Green Cleaning – Top Four Magic Cleaners Direct from Your Pantry

What would you say if I told you that everything you need to clean your house was probably hiding in your pantry? True, you’re most likely storing a dozen commercial cleaners, but I’m telling you all you need are baking soda, distilled white vinegar, lemon or lime juice and olive oil. With these four ingredients you can make a cleaner for almost every purpose in your home, car and office. Let me go into more detail…

Baking Soda

Baking soda is as good as bleach at getting surfaces clean. Sprinkle it over your sink, dampen and sponge it evenly and rinse with plain water to get your sink to shine like new. Pour some baking soda down your stinky or clogged drain and follow with some vinegar to create a science experiment-like drain cleaner. A little baking soda mixed into a paste with water is an effective silver polish. Also I find it to be the best on my Formica countertops but if you have another material countertop you may want to check with someone before using baking soda due to scratches. The best thing about baking soda is that you get the white effect of bleach without the toxic fumes and danger to your skin, hair and clothes. Baking soda can also be used in a pinch as a fabric softener.

White Distilled Vinegar

White distilled vinegar (not to be confused with all the many other types of vinegar out there) is useful for cutting through greasy messes, inhibiting the growth of mold and whitening whites in the laundry. Use it in a diluted form as a window and glass cleaner. You can also use it in a pure form to get rid of unwanted vegetation like weeds or grass. Except as a drain cleaner, you shouldn’t combine white vinegar with baking soda not only because you are likely to make a huge mess but because an acid (vinegar) and a base (baking soda) create a neutral substance that won’t be really good for cleaning anything.

Lemon Or Lime Juice

It is well known in the cleaning society that citrus juices have astonishing cleaning properties. It has anti-microbial and anti-bacterial characteristics as well as being great for cutting grease and freshening the air. Feel free to add it to any cleaner for a touch of fresh scent. When mixed with white vinegar, lemon juice makes a furniture polish that leaves your wood furniture smelling like sunshine. If you prefer the scent of lime to that of lemon, you can substitute lime juice for lemon juice in any of these recipes.

Olive Oil

Not only is olive oil great for your heart, it’s fantastic for dusting and protecting your wood furniture. Combine it with white vinegar for dusting and use a smidge of it on a rag for cleaning and shining any wood in the house. Don’t worry about the type of olive oil (such as virgin, extra-virgin, etc) because it is the juice from the olive itself that is good for nourishing your wood. You can also add a couple of drops of your favorite essential oil to add a more pleasant aroma.
There are other all-natural ingredients that will help you keep you house clean but just these four should be a good start to replacing the hazardous and toxic commercial products you’re used to using.