertops, add equal parts vinegar and water (safe for our surfaces except for stone and granite). For floors, you can combine one-part white vinegar and two parts warm water in a bucket and mop away dirt (not recommended for wood floors).  For the walls, windows, and mirrors, you can combine one part white vinegar and four parts water. It may smell like pickles after you are done, but that aroma will quickly dissipate!!

Heavy duty scrub

For cleaning and deodorizing (think toilets), you can pour ½ cup baking soda into the toilet and add ½ cup vinegar to the bowl and scrub.  Add essential oil (I recommend tea tree oil to the vinegar for a nice clean smell.)

Heavy duty stains

Tub and showers can have soap scum which is hard to get rid of!  You can spray pure white vinegar on mildew stains and let sit for 30 minutes and then rinse with warm water.  Unfortunately, the only way to get rid of black mold or mildew is to use bleach, but you can still limit your exposure by only using bleach when needed.

Sources: https://greatist.com/