Spring Cleaning the Green way

Previously I mentioned a few naturally available cleaning agents that you can employ to make your own cleaning materials.  Now I will expand on that list to include a few more items you can use and how to use them.

In the first post I talked about baking soda, vinegar, borax and castile soap along with herb essential oils.  This time we will add a few more.

Baking soda. It's the grit. When you're scrubbing, you sometimes need to be like Mike--mildly abrasive, but in a good way. Baking soda also fizzes when you mix it with water, vinegar or lemon, and that can speed up cleaning.

Borax. Even without the twenty mules, this helpful cleaner disinfects, bleaches and deodorizes.

Distilled white vinegar. This natural disinfectant also breaks up dirt. Apple cider and red vinegars work, too, but they can stain. All three do windows. Vegetable based (liquid castile) soap This is a non-petroleum cleaner you can use for all kinds of jobs. 

Hydrogen Peroxide. Put the 3% solution you get at the drugstore into a spray bottle and use it instead of your usual kitchen and bath cleaner. It cleans, disinfects, and bleaches.

Lemons Lemon juice is a good grease cutter. Bottled works almost as well as fresh squeezed.

Olive oil It's a furniture polish. No need to use extra virgin.

Washing soda It removes stains and helps unblock pipes, but it is caustic. You need to use care and gloves.

RECIPES

Fruit & Veggie Wash 

Wash vegetables and fruits with hydrogen peroxide to remove dirt and pesticides. Add 1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide to a sink of cold water. After washing, rinse thoroughly with cool water.

 

Food Stain Dissolver 

Remove baked-on crud from pots and pans. Combine hydrogen peroxide with enough baking soda to make a paste, then rub onto the dirty pan and let it sit for a while. Come back later with a scrubby sponge and some warm water, and the baked-on stains will lift right off. 

All-Purpose Cleaner with Lavender

You can bump up the intensity of the lavender scent, use a castile soap that is already imbued with lavender.  This spray is perfect in a spray mop.

2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar

1 teaspoon borax
Distilled or purified water

1/4 cup lavender liquid castile soap

10 drops lavender essential oil 
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Mix vinegar and borax in a 16-ounce bottle. Fill the bottle 3/4 full with hot water. Shake until borax is dissolved. Add the soap, essential oil and lemon juice. Shake well.

Antibacterial Soap Spray 

16 oz. spray bottle
14 oz. water or rosemary hydrosol
3 Tbls castile soap
15 drops of tea tree essential oil
15 drops of oregano essential oil

Use this cleaning spray to disinfect your bathroom surfaces. You can use the Super Surface Spray to rinse away any residue left behind by the castile soap.

Thyme Counter Cleaner

This recipe makes cleaning your counters a breeze! Castile soap lifts dirt and grime, while the water helps rinse it away. Germ-busting thyme is infused into common isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol, which helps the spray dry to a non-streak shine. If you’re sensitive to the scent of rubbing alcohol, try using clear vodka instead.

 3 tablespoons (45 ml) isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol

 2 teaspoons (10 ml) liquid castile soap

 2 tablespoons (1 g) dried thyme

1 cup (250 ml) water

Thyme Infused Alcohol - place the thyme leaves in a small cup or jar and pour the alcohol over them. Cover, and infuse overnight. Visual bonus: the alcohol will turn a pretty shade of green.

To mix counter cleaner - Fill a spray bottle or jar with the water, then gently stir in the castile soap. Pour the infused alcohol into the mixture and stir once more. Be sure to label your counter cleaner, so no one mistakenly thinks it’s an herbal mixture that can be ingested, and keep it out of the reach of small children.

To Use: Shake gently before each use. Spritz over your counters, paying extra attention to especially dirty spots. Use a rag or paper towel to wipe and buff dry.

Cleaning with Natural Products - Starting out

The pleasure of working with herbs, not only in the garden but in my home, everyday give me tremendous fulfillment.  From cooking with herbs, to herbal teas, to bath items I can use without worry, they are everywhere in my life.  

This time I year I really enjoy the fact that I can create herbal recipes to sweeten, freshen and disinfect my home.  Herbs, along with essential oils, have been part of my cleaning ritual for so long I cannot imagine not using them.  I’ve added herbs to bath and shower disinfectants, floor cleaners, and carpet fresheners.  

I have done a number of different herb programs, but one of my most popular is a “Green Cleaning” program that details ways to clean, disinfect and freshen your home using herbs.

I recommend starting your natural cleaning supply shelf for your herbal natural cleaning recipes with... a bottle of Castile Soap, some straight borax, baking soda, vinegar, ammonia, and the following essential oils: thyme, pine, lavender, tea tree, and a citrus oil like lemon or orange.  With these and a few other ingredients you can craft simple and effective cleaning supplies for little money and with little effort.

At the bottom of this post and several other times this moth, I will share a few items you can craft at home.  This starter article with give you the details for what supplies you need and where to find them. 

Where to get your Supplies

Borax is available in the cleaning aisle of the grocery store as well as at the drug store and sometimes the hardware store.

Baking soda is most commonly used in cooking so look for it not only in the laundry aisle at the grocery store but also with the baking supplies like flour and baking powder.

Vinegar is in the salad dressing aisle of the grocery store.

Castile Soap which is a vegetable-based liquid soap is made by many companies the most common is Mrs. Meyers and Dr. Bonners.  I some areas you will find these only in specialty health food and whole food stores, but in other more urban areas, you will find it in the soap aisle, laundry aisle or the beauty aisle of your local hardware or Walmart.

Herbs and Essential Oils to Use

The herbs and essential oils that you’ll find most useful for various household tasks include those that inhibit the growth of microorganisms such as bacteria and fungi. Others are also good for cutting grease and removing stains. You must obtain your essential oils from a reputable source and there are many,  If you want them reasonably priced and of good quality, I recommend NOW brand, founded in 1968 they are one of the only companies to be doing this for more than 50 years.  Located here in Illinois with me, I can find now in the local Fruitful Yield chain, but they are also available in health food stores nationwide and online.  The following lists of herbs is a guide to making your own formulas.

Herbs that inhibit microorganisms: basil, bay, benzoin, bergamot, camphor, cardamom, chamomile, cinnamon, clary sage, clove, eucalyptus, fir, ginger, grapefruit, juniper, lavender, lemon, lemon balm, meadowsweet, myrrh, myrtle, nutmeg, orange, oregano, patchouli, peppermint, Peru balsam, pine, rose-scented geranium, rosemary sage, sandalwood, savory, spearmint, spruce, tea tree, and thyme.

Herbs that work on dirt and stains: balsam. cedar, cedarwood, grapefruit, lavender, lemon, orange, pine, rosemary, spruce, thyme

RECIPES

Essential Oil Scouring Powder

This scouring powder works wonders on tile grout stains, bathroom & kitchen sinks, and showers.  A soft sponge will work on mild stains and a nylon scrubber used with this will lift tough stains. Adding essential oils gives it the power to cut greasy dirt, battle microbes, while adding an appealing scent.

1/2 cup borax 

1/2 cup baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons each essential oils of lemon, orange, and grapefruit

Pour the borax and baking soda into a glass bowl. Stir in the lemon, orange, and grapefruit oils, mashing any lumps with a fork. Store in a glass or metal jar with a lid. Wear gloves when you use this cleanser.

Herbal Rug Fragrance

When our living-room rug smells musty, I hear about it right away from my husband, who does his morning exercises on it. Here’s a simple herbal solution. (If fleas are a problem in your house, add 2 cups of chopped, dried orange peel or pennyroyal leaf to the recipe.)

3 cups dried lavender flowers or leaves
2 cups dried rosemary leaves
3 pounds baking soda

In a large glass, earthenware, or stainless-steel bowl, blend the lavender flowers, rosemary leaves, and baking soda. Sprinkle the mix over a freshly vacuumed rug and leave overnight. Then vacuum again. Makes enough for an 8- by 11-foot rug/room. 

Herby Soft Scrub
12 oz glass jar with lid
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup castile soap
15 drops of antimicrobial essential oils like rosemary and sage

Mix well until you have a nice consistency like cake frosting. If you have leftovers, add 1 tsp vegetable glycerin to keep the blend nice and moist.

Mop-It-Up Formula
1/4 cup castile soap
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
20 drops of tea tree essential oil
20 drops of sweet orange essential oil


This is the perfect liquid cleaner for tile floors, vinyl, or linoleum.  Mix the ingredients together in a glass jar, then add the entire solution with 2 gallons of hot water and use it to mop away dirt and grime on all types of floor surfaces.

WORD TO THE WISE (DANGER)

When making your own cleaning supplies you must still remember the rule NEVER mix cleaning products.  Mixing anything that contains chlorine bleach with cleaners having vinegar or ammonia will create toxic chlorine gas 

I will be giving a few more tips on herbs and oils to use, a couple specialty recipes and several other cleaning recommendations in the coming weeks.

Soap and Sugar Scrub - bath blend of the month

It is finally gardening season so I thought this recipe for a sugar scrub to get the gardening grime off your fingers might be a good choice.

It is the abrasiveness of the sugar that helps to dislodge the dirt and will help to get your hands clean. Sugar scrubs are often expensive items, but this is one you can make for next to nothing.

You can use any liquid dish soap you like, the original recipe for this DIY gardener’s hand scrub used a pink liquid dish soap because they liked the color, but you can use whatever you have at home. It would be best if you used organic and all natural liquid hand or dish soap if possible. Dr Bonner's is clear and colorless, but Dawn will help cut grease while the sugar scrubs away grime.

Place a wrap of twine or ribbon around the jar and tie a bow to make this into a gift for the gardener in your life. Place a jar of this in an empty terra cotta pot with some gardening tools and seeds to give as a gift basket.  Perfect for a Mother who gardens or any other women in your life who loves to garden.

Sugar and Soap Scrub

Canning jar 4, 8 or 12 oz (the smaller the better)
White sugar
Liquid dish soap

Directions:

1) Clean and dry your jars toughly.

2) Fill your jar ¾ quarters of the way with sugar (more sugar will be needed for larger jars).

3) Fill the jar with liquid dish soap until it reaches just below the bottom of the threads on the jar mouth.

4) Stir the sugar and soap together.

5) Add more sugar until the mixture becomes a grainy paste.

To Use:  Scoop out about 1 Tablespoon of mixture and rub into hands as a scour to remove dirt and grime.  Repeat as needed to get hands clean.

Cleaning Your Kitchen and Bathroom

To make many of your own cleaning products you need simple ingredients, Hot water and these three items:

• Vinegar
• Castile Soap
• Washing Soda

These items, which you can generally get at the grocery store.  Washing soda is like baking soda and can be found in the laundry aisle at most WalMart Stores, look on the very top or very bottom shelves by the Fels Naptha soap.

Vinegar: It will cut grease, eat away lime, and destroy odors.  Because of  its neutralizing properties white vinegar is good for washing windows, sanitizing kitchen counters, and shining bathroom fixtures.  To improve the disinfecting qualities you can make an herbal vinegar with sage, thyme, mint or lemon balm.

Vegetable Oil Soap (Castile) Soap: This natural soap is great for floors and all-purpose cleaning when combined with vinegar or warm water. To wash floors (not wood) add 2 teaspoons of castile soap to 3 gallons of water, but you must rinse well with water afterwards.

Washing Soda: this is an old-fashioned laundry booster that cuts through tough grease on grills, broiler pans, and ovens.  It is strongly alkaline so it is also perfect to tackling dirty linoleum floors. It's strong enough to strip paint and wax so you need to wear gloves when using it and use sparingly, only 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon per 32 ounces of hot water to tackle tough grease.

All-purpose Cleaner
Make this general cleaner and add 1/2 tsp of  castile soap to 2 cups of the cleaner to make something you can use to clean almost anything.

2 cups hot water
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 tsp. washing soda
15 drops tea tree essential oil
15 drop lavender essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a reusable spray bottle and shake well.

To Use: spray on surfaces, especially cutting boards, counter tops and toilets.  Wipe with a dry cloth.

For more cleaning recipes just search our blog under the keyword: green cleaning

Spring Green Cleaning 2017

A few years ago I started being serious about removing chemicals from our cleaning materials.  Chas had some asthma symptoms and we always knew he was allergic to preservatives so I began to realize that the chemicals in the cleaning products probably contributed to indoor air pollution.  I started with the easiest things like the dishwasher detergent, and laundry detergent, then moved  to floor and window cleaning, now I have moved to specialty cleaning in the bathroom and kitchen.

I wanted an all purpose cleaner that we could spray on the counters.  My husband cleans up every little spill while cooking and i wipe down the island regularly so we keep the spray bottle on the counter for quick use.

I love the spray bottles that come with our commercial shower solution (I make a shower solution but my hubby goes through it faster than I can make more, so he buys it at the grocery when I am not looking.) The bottles have a built in tube so you can get every last drop from the bottom so I wash out the bottles and save them to use for kitchen and bathroom cleaner.

All-purpose Essential Cleaner
This simple solution will smell good, clean and disinfect.
     1/4 cup vinegar
     1/2 tsp washing soda
     15 drops of eucalyptus essential oil *
     15 drops of lemon balm essential oil *

Place all of these in a spray bottle then add enough warm water to fill the bottle and shake well.  You now have an all-purpose cleaner. You can substitute tea tree essential oil and/or lavender essential oil to replace one or both of the other oils.


To scour the sink you may need something a bit stronger, so make an abrasive cleaner with grapefruit  that smells good and inhibits microorganisms.  To give it more punch you can also add bergamot and lemon oil too.

Do not use this on a fiberglass tub or sink.

Abrasive Grapefruit and Lemon Scrub

1 cup fine grade pumice
1/2 cup clay powder
2 Tablespoons grapefruit essential oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1/2 cup boiling water

Mix all ingredients together and stir.  Store in a labeled airtight container.

To Use: Apply gently with a damp sponge or cloth and scrub.

Creamy non-Abrasive Scrub
Use this on any fiberglass surfaces and anyplace else you do want scratches but need some serious cleaning.

1/4 cup borax
castile soap
1/2 teaspoon lemon grass essential oil

In a small bowl, combine borax and just enough castile to create a thick paste.  Add essential oil and bend well.

To Use: Scoop a small amount of cleaner onto a damp sponge.  Scrub surface and rinse well.

Natural Cleaning with Herbs

In a quest for a life with less chemicals and more natural scents and ingredients around me, I started growing herbs to cook with.  I made teas and cooking blends and introduced my family to the joy of herbs in the diet.  My favorite scent is lemon.  I grow lemon verbena, lemon balm, lemon grass, lemon scented geraniums, lemon thyme and lemon basil.  I found in researching these wonderfully scented plants, that not only were they tasty in cooking and tea, but that they enjoy many germ fighting properties as well.  And when I combined them with other natural disinfectants like vinegar, herbal essential oils and lemon juice I could create cleaning solutions for my household that were effective and non-toxic.

Vinegar is a natural disinfectant because of its acid content.  Plain white vinegar is 99% effective against most bacteria.  Lemon Juice, which is basically citric acid, breaks down the cell membranes of bacteria much like sterilization by heat does.  The pleasant scent can also cut the harshness of straight vinegar.  Add to that the natural disinfecting power of herbs and herbal essentials oils and you have a perfect combination for cleaning and disinfecting without harsh chemicals.

Cleaning and Disinfecting Herbs:

Thyme -The essential oil of thyme contains thymol, a natural phenol with powerful and proven antibiotic and disinfectant properties that kill common household germs. Thymol is at least 18 times as effective as phenol (used in commercial germicides), but much less toxic. Tests have shown its effective against Salmonella, Staphylococcus and Ecoli.

Sage, like thyme, contains natural phenol so is effective on germs and has many anti-fungal properties making it a perfect partner in the bathroom.

Rosemary contains camphor, a powerful anti-microbial.

Lavender – often seen only as a pleasing scent is a perfect partner for cleaning as it has a gentle germ-fighting power.   It can also be used as a disinfectant and insect repellent and Lavender is an antiseptic, natural antibiotic, sedative, detoxifier.

Lemon Grass -  with a very long history of use in traditional Indian medicine to help reduce fevers and fight infectious illness. Lemongrass essential oil is an antimicrobial and it resists contagion. It is a good sanitary disinfectant as well.

Lemongrass Cleaning Cloths

You can use micro fiber cloths, old cloth diapers or torn-up t-shirts.  These do-it-yourself duster cloths offer convenience of disposable furniture wipes without the guilt of contributing to the landfill.  Make several at one time.  I use cloths about 10 to 12-inches square which fit well in the hand.  This recipe will make about 40 cloths this size.  I find 10 to 12 cloths fit nicely in a 1 pint wide mouth mason jar.

3/4 cup water

1 cup white vinegar or lemon thyme herbal vinegar

¼ cup lemon juice

¼ teaspoon lemon grass essential oil

10 to 12 drops of lemon essential oil

Dust cloths or rags

1 or 2 wide mouth pint-size mason jars and lids

Combine water, vinegar, lemon juice and essential oils in large bowl.  Soak dust cloths in the solution for 30 minutes.  Squeeze out cloths, leaving them slightly damp.  Lay the cloths out flat, then fold each cloth in half or thirds and roll up.  Place rolled cloths in a glass jar.  Cap tightly with a screw lid.  To use, unfold the cloth and wipe down surfaces as usual.  Launder dust cloths when dirty and infuse again with the mixture.  Because of the lemon grass oil and vinegar these will not get moldy even though you keep them damp and they smell terrific, giving your home a fresh clean scent.

These wonderful smelling cloths can dust woodwork, scrub shower walls and doors, disinfect sinks, tubs and tile and are even good on porcelain toilets and toilet seats.  And if you do not want to make your own we do have these wonderful cleaning cloths for sale. 

Herbal Vinegar Spray

The spray is perfectly safe and very effective to use at full strength, but can be diluted 50/50 for lighter jobs.

Fresh or dried herbs

Distilled white vinegar

Roughly chop 1 to 2 large handfuls of fresh or dried herbs and place in a glass jar with a wide mouth and a plastic lid (good choices are lemon verbena, peppermint, rosemary, lemon balm or lavender.)  Add vinegar to fill the jar.  Replace the lid and leave for a few days or weeks (I generally like to wait 2 weeks) to infuse, then strain out the herbs.  Pour into a plastic stray bottle. 

   

Ways to Use your Vinegar Spray:

1. Clean your coffee maker.  Fill the reservoir with a full strength, undiluted thyme vinegar.  Run the vinegar through one cycle.  Run two cycles of water to rinse.
2. Remove pesticides from fruits and vegetables.  Wash them in a mixture of 2 or 3 tablespoons of sage and/or thyme vinegar per quart of water.  The antifungal qualities of sage will also help with natural borne fungus and the antiviral qualities of thyme will help against bacteria.
3. To cut grease and absorb odors on your wood cutting board, wipe down with a lemon, thyme or basil vinegar.
4. Clean and freshen the microwave mix ¼ cup herb-based vinegar and 1 cup water in a small bowl and heat for 5 minutes.  This will remove lingering odors and soften baked-on food spills.
5. Mildew removal.  Full strength vinegar, especially thyme vinegar will remove mildew from a shower curtain.  You can add a couple drops of lemon essential oil for a sweeter smell.
6. Floor cleaner.  To clean floors and kill germs try this recipe: 1/8 cup liquid soap, ½ cup thyme vinegar, ½ cup herbal tea (peppermint smells great, lemon cuts grease, thyme and sage will kill germs.)
7. Keep your dishwasher clean and fresh.  Add ½ cup herb vinegar to the rinse cycle.

Finally here is something simple and quick you can make to use all around the house for general cleaning.  Washing soda, also known as Soda Ash is sodium carbonate.  I obtain mine (made by Arm & Hammer) at the WalMart, but many grocery stores and health related stores also stock it.

I have heard that some people have trouble getting washing soda so I found this post that explains how to turn baking soda into washing soda

All-purpose Cleaner and Disinfectant

2 cups hot water

¼ cup white vinegar

½ tsp. washing soda

15 drops tea tree essential oil

15 drops lavender essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a reusable spray bottle and shake well.  To use, spray on surfaces, especially cutting boards, counter tops and toilets.  Wipe with dry cloth.

 Variation: add ½ teaspoon of liquid castile soap to 2 cups of this cleaner for a great all-purpose cleaner.

Enjoy the scents of Spring and Spring cleaning without masking them with chemicals and have a wonderful March!

Green Cleaning with Baking Soda and Herbs

It has been an unending winter.  I want Spring to be here so badly just to be able to throw open  the windows and let the fresh air fill the dark and dusty corners of my home.  If only it would stay above 60 for more than a day!  This year I am going to speed the freshening process by crafting a few herbal cleaning products. In honor of Earth Day this week, these are chemical free, natural, earth friendly cleaning solutions.

I made a blend of great cleaning herbs, like thyme, sage, marjoram, lavender and lemon peel.  I ran the herbs in the coffee grinder to give them a uniform size and blended about 3 Tablespoons of this powdery mixture with 3 cups of baking soda.  I have a shaker of table salt handy to add when I need some abrasion too.

Here is breakdown of the herbs I used and why:

Lemon peel: Purification. It's no accident that so many cleaning products are lemon-scented; lemon smells fresh and uplifting and cleanses negativity.

Lavender is more than just a delightful, summery scent. The essential oil of this fragrant plant has disinfectant properties, and its cleaning powers have long been known. 

Thyme is a natural disinfectant to help keep the bathroom clean and germ-free. It also gives off a fresh scent. 

Sage: A cleansing herb use to spiritually cleans common sage is what I use for house cleaning.  The antifungal properties make if perfect for kitchen, bath and laundry.

Marjoram has a long history of being used for cleaning purposes, but I think I just like the very clean scent it gives.

To use this baking soda and herb combination, you simply add it to cleaning water.  Now sometimes I go a step further and make a cleaning water that is has a cup of strong herbal tea added to it as well.  Just boil a couple of cups of water and throw in a handful of herbs, steep for several minutes, and strain the tea into your cleaning bucket, fill the rest of the way with clear water and then pour in between ½ to ¾ cup baking soda mixture.  Use this to wipe down counters, mop floors and do general cleaning.

Recipes for Cleaning Supplies

Here are a couple recipes you can also make using the baking soda and herb mixture.  For windows, however, you cannot use baking soda as it will leave streaks.  So check out the last recipe for how to get your windows sweet and clean.

CREAMY SOFT SCRUBBER

Simply pour about 1/2 cup of 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: Add 1 teaspoon of 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.

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.

WINDOW CLEANER

1/4-1/2 teaspoon liquid detergent
3 tablespoons lemon herb or plain white 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.

Green Cleaning - Cleaning wood and tile floors

We recently had company and so I gave our home a thorough cleaning.  I washed the floors, carpets, walls, etc.  Probably cleaning more than I would do for myself this time of year.  The floors were the hardest to clean, as we have cats and I have been tracking in some dirt from the garden these past couple months.

That put me on a tangent of thought.  What is good to clean the floors that will not harm them, me or the cats.  Here was what I came up with:

In our old house we had wood floors, real wood floors, not pergola.  These were finished with varnish and tung oil, so as a result I used mineral spirits or Murphy’s oil soap with water.  I infused the water with herbs for disinfecting.  I like to use thyme water as thyme is a natural germ fighter (thymol -essence of thyme- is the main ingredient in items like Lysol).  Herbal waters are herbs steeped in warm water for a long period, like a concentrated tea.

Here is the recipe I use to make a Murphy’s oil soap cleaner.

Versatile Cleaner Concentrate –

This concentrate can be mixed with herbal waters or vinegars for more powerful cleaning.

1 Tablespoon essential oil (you can use your favorite scent or a combination of scents) 

1/2 cup concentrated oil soap paste

Mix the soap paste (like Murphy's Concentrate available at the hardware store) with the essential oil in a glass container with a metal or plastic spoon.  Blend until the oil stops separating (sometimes a bit more paste is needed to get a good consistency and no separation).  I use lemon oil as a first choice, but a combination with thyme oil, grapefruit or other citrus oils will also work well.

TO USE -- Dilute by adding 1 to 3 teaspoons of concentrate to 4 cups of plain or herbal water. 

I also make vinegar cleaners, but you should never use vinegar on a wood floor, as this will discolor the finish or sealant.  Murphy’s Oil Soap will work with vinegar too.  I like a thyme or lemon herb vinegar using the recipe above on my tile floors (vinyl and ceramic) in the bathroom and kitchen.

Spring Cleaning #4 - general houshold cleaners, Occasional Series

Before we went out of town recently I had some work done at the apartment, so of course with workmen in I needed to give everything a spit and polish.  Since they were replacing my bathroom fan I needed to clean the bathroom and my front hall laundry area.  That is the place were you want a good cleaner that can cut through grime and leave a fresh scent.  I turned to vinegar for that.

Normally when I clean I use the vinegar left over from last season which would not longer be the best for cooking, but of course has not gone bad making it perfect for cleaning.  This year, I sold all the vinegar I made so I had to craft something for just this job.

VINEGAR CLEANERS

Herbal Vinegar Spray

The spray is perfectly safe and very effective to use at full strength, but can be diluted 50/50  for lighter jobs.

Fresh or dried herbs

Distilled white vinegar

Roughly chop 1 to 2 large handfuls of fresh or dried herbs and place in a glass jar with a wide mouth and a plastic lid (good choices are lemon verbena, peppermint, rosemary, lemon balm or lavender.)  Add vinegar to fill the jar.  Replace the lid and leave for a few days or weeks to infuse. (I generally like to wait 2 weeks, but in a pinch you can heat the vinegar and herbs in the microwave let them steep for an hour or orvernight and use them for cleaning purposes with all the scent and disinfecting power you need. ) Then strain out the herbs.  Pour into a plastic stray bottle.   

Lemon Vinegar

If you love a lemony scent when cleaning, try this mixture.  For added germ fighting use regular thyme and/or sage.  This is my favorite version which i like to point out makes a killer salad dressing or marinade too!

1 1/2 c. lemon basil



Lemon grass



1 c. lemon verbena

1 c. lemon balm

1/2 c. lemon thyme sprigs

Lemon peel from one lemon

4 c. white vinegar

Place all ingredients in a large glass container and cover.  Steep for 3 to 4 weeks and strain and rebottle.  Remember do not use metal containers or metal lids.

OTHER USES for Vinegar

Once you make the vinegar you can also use it to produce a stronger disinfecting cleaner.  This one is great on soap scum in the shower and you can use the soap version to clean around the toilet and the sink. 

All-purpose Cleaner and Disinfectant

2 cups hot water

¼ cup white vinegar

½ tsp. washing soda

15 drops tea tree essential oil

15 drops lavender essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a reusable spray bottle and shake well.  To use, spray on surfaces, especially cutting boards, counter tops and toilets.  Wipe with dry cloth.  Variation: add ½ teaspoon of liquid castile soap to 2 cups of this cleaner for a great all-purpose cleaner.

NON-VINEGAR

Vinegar-free Cleanser

For those who do not like the slightly acid hint of vinegar, you can make this vinegar-free cleaner.  It does not keep as long, so make in small batches so you can toss it after a week or so or keep in the refirgerator for 2 to 3 weeks.

1 cup Dried or 2 cups fresh herbs

Hot water to cover

1/4 tsp. borax

Essential oil

Gather and bruise fresh or dried herbs and place in a glass jar and cover with hot water.  Allow to steep for a few days.  Strain, then add the borax and a few drops of essential oil.  Shake well and decant into spray bottles.