Homemade Cleaning Supplies

I use vinegar to clean just about everything. It's a natural disinfectant/deodorizer. I use a 50/50 solution. I also put about 1 cup straight vinegar into the rinse cycle of my wash. I've heard of putting lavender essential oil in with the solution, I understand that it's just a couple of drops. I haven't done that yet.

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Don't worry about the odor. While it's strong when you first spray, it truly disappears once everything's dry. I used this on my daughter's stuffed animals and other toys that couldn't be washed in the machine. I also use this on appliances and nearly everything around the house as it is a non-toxic cleaner.

Hi J.,

I've made several homemade cleaning supplies. I've found this Eco-Friendly Cleaning Guide, produced by the Solid Waste Agency of Northern Cook County to be very helpful:

www.swancc.org/pdfs/Education/ecoCleaningGuide.pdf

Best,
R.

Here is one of many sites that list natural, cheap and effective cleaning alternatives and easy-to-make solutions: http://eartheasy.com/live_nontoxic_solutions.htm. You can google "non-toxic home cleaning" or similar key phrases for many more recipes.

In the link I gave you, I noticed they recommend mixing vinegar and baking soda – I would NOT do that because the two actually neutralize each other, and you'll end up with a weaker solution. Those two are better used separately.