Many people are suspicious when it comes to DIY cleaning products. The main concerns are home-made detergents and solutions won’t apply their requirements for effectiveness and safety, and about the preparation process of such recipes. But when we have to protect allergy and asthma sufferers in our family, or ensure the healthy environment for small children, sooner or later we stumble upon alternative approach to housekeeping. When we clean carpets in Whitechapel we use only eco-friendly detergents but we’ve decided to give you some idea of green products you can make yourself. Here are included a few recipes for different kinds of cleaners, that can be easily prepared with products found in every home. The following formulas are gathered from around the web, tested and proven to work very effectively without leaving toxic chemical residues.
Simple Carpet Cleaning Mixture
This recipe gives amazing result for brightening-up carpets and area rugs and removing most of the most common stains, that can occur on your floor. It also works well on cleaning upholstered furniture.
You Will Need:
3 tea spoons eucalyptus oil
3 tea spoons glycerine
3 table spoons vinegar
3 table spoons vinegar bicarbonate soda
3 table spoons vinegar methylated spirits
Preparations:
Mix all ingredients together in a spray container and shake it well.
Used as a stain remover: You can apply it on both furniture and carpets. Spray directly on the stain then gently blot with old tights.
Used as carpet cleaner: Cover the head of the broom with old tights and spray it with the mixture. Sweep the carpet thoroughly. Wait for a while and then vacuum.
Natural Air Freshener
This is a universal way of making air freshener for your home. This recipe is highly recommended if someone from your family suffers from allergies, asthma or other respiratory problems.
You Will Need:
· A plain glass jar with metal or plastic lid
· 1 cup soda bicarbonate
· 8-10 drops of your preferred essential oil (citrus oils have refreshing action, while lavender has relaxing effect and it’s ideal for bedroom or nursery room).
Preparations:
Punch a few small holes on the jar’s lid. Mix the baking soda into the jar along with the essential oil. Shake the bottle well to mix everything equally. Put back the lid on and leave the freshener wherever you need it in the house. When the scent weakens just shake the jar again. When the essential oil evaporate completely, just add several drops of your preferred oil into the soda.
Chemical Free Leather Conditioner
There are a lot of commercial products for leather conditioning products on the market. But the thing is that when you use conditioner you leave it stay on the furniture, car seats or clothes, and all the ingredients of the product stay in close contact to your body.
You Will Need:
· 1 part bee wax
· 1 part linseed oil
· Few drops essential oil (optional)
· Few drops lemon juice (optional)
Preparations:
Melt the bee wax and mix it well with linseed oil in a small bowl. At this point you can add essential oil to flavour the conditioner and lemon juice if you want to bright up older leather. Apply this mixture on a clean dry cloth or towel and rub gently onto the surface as you are doing massage. Leave the furniture like this for a few minutes and then remove the excessive conditioner using another piece of cloth or soft paper towel. You can use liquid paraffin instead of bee wax.
Green Wood Floor Polisher
Maintaining hard wood floor is quite easy – the only thing you have to do is sweep the dirt and wipe thoroughly with soap water. But over the time wood floors get a lot of traffic and unavoidably scratches and marks occur. Here is a safe, natural way to mask the marks and revive wood floor and furniture.
You Will Need:
· 3-4 bags black tea or
· Green walnut peels
Preparations:
Boil 2 pints of tap water and put the tea bags or walnut peels inside. Leave the pot on the heat for 3-4 minutes and remove it from the stove. Wait until the liquid cools to room temperature. Pour it into a basket and wipe the floor as usual. Don’t rinse the flooring.
You can use these recipes as much as you want without any risk for you or your family. Take in mind, that they don’t contain chemicals and preservatives, so you have to use them immediately, or store them in your fridge, but no longer than 5 days. They will also help you decrease the price for cleaning the different parts of your home.
