8 Natural Cleaning Solutions for Your Home 

8 natural cleaning solutions for your home.

Photo by Crema Joe on Unsplash

Few people wake up on cleaning day looking forward to the chores ahead. However, if you have allergies or health conditions that chemicals aggravate, you may dread your tasks. 

Instead of suffering stuffy noses and headaches, why not use eco-friendly all-purpose cleaner or make homemade cleaners free of industrial nastiness? The following eight natural cleaning solutions for your home can help you breathe more comfortably while keeping your pets and kids safer. 

Gather the basic supplies

The first thing you’ll need to do is make your shopping list. Don’t worry — if it seems like a lot, remember, you are replacing scores of other pricier, more chemically-laden products. Over the long term, you will save money and cabinet space. 

Please gather the following:

• Castile soap
• Distilled white vinegar
• Baking soda 
• Borax
• Hydrogen peroxide
• Isopropyl Alcohol
• Empty spray bottles
• Lemons
• Essential oils

Mixing up 8 natural cleaning solutions for your home 

Now that you have the raw materials you need, here are eight recipes and how to use them. Ensure you know the difference between cleaning and disinfecting — it’s vital knowledge in a COVID-19 world. 

Multipurpose solution 

The best multipurpose solutions are safe for various surfaces and leave your home smelling amazing. They remove dirt and leave countertops and tables alike clean and dust-free.

To make a homemade version, blend ½ cup of distilled white vinegar with a teaspoon of borax and a teaspoon of hydrogen peroxide. Add two cups of hot water, the juice of one lemon, and several drops of a citrusy essential oil, such as sweet orange. Spritz a bit on a rag to wipe down your entire home. 

Mold blaster 

Mold can fester in bathrooms alongside your tub and the grout between tiles. Blast it away naturally. 

To treat infested areas, coat the surface entirely with hydrogen peroxide and let it dry. Then, make a paste of one part baking soda, two parts peroxide, and one part castile soap. Scrub the area until no trace of stains remains. 

Tub scrub 

Who wants to soak in a filthy looking tub? If you like to indulge in tea baths, you need a natural way to clean those stains and restore luster. 

Mix a paste of one part hydrogen peroxide to one part baking soda. Apply to a scrub brush and use elbow grease to remove stubborn stains. When you finish, rinse all the grit down the drain with a rag and a few drops of castile soap. If you want to add a bit of shine, finish with a once-over with the glass and stainless cleaner below. 

Glass and stainless spray

Do you have a glass table or stainless steel appliances? Fortunately, these are a snap keep fingerprint-free with natural cleaners. 

All you need to do is mix vinegar and water. Keep in mind that the distilled white variety comes in various strengths. Regular distilled white vinegar has 5% acetic acid while the double-strength kind weighs in at 10%. Base your percentages on the type you buy and adjust as necessary.

Carpet and couch deodorizer

Your home’s soft surfaces can get a bit stinky over time. However, you can’t throw your couch in the washing machine. What to do? 

All you need is baking soda and essential oil. Fill a shaker halfway with baking soda — you can repurpose an empty container from a commercial rug freshener after rinsing and drying it. Add seven to eight drops of your favorite essential oil, shake, and repeat the process. Let the mixture rest a day to distribute the fragrance. Lavender can relax you and makes your couch a “scent”-sational place to nap. 

Tile and linoleum cleaner

Who needs a fancy mopping product — or the sticker price? You can keep your tile or linoleum sparkling with ⅓ cup of borax, a teaspoon of castile soap, and two gallons of water. 

You can substitute clear dish soap for the castile variety, but keep in mind that the former likely contains sodium lauryl sulfate. While this chemical doesn’t linger in the environment, it can harm ocean wildlife, so please give it a pass to protect coral and other aquatic creatures.

Electronics disinfectant 

Hopefully, you pay attention to disinfecting frequently touched surfaces more often in today’s novel coronavirus age. If not, here’s where your alcohol comes handy. It’s wise to keep a spray bottle of the stuff on hand to spritz light switches and doorknobs.

You can also use it with a clean microfiber cloth to wipe down cellphones and television remotes. Use a cotton swab to extract gunk stuck around buttons and keyboards. 

Indoor air purifier

Finally, keep your air fresh the natural way — by opening windows! However, if you have allergies, a few essential oil drops in a diffuser works better than candles. Paraffin wax models can release toxins like toluene into your home. 

Another effortless and natural way to breathe more comfortably is to add a few houseplants. They do more than release life-giving oxygen — they also eliminate toxins. 

Keep your home sparkling and family healthy with these 8 natural cleaners

You don’t have to expose yourself or your family to toxic chemicals to get a sparkling home. The eight natural cleaners above will keep your pad tidy while safeguarding the health of those you love.