Natural Home Cleaning Recipes

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If you find the prices of natural cleaners daunting, here are some excellent home recipes.

Oven Cleaner

1 tsp. Salt
1 cup baking soda
Â¼ cup washing soda or t.s.p.
3 squirts liquid soap (e.g. heavenly horsetail)

Sprinkle water over bottom of oven. Cover with oven cleaning mixture. Sprinkle more water on top. Scrub with fine wire wool. Rinse well to remove baking soda.

Microwave Cleaner and Deodorizer

3 or 4 tbsp. baking soda and water to form a paste. Use a sponge and wash interior and around doors. Rinse thoroughly.

All Purpose House Cleaner

1 tsp. liquid soap
1 tsp. t.s.p.
1 tsp. borax
Â½ tsp. washing soda
2 tbsp. white vinegar
2 cups very hot water
2 or 3 drops essence of lemon oil, eucalyptus, or aromatic herb of choice spray bottle

Combine ingredients in spray bottle and add very hot water.

Alter amount of ingredients for dilution to wash floors or keep concentrated preformed mixture available for dilution in a gallon of hot water.

Mildew

1 tsp. borax
2 tbsp. white vinegar
1 tsp. vegetable based liquid soap
2 cups hot water
spray bottle

Mix and spray on areas needing attention. Rinse.

Soft Scrubber

Â¼ cup baking soda plus enough vegetable oil based liquid soap to make a paste. Use sponge and wash and rinse surface thoroughly.

Scouring Powder

1 cup baking soda
Â¼ cup borax

Mix and sprinkle and use in the same way as a commercial product. Rinse clean.

Disinfectant

2 tsp. Australian tea tree oil
2 cups water
spray bottle

Window & Glass Cleaner

Â½ tsp. liquid vegetable soap (e.g. heavenly horsetail)
3 tbsp. vinegar
2 cups water
2 or 3 drops essence of lemon oil
spray bottle

If windows are very dirty, add more liquid soap.

Wood Furniture Polish (Not for French-polished furniture or antiques)

1/8 cup walnut oil
1/8 cup lemon juice
2 or 3 drops essence of lemon oil, eucalyptus or other aromatic herb

Keep in glass jar and shake well. Use soft cloth to apply.

This is a good recipe for wood furniture that does not have a high gloss finish such as pine. The vinegar, although an excellent cleaning agent, tends to strip the finish off of French polish.

We have not found a real effective home recipe for natural copper and silver cleaner, bleaching agent, or highly polished wood. We recommend using natural commercial products for these purposes, which are listed in our report.