Mar 24 2009

Refrigerator and Freezer Cleaning

Rose| Category: baking soda, eucalyptus essential oil, peppermint essential oil, water | 0 Comments

If your fridge or freezer doesn’t smell as fresh as you would like it to, here is a simple fix:

Refresh-Your-Fridge-or-Freezer Mix

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3 tbsp baking soda
  • 6 drops of essential oil, peppermint or eucalyptus (for freezer)
  • 10 drops of essential oil, peppermint or eucalyptus (for fridge)

Mix a solution of these ingredients.  After emptying the fridge / freezer and turning down the temperature regulator, or even shutting it off if you can, wipe the inside, walls and floor, of the fridge / freezer with a damp cloth and above solution, and don’t forget the shelves either.

Rinse well to remove baking powder residue, then dry walls, floor and shelves well with ahand towel before putting the food back.  Turn the temperature settign back up or switch it back on.

Mar 16 2009

Put green into your spring cleaning

Rose| Category: baking soda, liquid castile soap, tea tree essential oil, vinegar, washing soda | 2 Comments

It’s worth checking this out, there are plenty of links to follow in the article itself.  I am only blogging their suggestions for household cleaners here:

Via: Kentucky.com

How-to: Making your own cleaning products

It’s easy to make household cleaning products. And making your own is often a lot less expensive than buying ready-made products.

Here are some suggestions for homemade cleaning products from the Web site www.care2makeadifference.com.

Supplies:

  • Baking soda
  • Washing soda
  • White distilled vinegar
  • A good liquid soap or detergent
  • Tea tree oil
  • 6 clean spray bottles
  • 2 glass jars
  • Creamy soft scrubber

Liquid detergent

Pour baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a texture like frosting. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and wash the surface. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bathtub because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit.

Note: To store it, add 1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin to the mixture, and store in a sealed glass jar to keep the product moist. Otherwise, just make as much as you need at a time.

Window cleaner

  • 1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
  • 3 tablespoons vinegar
  • 2 cups water
  • Spray bottle

Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand. The soap in this recipe is important. It cuts the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.

Oven cleaner

  • 1 cup or more baking soda
  • Water
  • A squirt or two of liquid detergent

Sprinkle water generously over the bottom of the oven, then cover the grime with enough baking soda that the surface is totally white. Sprinkle some more water over the top. Let the mixture set overnight. You can easily wipe up the grease the next morning because the grime will have loosened. When you have cleaned up the worst of the mess, dab a bit of liquid detergent or soap on a sponge, and wash the remaining residue from the oven. If this recipe doesn’t work for you, it is probably because you didn’t use enough baking soda and/or water.

All-purpose spray cleaner

  • 1/2 teaspoon washing soda
  • A dab of liquid soap
  • 2 cups hot tap water

Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake until the washing soda has dissolved. Apply and wipe off with a sponge or rag.

Furniture polish

  • 1/2 teaspoon oil, such as olive (or jojoba, a liquid wax)
  • 1/4 cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice

Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces. Cover the glass jar and store indefinitely.

Vinegar deodorizer

Keep a clean spray bottle filled with straight 5 percent vinegar in your kitchen near your cutting board and in your bathroom, and use them for cleaning. For instance, spray the vinegar on a cutting board before going to bed at night; don’t even rinse it, and let it set overnight. The smell of vinegar dissipates within a few hours. Straight vinegar is also great for cleaning the toilet rim. Just spray it on and wipe off.

Mold killers

Tea tree treasure

Nothing natural works for mold and mildew as well as this spray. It can be used on a moldy ceiling from a leaking roof, on a musty bureau, on a musty rug or a moldy shower curtain, among other things. Tea tree oil is expensive, but a little goes a very long way. Note that the smell of tea tree oil is very strong, but it will dissipate in a few days.

  • 2 teaspoons tea tree oil
  • 2 cups water

Combine in a spray bottle, shake to blend, and spray on problem areas. Do not rinse. Makes two cups.

Vinegar spray

Straight vinegar reportedly kills 82 percent of mold. Pour some white distilled vinegar straight into a spray bottle, spray on the moldy area, and let it set without rinsing if you can put up with the smell. It will dissipate in a few hours.

Source: www.care2.com/greenliving/make-your-own-non-toxic-cleaning-kit.html#

Read it all here

Mar 03 2009

Microwave cleaner

Rose| Category: baking soda, lemon essential oil, lemongrass essential oil, tyhme essential oil, vinegar | 0 Comments

The inside of your microwave can trap food odors and grease which will spoil the flavor of the food you heat in it.  Here is a recipe for a paste that removes odors and grease easily and your microwave will be smell new.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup baking soda
  • 1 tsp vinegar
  • 5-6 drop essential oil, either lemon, lemongrass or thyme

Make a paste from all ingredients and spread over the interior of the microwave, floor and sides.  Let sit for a little while, then wipe away with a damp sponge or cloth.  Rinse well to remove all residue.  Then leave the microwave door open for about half an hour to air it out.

If your microwave has a glass turntable, remove it an dwash it by hand.

Oct 07 2008

Take ‘green’ to the cleaners with new products, old recipes

Rose| Category: General, baking soda, lemon juice, vinegar | 0 Comments

Via: USATODAY.com

Is it possible to clean green? Is it necessary to give up Mr. Clean to be green?

If you’re not sure, that may explain the surge in books, magazine articles and websites explaining how you can clean and “detox” your home without chemicals found in familiar cleaning products such as Mr. Clean.

But the bald-headed guy with the big biceps and the white T-shirt is not giving up his market share so easily. He’s, well, cleaning himself up, or at least trying to smell nicer, as more sweeter-fragranced “green” cleaners challenge industry leaders — Big Soap — for space on store shelves.

Meanwhile, the retro cleaning movement is urging more consumers away from cleaners altogether, touting the cleaning (and cost-effective) properties of such familiar household items as vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda.

Full Story

Jul 29 2008

Clean home, clean planet

Rose| Category: baking soda, lavender essential oil, lemon essential oil, lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, water | 0 Comments


Three eco-friendly cleaner recipes to try out at your next “green party”:

Furniture polish: Combine 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar and 2 teaspoons of lemon juice for fragrance (optional). Shake well. Dip a clean, dry cloth into the polish and rub wood in the direction of the grain. Refrigerate if you add lemon juice.

Toilet bowl cleaner
: Sprinkle toilet bowl with baking soda, drizzle with white distilled vinegar. Let soak for at least 30 minutes and scrub with toilet brush. For persistent stains, let ingredients soak overnight.

All-purpose cleaner
: Combine 2 cups white distilled vinegar and 2 cups water. To reduce the smell of vinegar, add 20 to 30 drops of lemon or lavender oil, available at specialty grocery stores or health food stores. Use on countertops, kitchen floors, windows, mirrors and other hard surfaces. For tough jobs, warm cleaner in the microwave until barely hot.

Source: Women’s Voices for the Earth (womenandenvironment.org)

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