There are many great reasons to use natural cleaning products from your pantry. You won't have to breathe in harsh fumes or expose your family to strong chemicals, and you'll save money by giving up those expensive store-bought commercial cleaners. Don't fill your grocery cart with a different cleaner for every job. The best natural cleaning products are probably sitting in your pantry right now. Follow this guide to some economical and effective natural cleaning products.
Vinegar
If you're looking for a replacement for your favorite all-purpose cleaner, then vinegar is a good place to start. White vinegar is mildly acidic and is great for cleaning grease, grime and dirt, as well as killing mildew and mold. Germs don't like it either. This cheap, natural disinfectant is suitable for use throughout the house. For a great all-purpose cleaner, mix one part vinegar with one part water and use like you would any all-purpose cleaner. However, avoid using it on tile grouting and porous materials, such as marble.
Don't worry about the strong smell; this will disappear as soon as the vinegar dries. Vinegar will get rid of rings in the bathtub and toilet, remove soap scum and clean countertops. You can also use it for laundry. Use half a cup of vinegar in place of fabric softener. This is especially useful for people who have sensitive skin.
Baking Soda
There are many uses for baking soda (also known as bicarbonate of soda) around the home. Baking soda is a great abrasive cleaner, so you can use it instead of your usual scouring powder. Just put some baking soda on a damp sponge to remove grime and rings. For stubborn stains, apply a paste of baking powder and water to the affected area and leave it for about 15 minutes. The stain will soften and you will be able to scrub it off quite easily. Though it typically won't open blocked drains, you can use baking soda to clear drains that are running slowly.
Baking soda is also a natural deodorizer, so you can put a small amount anywhere that has an odor you would rather not smell. When doing laundry, a baking soda and water paste functions as a natural stain remover.
Lemon Juice
Commercial cleaning products promote the fact that they use lemon because this is another powerful, natural cleaning product. Not only does it smell lovely, lemon is great for cutting grime and grease. You can use it to get rid of soap scum and to clean and polish brass and copper. Combined with salt, lemon helps to pre-treat laundry stains, while adding a bit of baking soda to a freshly cut lemon produces a good all-purpose scrubber. Mix lemon with olive oil to make an effective natural furniture polish or throw a lemon into the garbage disposal to get rid of odors.
Other Natural Cleaning Products
Vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice are three all-purpose natural cleaners, but there are a few other products to try as well, some of which may be in your medicine cabinet rather than your pantry. Borax, which is used to control pests, is an effective stain remover and prevents mold and mildew. Cornstarch may be used for polishing furniture, cleaning carpets and cleaning windows. Rubbing alcohol is a natural disinfectant and washing soda cuts grease.
While many of these products are effective alone, you can also combine them to replace common household cleaning products. Typical household cleaning products contain phosphates and solvents that can potentially damage the environment and your health. Instead of using these, you can replace your air freshener, multipurpose cleaner, drain cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, oven cleaner, furniture polish and disinfectant with substances made from natural cleaning products. Not only will you feel good about protecting the environment, but you will also save money by replacing commercial cleaners with natural cleaning products from your pantry.
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