Easy Green Cleaning Products That Work!

Last Updated on November 30, 2023 by Cathy

It’s finally spring and the grass is turning green, the flowers are popping up, and the birds are singing. After a long cold winter and my curtains drawn shut to keep the cold air out it’s nice to let the fresh air and sunshine in.

The sunshine lifts my spirits and gets me in the mood for some spring cleaning. There’s nothing better than coming home to a house that looks and smells good. But, if you’re using conventional brand names your home may not be so fresh, and the ingredients are very toxic. Have you ever thought about using green cleaning products?

Conventional household cleaners you buy from your local store are full of toxins. They cause many health problems including cancer. Unfortunately, some brands claim to be “natural” or “green.” But these are just gimmicks to get you to buy their products.

The USDA regulates “certified organic” produce. But they don’t regulate it for household cleaning supplies. As a matter of fact, manufacturers aren’t even required to list all their ingredients. This allows manufacturers to sneak in chemicals and not put them on the ingredient list.

The best way to avoid toxic household cleaners is to make your own. Making your own natural products costs literally pennies compared to store-bought brands. The best part… most of them are probably already in your kitchen! Baking soda and vinegar are powerful cleaners for any room in your house.

Toxic Cleaning Supplies

I remember the days when I would use conventional cleaners like bleach or ammonia. I thought that chemical smell meant my house was clean. Those strong chemicals always made my eyes water and it was difficult to breath when I used them.

Even walking down the cleaning aisle at the grocery store always made it difficult for me to breathe. Knowing what I wanted I would quickly dart in, holding my breath, then quickly dart out. And cleaning my oven with those toxins – that was the worst.

Even air fresheners, candles, or “natural fragrances” produce dangerous indoor pollutants. Some of these air pollutants are a known human carcinogen. They worsen asthma, and lung diseases, and put you at a higher risk for a heart attack or stroke.

Switching to Green Cleaning Products

As I started cleaning up my diet I realized I needed to clean up my environment too. That’s when I made the switch to natural cleaning supplies and essential oils. Making the switch was extremely easy and you can do it too.

I’m all about doing things the easy way but that doesn’t mean using natural products that don’t work. I’m a little bit of a clean freak. I need things clean and organized or it drives me crazy (not in an obsessive-compulsive way). But, I’ve tried many different recipes only to get disappointed.

I also don’t like using multiple items to make one cleaning product, the fewer the better. It’s like when I follow a food recipe (which I don’t really like to do), the fewer ingredients the better. If you struggle with fatigue, weakness, or balance issues you don’t need to be standing for long periods at a time.

Here’s my list of 4 easy green cleaning supplies:

1. White vinegar
2. Baking soda
3. Castile soap – Dr. Bonner’s Pure-Castile Liquid Soap or Citrus or Sal’s Suds Biodegradable Cleaner
4. Essential oils

These are also handy to have:

Broom
Empty spray bottles (glass and plastic)
Mop (I use a steam cleaner)
Microfiber cloths
Scrub brush
Squeegee (for shower and windows)
Old toothbrush (for scrubbing in tight areas)

Saving Money

The best part about making your own green cleaning products you don’t have to spend a lot of money. You can buy them in bulk and they are still pretty reasonable saving you hundreds of dollars each year.

Most do-it-yourself cleaning products cost less than $1 to make! Compared to $5-$15 per bottle for most store-bought products.

White Vinegar Uses

It’s amazing how much you can do with just a few inexpensive items. Vinegar is a natural disinfectant. It works well for kitchen, bathroom, and laundry areas. Vinegar is strong smelling at first but it disappears rather quickly.

White vinegar is one of my favorite natural cleaners and disinfectants. I use it for just about everything. The acidity in the vinegar kills bacteria, germs, mold, and viruses.

Vinegar also kills mold spores whereas bleach only kills mold on non-porous surfaces. Which allows the mold to grow back. Use vinegar in damp areas like in your shower.

Items you can clean with white vinegar:

• Coffeemaker
• Countertops
• Floors
• Front of doorways to keep ants and other bugs out
• Laundry (as a softener and removes smells)
• Mirrors
• Showers
• Toilets
• Tubs
• Windows

You can also use full-strength vinegar outside to kill weeds and grass where you don’t want it to grow. You can also soak a sponge in vinegar and place it in your garden. It will keep pests like rabbits out, it even works keeping cats out.

Green Cleaning Recipes

Natural All-Purpose Cleaner

1 cup water
1 cup white vinegar
10 drops of tea tree essential oil (kills bacteria)
10 drops citrus essential oil (grapefruit, lemon, orange, etc.)

Add everything to a glass spray bottle (essential oils break down plastic) and gently mix. You can use this for your countertops, sinks, showers, and tubs. For extra scrubbing power sprinkle some baking soda over the sprayed areas.

Natural Bathroom Cleaner

This is my favorite cleaner like I said earlier I love simple and this is it! It is easy to make and leaves your bathroom nice and clean plus the essential oils leave it smelling fresh too!

1/2 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup dishwashing soap
Essential oils

Add vinegar, dish soap, and essential oils to a glass spray bottle and gently mix. Thoroughly spray the mixture onto the shower, tub, sinks, and toilet. Once you have finished (a few minutes later) go back to the first one and rinse. Then move on to the next one to rinse and so forth. (Test before using it on natural stone.)

Natural Stubborn Toilet Bowl Cleaner

I don’t use this one as often but it’s nice to use occasionally for hard water stains or mineral buildup from your water.

2 cups baking soda
20 drops of tea tree essential oil
20 drops of peppermint essential oil
10-20 drops of another germ-fighting essential oil (eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, oregano, or rosemary)
2 cups white vinegar

Mix baking soda and essential oils in a glass jar breaking up the clumps. Store it with a lid tightly closed in a dry area until ready for use. Store outside of your bathroom since moisture will make it clump together.

When you are ready to clean your toilet. Sprinkle approximately one tablespoon of the dry baking soda mix into the toilet. Using a toilet brush spread the mixture around. Then pour approximately 2 cups of white vinegar into the toilet.

The baking soda will react to the vinegar and start to fizzle if it doesn’t fizzle add more baking powder mix. Scrub any stains then let it sit for about 15-20 minutes and flush.

Natural Oven Cleaner

1/4 cup baking soda
1/8 cup water

Mix baking soda and water together and apply to a cool oven. Let the mixture sit for approximately 30 minutes then wipe clean. After the oven is clean spray it with vinegar. If there is any baking soda residue left over it will fizzle when the vinegar hits it. Then wipe the oven dry with a microfiber cloth.

Natural Floor Cleaner

4 cups warm water
1 cup white vinegar
10-20 drops of your favorite essential oils (optional)

Combine in a bucket for the mop.

Natural Window and Mirror Cleaner

2 cups water
2 cups vinegar

Add to spray bottle and mix, then spray and clean the windows with a microfiber cloth.

For really dirty windows or streaks use a prewash:

2 cups water
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 teaspoon dish soap

Add to a spray bottle and gently mix to avoid suds then spray and clean the windows with a microfiber cloth.

Natural Fabric Softener

1/4-1/2 cup white vinegar
5-10 drops of your favorite essential oil

Add the vinegar and essential oil to the rinse cycle. I like to use lavender when I’m washing bed sheets. Lavender has a calming effect and helps you sleep. During the cold and flu season, I like to add Health Shield or Germ Fighter to help fight off germs.

Store Bought Natural Cleaning Products

If you don’t have the want or ability to make your own cleaning supplies you can still purchase safe products. The easiest way to know if a product is safe or not check out the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

They do all the research for you and grade each product so you know exactly what you are buying. Check out the EWG’s Guide to Healthy Cleaning for safe natural cleaning products.

Cleaning is never fun. But using these easy homemade non-toxic cleaning products will leave your home and air “green” and clean.

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Resources:
https://www.lung.org/our-initiatives/healthy-air/indoor/indoor-air-pollutants/cleaning-supplies-household-chem.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20126543

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