Homemade Cleaning Products
The current Quarantine situation has me cleaning more than usual but at the same time I am going through cleaning products at a record rate and I don't want to go to the store to get more. I started researching Easy Homemade Cleaning Products that also disinfect and deodorize and I have compiled a list of easy recipes that I want to share with you.
Given ideal conditions, a single bacterium can become more than eight million bacteria in less than 24 hours. Take for example the kitchen sponge. The fact that it's moist and warm much of the time makes it an ideal breeding ground. A sponge that's been used no more than 2 or 3 times a day harbors millions and millions of bacteria. Every time you use it to wipe up a spill or wipe down a surface, you're spreading scores of bacteria around and contaminating your hands too.
Grocery store shelves are lined with disinfectants designed to kill bacteria. However some contain antibacterial compounds such as triclosan - that help foster antibiotic-resistant strains of these microbes. Other ingredients in common disinfectants are toxic. Read the labels carefully and you'll see all sorts of warnings and cautions. Don't inhale the fumes. Contact with skin can cause irritation. Poisonous if swallowed.
The various disinfectants are set side by side on the store shelves including dozens of deodorizers; air fresheners', scented sprays, and scented odor eating gels. Yet the ingredients in deodorizers are frightening as well. They include formaldehyde ( a carcinogen), petroleum distillates, and 1,4-dichlorobenzene, which causes skin, throat, and eye irritation - and possible nervous system damage. And if that wasn't bad enough, a recent study of top selling air fresheners and laundry products found that most of them emitted at least one chemical regulated as toxic or hazardous under federal law - yet none of those chemicals are listed on product labels.
There are safe, natural alternatives to commercial disinfectants and deodorizers, and most of them can be made in minutes.
How do you make Homemade Disinfectants?
Distilled White Vinegar and hydrogen peroxide are safe, reasonably effective, eco-friendly germ fighters.
You need Two Spray Nozzles - one for the vinegar and one for the Hydrogen Peroxide. Do not mix the 2 liquids in one bottle they each should be in their own bottle.
When cleaning a surface start with one bottle it does not matter which one you use first. Mist the surface with the contents of one bottle, let sit for 5 minutes. Wipe with a clean cloth then repeat with the second bottle.
How to Clean your Cutting Board
Vinegar in combination with salt or hydrogen peroxide can inhibit bacteria on cutting boards, including some strains of E coli.
You can sanitize these surfaces by spraying undiluted white distilled vinegar. Let it sit for ten minutes or so. Rinse well and then apply a 3 percent solution of hydrogen peroxide. Let this solution saturate the board for 10 minutes, then rinse. Finally wash the cutting board thoroughly in hot soapy water. Leave to dry overnight.
How to clean your Fruits & Veggies
Spray with undiluted vinegar, and then spray with hydrogen peroxide. Then rinse your produce thoroughly with water before eating. This should eliminate a large amount of the bacteria found on most fruits and veggies.
Using Lemons...
The juice of a lemon is quite acidic and, like vinegar, can act as a sanitizer on surfaces.
Slice a lemon in half and rub the cut side over the surface of a cutting board, chopping block, or inside of a sink. Another option is to dip the cut side of the lemon in kosher salt (salt also inhibits bacteria) and scrub briskly with the salt lemon juice mix. Rinse and let air dry.
How to Sanitize your Toilet Bowl...
Vinegar...Use it to sanitize surfaces like your toilet bowl. Pour 2-3 cups of white distilled vinegar all around the bowl and under the rim. Let stand for 30 minutes.
How to Freshen your Bathroom...
Keep a small spray bottle of ½ cup of white distilled vinegar, 1 ½ cups of water and 10-15 drops of lavender, cinnamon, lemon or any other pure essential oil. Feel free to mix your own blend of oils as well.
Mix all ingredients in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid. Put about half the mix in a small attractive spray bottle or atomizer to keep in the bathroom and spritz when necessary. Make sure you label it as air freshener so your guests will know what it is.
How to make an Odor Eater...
For your carpet - Sprinkle Baking Soda liberally onto carpets that smell less than fresh. Leave on for 30 minutes, and then vacuum thoroughly to remove the powder.
To Soak up Odors - Place an open box of Baking Soda in the refrigerator to absorb odors, Replace every 3 months. To clean and deodorize refrigerator shelves and drawers, mix up a 1:1 solution of white distilled vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray liberally and wipe dry.
Zap Smells - Place an open bowl of vinegar in a room to banish odors.
Deodorize your freezer - Place dry used coffee grounds in an old stocking or a muslin bag and place inside your freezer for several days. You can use this to deodorize closets as well.
How to Disinfect your Kitchen Sponge...
Sponges can harbor millions of bacteria, and they are difficult to clean. One easy approach to sanitizing a sponge is to wet it thoroughly and then microwave it on high power for 2 minutes.
Be careful when you remove it from the microwave as it will be really hot. Make sure you use cellulose sponges rather than synthetic ones which may be infused with harmful chemicals and may release harmful chemicals when heated.
How to Make an Effective Window Cleaner...
A mixture of equal parts vinegar and water is a great window cleaner, without streaking. To help cut greasy dirt on glass mix on drop of liquid detergent into the vinegar and water mix. Shake well, spray on windows and wipe clean with soft cotton or linen rags.
If you run out of Vinegar, you can wash windows with club soda. Put some in a spray bottle , spritz, and wipe. The alkaline mineral salts in the soda help loosen dirt.
During this temporary new life we have to get creative and resourceful. I hope these ideas help you with some new ways to clean and motivate you to seek out natural alternatives. Stay safe and healthy!
Want to try a DIY Body Scrub click Here
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