Say no to harsh chemicals and yes to all-natural sprays and solvents. Baking soda, lemon juice, white vinegar, and a few other common household items are all you need to save money on store-bought cleaners and create your own solutions at home. Follow these natural cleaning tips to ensure your spring cleaning stays natural.
Use baking soda to clean your oven
To clean an oven, first make a paste of 200 grams of baking soda and water. Spread the mixture over months, years, or even decades of old dirt and gunk and let it sit for 30 to 45 minutes. Then scrub with a scouring pad. For dirt that doesn't give, swap your scouring pad for a bread knife. Owners of self-cleaning ovens, consult the manufacturer's booklet before using this hack.
Vinegar or lemon juice for windows and glass
Wipe away any accumulated window dust or dirt with a mixture of 1 liter of warm water and your choice of white distilled vinegar, apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. If you are using vinegar, add 250 ml to the warm water. If you use lemon juice, add only 2 tablespoons.
Mix your own all-purpose cleaner with baking soda
Dissolve 4 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 liter of warm water. This universal solution cleans and deodorizes most surfaces.
Make a disinfectant
Store-bought sanitizers may contain irritating ingredients. Try a homemade substitute with borax instead. To fight bacteria, mix 2 teaspoons of borax, 4 tablespoons of vinegar and 3 cups of hot water. And don't forget to wash your hands before and after use.
Remove stains from plastic or baking soda cups
There is nothing more annoying than stains on Tupperware. To remove all the leftover odor and that annoying orange tint, wash your plastic with warm water and baking soda. Sprinkle with 2 or 3 tablespoons of dry baking soda or cover the stains with a paste of baking soda and water. Leave for an hour and then wash. Water and baking soda paste also remove coffee and tea stains from mugs.
Also scrub pans with baking soda Soak burnt pans in baking soda. After five minutes, scrub the pan and rinse. To maintain your cast iron pan, wipe off the residue with a paper towel, run under hot water and scrub with a cloth.
Lemon juice and salt or white vinegar and salt for mold and mildew
To remove mold, mildew and other hidden sources of bacteria in your home, mix lemon juice or white vinegar with salt, apply and scrub. Baking soda, borax and white vinegar can all be used in the same way to scrub mold and mildew.
Clean your toilet with baking soda, borax and cola
To make your toilet shine, put some baking soda in the pot and scrub it with a brush. Repeat with borax, letting it sit for 30 minutes before scrubbing. Then put a can of Coke in it. Let the Coke sit for a few minutes, then flush.
Use baking soda, vinegar and boiling water to unclog a drain Sinks, bathtubs, drains and down pipes are some of the dirtiest places in the house. To properly clean a drain, put in half a cup of baking soda and then half a cup of vinegar. Let the drain bubble for three to five minutes before adding a gallon of boiling water. If the sink remains clogged, repeat the previous steps.
Simmer water, cinnamon or other spices for a natural air freshener Concerns about increased indoor pollution and potential health risks are reason enough to ditch artificial air fresheners. To mask and dilute odors, get out a pan and turn on the heat. Simmer water, cinnamon, and other spices that suit your fragrance preferences. Open baking soda containers also absorb odors.
Polishing with different oils…
Replace other chemical polishes with natural oils. For unpainted wood, use olive, peanut, almond or walnut oil. For furniture, shake 250 ml of your chosen oil with half a cup of water or lemon juice, place on a soft cloth and apply to furniture. Dry with another cloth. Remember, beware of possible allergic reactions when using oils derived from nuts.
… Or use a banana to polish instead
Fun food fact: banana peels are packed with beneficial ingredients that are too handy to throw away, so reuse the peels. The potassium in the banana serves as a natural cleaner and polish for leather or metal. A banana peel can also make houseplants shine.
Kill annoying insects with cayenne pepper Mix 1 liter of water, a crushed garlic clove, chopped onion and a tablespoon of cayenne pepper for a natural pesticide. Let the mixture sit for an hour before straining and adding a tablespoon of liquid laundry detergent. Put in a spray bottle and spray the bugs away. Plus, cream, paprika, red chili powder, and dried peppermint are best for ants, and other essential oils (think rosemary, cedarwood, or citronella) are best for garden pests.
Sprinkle carpets with cornmeal and borax before vacuuming
One hour before vacuuming, put a combination of 120 grams of cornmeal and 120 grams of borax on a dirty carpet. Let it sit as the 60 minutes pass and then vacuum up the excess. For heavy stains, mix equal parts borax, salt and vinegar, scrub and let sit for hours before vacuuming.
Put baking soda in your pet's litter box
Keep your kitten happy with an odorless litter box. Cat owners, place baking soda in the bottom of the cat's litter box. Dried green tea leaves also work just as well.
Wipe stainless steel with white vinegar
Dip a cloth in white vinegar and wipe over stainless steel appliances. Make sure everything in the fridge is still good and all surfaces are clean.
Remove rust stains with lemon juice and salt
Rub rust stains with lemon juice and salt to make them look better. Use that one year old salt shaker. Salt is one of the many foods with a surprisingly long shelf life.
