Kermit got one thing wrong: It is easy being green! With a few simple lifestyle changes, you can move toward a greener and healthier lifestyle. And not only does going green have incredible health benefits, it’s affordable too.
Start your green movement by swapping out your toxic, chemical-based cleaning supplies for eco-friendly, DIY alternatives. Stock your green cleaning arsenal with the basics ingredients:
Baking soda
Lemon juice
White vinegar
Liquid soap
Tea tree oil
Club soda
Hydrogen peroxide
All-Purpose Disinfectant
Certain essential oils, like tea tree oil, have natural antiseptic properties. Mix these three ingredients in a spray bottle for a gentle cleaner:
- 2 c. water
- 3 T liquid soap*
- 20 to 30 drops of tea tree oil
Spray or rub this cleaner on your countertops, tables, doorknobs—you name it!
*When purchasing liquid soap, avoid products with petroleum distillates or phosphates. Buy products labeled as bio-degradable, septic-safe or non-toxic to ensure safety.
Carpet or Furniture Stains
Spill a glass of red wine all over your white microfiber sofa and new Persian rug? Don’t panic—treat the mess with club soda! Simply pour a generous amount of club soda over the stain while it’s still fresh and blot with a clean rag. Club soda provides double duty stain protection; the bubbles lift the stains from the carpet fibers, while the salt acts as a buffer, preventing the stains from setting.
No club soda in the pantry? Hydrogen peroxide also works great on upholstery, fabric and carpets, along with baking soda and essential oils.
Natural Glass Cleaner
Use white vinegar or lemon juice for this simple glass cleaner. If using fresh lemons, save the rind and pulp for a natural garbage disposal refresher; part of being green is eliminating waste!
- 2 T white vinegar (or undiluted lemon juice)
- 1 gallon water
Mix ingredients in a spray bottle. Spray over windows, mirrors and other glass surfaces. Wipe clean with newspaper instead of paper towels to avoid streaking. Keep in mind, when cleaning with vinegar, it may not smell so pretty, but the scent goes away upon evaporation.
Hardwood floors
Forget Pine-Sol, baby! The chemicals you smell after giving washing your floors may imply cleanliness, but they aren’t healthy for you, your little ones or your pets. Avoid noxious fumes with this effective, yet natural, floor cleaner:
- ¼ c. liquid soap
- ½ c. white vinegar
- 2 gallons warm water
Mix ingredients in a bucket and start mopping!
Natural oven cleaner
No one loves cleaning the oven. Combine the undesirable chore with nasty chemicals, and you’re torturing yourself in more ways than one. Ditch the toxins, and clean your oven with a paste made from baking soda and water. Let the mix stand overnight and then scour the grime away in the morning. Polish with a damp rag. Be sure to wear rubber gloves for this task.
What are some of your favorite DIY green cleaners? Please share!
This guest post was written by Elissa White, content contributor at DefySupply and shiparoom.com. When not writing, Elissa is dreaming of DIY ways to transform her tiny studio apartment into
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Images: Mini Manor, take part, bath n body: craft gossip
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