How many cleaning products do you have under your sink or in your laundry room right now? Ones you bought years ago and would probably burn the hairs out of your nose after years of petrifying in your cabinet. Or that one that was an impulse buy because you seen a commercial about how it could magically get motor oil out of a white polo? Most of us do. But now is the time to bag all of those toxic chemicals up and take them to the dump. Cause below is an arsenal that will have you wondering why you didn't do this all along!
I mean, think about it, spraying counters, sinks, floors, clothing, and pet bedding with intense chemicals (not to mention inhaling them as well) and then using them to eat off of, sleep on, walk on, etc. That ends up being a lot of exposure!
For years I washed dog bedding and linens in conventional laundry soap with fragrance. And it seemed that it would just pop out of the washer smelling like "dog...with a hint of Lavender Breeze". These natural agents I am suggesting actually eliminate the odor, not cover it up.
And I’m just gonna go ahead and put to rest the myth that natural cleaners don't work as well. It’s just simply not true!
Below is a list of some of the best ingredients to have hangin around in your cupboards to replace all that expensive junk.
#1 Baking Soda
Uses of regular ol baking soda:
Add 1/2 c soda to your wash load to combat tough odors (that stinky infamous “dog smell”); also works as a fabric softener for a little added bonus!
Sprinkle it on anything fabric and stinky and let sit for however long you want/need. Maybe a day or two, maybe a week.
Sprinkle it in the Kitty Litter Box to battle that fresh poo smell just after kitty drops the kids off at the sand box right next to you while working from home. ( Who's idea was it to put the litter box in the office? )
It also is great to help make a useful “paste” to scrub tough areas.
Make a paste of 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar and ¼ cup salt or baking soda. Rub into the stain and let dry. Vacuum the residue the next day. (Always test an out-of-sight part of the carpet first.)
#2 Apple Cider Vinegar
(all ACV is not created equal...make sure to get ACV with the cloudiness for skin/internal uses and the big gallon with no cloudiness can be used for cleaning purposes)
Uses of ACV:
Like the rest of the vinegar family, ACV has really potent antimicrobial properties. In fact, studies have shown that ACV can clean just as well as bleach. BAM! You weren't ready for that, were you?
Add 1/4 c to laundry to remove bacteria or musty smells. If something is stinky, THINK ACV!
Make a mixture of ACV + H20 in a spray bottle and mist on carpet, rugs, furniture, you name it, to remove the funk! Just simply let dry and vacuum. (Don’t be frightened by the smell…it will fade…leaving your house funk free!
Adding ACV to your laundry makes your colors brighter and whites whiter! See?! We could make commercial about this stuff!
A washer trick my sister-in-law taught me is to open the lid to the washer to let the clothes soak longer than the pre-set time. If yours is like mine, I simply open the lid during the first agitation. Then the clothes can soak for hours in the ACV rather than for 10-15min.
Side Note: If my pups get itchy or are licking their paws a lot, I run the tub with an inch or two of warm H20, add about 1/2 c ACV and 1/4 c sea salt so their paws can be soaking while I bathe them. I also use a warm ACV washcloth in between baths on our slick coated pup to keep him smelling great and combating itchiness.
#3 White Distilled Vinegar
Uses of White Vinegar:
All purpose cleaning - Make a solution of 1/2 and 1/2 white vinegar and H20 in a spray bottle to use for glass, windows, and virtually ANY other surface in your home. ( I add a few drops of peppermint oil to mine for pleasure ;) )
Make a paste of 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar and ¼ cup salt or baking soda. Rub into the stain and let dry. Vacuum the residue the next day. (Always test an out-of-sight part of the carpet first.)
I recommend buying it by the gallon, it’s not that expensive and it'll last a while.
#4 Hydrogen Peroxide
Uses of Hydrogen Peroxide:
One day I looked on the back of a “Chlorine-free” bleach bottle and low and behold, what did I see listed there? Hydrogen Peroxide!
I put just under cup in my wash when I am working with something that I would normally use bleach. ( I have read before that you should only use peroxide with lighter colored fabrics, I generally stick to that, but don't get too worked up if I have to use it because I ran out of ACV in the laundry )
Can also be sprayed directly onto moldy surfaces to remove build-up. Works great on tile!
Hydrogen Peroxide also "eats" blood. When I worked in the animal hospital, peroxide was virtually the only reason my scrubs lasted as long as they did. That's why it could be handy to have your peroxide in a spray bottle.(Remember to use a dark container as it is light sensitive.)
#5 CitraSolv
If you are just looking to buy all purpose cleaner that won’t break the bank and works on tough stuff, CitraSolv concentrate is your answer. You can purchase a large bottle for around $23, here is a link to buy it online, and it will last you years and years. Just spray it on, let sit for a few minutes and wipe clean. It can really power through the toughest gunk.
They also have bottles that are pre-mixed you can buy but obviously won't last nearly as long as the concentrate. (And I am not a big fan of the spray mechanism, it doesn't seem to last, but then again, I tend to wash and re-use spray bottles for another concoction)
The BEST thing about CitraSolv is the smell...I literally want to eat it. No chemical "orange" smell. Beware...it is not orange juice, although it IS safe to use on food surfaces...it is NOT safe to chug!
I generally have 4 things in my cleaning bucket and YES, I can clean my entire house with the ingredients in this article, sacrificing excellence not once!
A scrubby
1 spray bottle of Vinegar + H20 solution
1 spray bottle of Citrasolv mixed and ready to go
1 spray bottle of H20 + 2t Dish Soap
(for random things that need a little more elbow grease)
Side Note: If you haven't invested in microfiber cleaning rags yet, do it! We don't even own paper towels because of these helpful little babies! Once they are all dirty we run a load of rags. It’s easy peasy! Here’s a link to some inexpensive ones online but I bought mine at Home Depot.