Make Your Own Non Toxic Household Cleaners

What’s wrong with all those cleaners you have crowding the cabinets under your sink and in your bathroom? Aside from the expense, these cleaners can be dangerous for you in so many different ways. Often the fumes or extended exposure to the chemicals in these products can make you very sick, even more so than the dirt, grease, and germs that you’re killing when you use them.

Less than 1000 of the chemicals gets through tests for health effects included in these cleaning products, which means that you and your family are at risk for rash, asthma, and allergies even if you are careful. They also not test the combinations of these chemicals. Those that are safe alone may be deadly in combination.

Symptoms

If you are concerned that you or a family member is having an adverse reaction to a household product or a cleaner, call poison control immediately or 911. Some of the symptoms include:

Headache
Nausea
Allergic reactions
Depression
Dizziness
Rash
Insomnia
Development and behaviour problems in children

Alternatives

You are not at the mercy of products on the grocery store or drugstore shelf. What did people do 100 years ago? Indeed they did laundry and mopped the floors back then. With a handful of inexpensive and easy to find ingredients, you too can create safe cleaning products to keep you and your family safe. Below are some common household cleaning issues with some recipes that you can quickly create to combat them without putting anyone’s house at risk.

A Few Helpful Definitions

If you decide not to make these recipes or if you are concerned about some of the products that are currently in your home, take a look at the following definitions so that you may better understand the risks inherent to each cleaner.

Toxic or Highly Toxic – This term means that the cleaner is poisonous if ingested, absorbed through the skin, or if you inhale the fumes.
Extremely Flammable or Flammable or Combustible – This means that the cleaner will easily catch fire if it is exposed to a flame or a spark.
Corrosive – This term indicates that the product will corrode metal and eat the skin away or cause inflammation of the mucous membranes.
Strong Sensitizer – This term conveys that the cleaner may cause allergic reactions.
Danger – This means that the product could be lethal to an adult if even you ingest the tiniest amount.
Warning – This means that the product could be lethal to an adult if they ingest any amount over about a teaspoon.
Caution – This term indicates that the cleaner could be lethal to an adult if they ingest more than about two tablespoons.
REMINDER – All of the above terms are defined as applied to an adult. If a child ingests any amount of any toxic substance no matter what words mark the label, call poison control and 911 immediately.

Ingredients

Here are some of the natural and non-toxic substances that you can gather together in preparation to make any or all of the recipes that follow:

Salt – We recommend sea salt.
Vinegar – Use distilled white vinegar unless otherwise noted.
Baking soda – This is a staple so a large box will come in handy.
Lemon juice – Squeeze it yourself or buy it by the bottle.
Rubbing alcohol – Inexpensive and found everywhere
Liquid soap – You can make your own by saving the ends of bars of soap in a jar full of water. These will dissolve into your liquid soap.
Non-chlorine scouring powder – Check the labels for this one.
Trisodium phosphate and sodium hexametaphosphate – Difficult to pronounce but easy to find minerals. Look for them in hardware stores.
Borax – A mineral with no toxic fumes and environmentally safe, Borax can be hazardous if swallowed.

Air Freshener Recipes and Replacements

For trash cans – Leave a ½ cup of borax or baking soda in the bottom of the can.
Leave bowls of baking soda or vinegar (half full) around the room.
Boil herbs to release their scent (bay leaf, clove, fennel – depending on your taste). Later, ice the boiled water, and you’ve got homemade tea!
Place cotton balls with a few drops of pure, high-grade essential oils (a little goes a long way) around the house.
Push whole cloves into the skin of fresh oranges, lemons, or limes.

All-Purpose Cleaner Recipes and Replacements

1/2 cup of borax dissolved in 1-gallon hot water.
To cut grease – 1 teaspoon liquid soap or borax dissolved in 1-quart hot water with a splash of lemon juice or vinegar.
Three tablespoons baking soda dissolved in 1-quart warm water.
To disinfect – equal parts rubbing alcohol and hot water.

For heavy cleaning – dissolve ½ cup borax, ½ teaspoon liquid soap and two teaspoons trisodium phosphate in 2 gallons warm water.

Bathroom Cleaner Recipes and Replacements

Use a non-chlorine scouring powder.
Toilets – make a paste of 1/3 cup lemon juice and 2/3 cup borax. Spread on stains. Let sit for 2 hours. Brush off.
Toilets – brush toilet with baking soda.
Toilets and tiles – rubbing alcohol.

Bleach Replacements in Laundry

Baking soda or borax in warm water.
Non-chlorine bleach.

Dishwasher Detergent Replacement

Sodium hexametaphosphate cuts grease and cleans dishes as well as the dishwasher.

Dishwashing Liquid Recipes and Replacements

Plain liquid soap.
Rub sponge with bar soap and clean as usual.
Bottles – put sand and water in the container, cover the opening, and shake.
Wooden serving dishes – rub with a half lime or lemon, rinse, dry with a cloth, and cover with salt to absorb moisture.
Crystal dishes – wash with warm soapy water and rinse with 1 part vinegar and three parts warm water.
Stains on enamel cookware – salt and vinegar paste.
Burned on food – sprinkle pot with baking soda and moisten with water. Let sit for a few hours and food should lift off. Also, simple scrubbing with plain steel wool or everyday cloth scrubs.

Disinfectant Recipes and Replacements

Regular cleaning with soap and water, hot water kills bacteria.
Keep everything dry.
Try a solution of ½ cup borax to one gallon of hot water.
Rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide disinfect without leaving a residue.

Drain Cleaner Recipes

Use a plunger or a mechanical snake for clogs.
Pour ½ cup baking soda and ½ cup of vinegar down the drain and let sit for 10 minutes. Flush with ½ gallon of boiling water and repeat as necessary.
Pour ½ cup of salt and ½ cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by 6 cups of boiling water. Let sit overnight. Flush with water.
Heavy duty – 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup salt, and 3/4 cup vinegar down the drain. Let sit 20 minutes and flush with 1-gallon hot water.
Pour ¼ cup of 35% hydrogen peroxide down the drain. Wait a few minutes, then plunge. Repeat as necessary.
Regular maintenance – pour four tablespoons borax down the drain then flush with boiling water every two weeks.

Fabric Softener Recipes and Replacements

1 cup vinegar in the final rinse.
Unscented dryer sheets rather than liquids or aerosol sprays.

Flea Control Recipes

Sprinkle 2 ounces of lavender oil extract over 2-3 quarts of rock salt. Let the salt absorb the oil. Place lavender salts under dressers, sofas, and rugs.
Dried pennyroyal works, as well.
Feed brewer’s yeast or garlic to your pet.
Put peels from oranges and grapefruit, three garlic cloves, one tablespoon rosemary, and 1-pint water in a blender. Liquefy and then heat the mixture over low heat for 15 minutes. Strain liquid into spray bottle, spray on pet, and massage thoroughly into fur, avoiding the eyes.

Glass Cleaner Recipes

Fill a pump spray bottle with equal parts vinegar and water.
Heavy duty – Mix 1 cup vinegar in 1-gallon water. Add two tablespoons cornstarch. Mix well.

Insecticide Recipes

Ants

Wipe up a line of ants with a wet sponge so other ants won’t follow. Also, wipe up stray ants.
Sprinkle boric acid, talcum powder, powdered chilli pepper, paprika, dried peppermint, damp coffee grounds, or borax where ants enter the house.
Squeeze lemon juice where ants enter and leave behind the peel.
Plant mint outside or spray ants with strong mint tea in a squirt bottle.
Spray ants and ant trails with biodegradable soap, inside and out.

Cockroaches and Silverfish

Combine equal parts baking soda and sugar. Spread around infested area.
Combine equal parts powdered oatmeal or flour with plaster of Paris. Spread around infested area.
Stir and sift 1-ounce trisodium phosphate, 6 ounces borax, 4 ounces granulated sugar, and 8 ounces flour. Spread around infested area. Repeat four days and again in two weeks.
Combine 2 tablespoons flour, one tablespoon cocoa powder, and four tablespoons borax. Spread around infested area.
Place cucumber rinds or bay leaves in the infested area.

Flies

Flypaper – spread a thin layer of honey on bright paper.
Scratch the inside of an orange peel and leave it out. Citrus oil repels flies.

Beetles and Weevils

Place a bay leaf in all grain product containers.
Store flour and grains in a cool cabinet, the refrigerator, or a sealed container.
Hang small cheesecloth sacks of black pepper in food bins.

Insect Repellant Recipes

Splash or dab vinegar on exposed skin.
Apply citronella lotions or oils to the skin.
Combine a few drops citronella or pennyroyal oil per ounce vodka or vegetable oil. Apply at pulse points.

Laundry Detergent Recipes and Replacements

Add plain powdered or liquid soap or grated bar soap to laundry. To prevent residue, add baking soda or borax to wash.
Remove odours, perspiration and freshen clothes – 1 cup plain baking soda, vinegar or borax per load.

Laundry Starch Recipes

Dissolve one tablespoon cornstarch in 1-pint cold water in pump spray bottle. Shake before using.
Use a steam iron instead of a dry iron.
Add ½ teaspoon vinegar to water in a steam iron.

Mould and Mildew Cleaner Recipes

Put a piece of charcoal in bookcases to absorb dampness.
Put musty books in a low-temperature oven for a few minutes.
Combine borax or vinegar with water in a spray bottle. Spray on mould and wipe off.
Mildew – Pour 1 cup hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle and spray on stains then scrub with a thin paste of lemon juice and borax to inhibit.
Wash bathroom walls with a borax solution, leave it on, or sprinkle borax under sinks.

Oven Cleaner Recipes

Combine two tablespoons liquid soap and two teaspoons borax in a spray bottle and fill with warm water. Spray an oven close to the surface and avoid inhalation. Wear gloves and glasses or goggles. Let sit for 20 minutes. Scrub with steel wool and non-chlorine scouring powder.

Metal Polish Recipes

Brass and Copper

Apply lemon juice, lemon juice and salt paste, or lemon slice sprinkled with baking soda. Rub with a soft cloth, rinse, and dry.
Make a paste with lemon juice and cream of tartar. Apply. Let sit for 5 minutes. Rinse with warm water. Dry with a soft cloth.
Apply a salt, vinegar, and flour paste. Apply. Let sit for 1 hour. Rub off, rinse, and polish with a soft cloth.
Rub with hot buttermilk, sour milk, or tomato juice.
Rub with olive oil after each polishing.
Tarnished copper – boil item in water with one tablespoon salt and 1 cup vinegar for several hours. Wash with soap in hot water. Rinse and dry.

Chrome

Wipe on cider vinegar a soft cloth.
Rub with lemon peel. Rinse and polish with a soft cloth.

Gold

Wash in warm, soapy water. Dry with a cotton cloth. Polish with a chamois cloth.

Silver

Submerge item in the salted water and aluminium (either aluminum pan or strips of aluminium foil). The aluminium attracts the tarnish off silver. Let sit for a few minutes, remove items, and wipe dry. Repeat as necessary.
Large items – fill a sink with hot water. Add a sheet of aluminium foil and ½-1 cup salt. Let sit for 2-3 minutes. Remove, rinse, and dry.
Silverware – Place a sheet of aluminium foil in the bottom of a pan. Add 2-3 inches of water, one teaspoon salt, and one teaspoon baking soda. Add silverware and boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove, rinse and dry.
Jewellery – Fill a glass jar half full with thin strips of aluminium foil. Add one tablespoon salt. Fill the pot with cold water. Keep covered. Drop jewellery in for a few minutes, remove, rinse and dry.

Spot Remover Recipes

Blood

Soak fabric in cold water. Wash with soap and cold water. If necessary, soak white cloths in ¼ cup borax and 2 cups water before washing.

Chocolate and Coffee

Sponge stain with cold water. Sponge with one tablespoon borax dissolved in 2 cups water. Wash as usual.

Fruit and Juice

Stretch clothing over a sink. Pour boiling water over the stain. Wash as usual.

Grass

Rub with glycerin soap. Let sit for 1 hour. Wash as usual.

Ink

Soak fabric in cold water. Wash as usual.
Set stain on whites, wet fabric with cold water and apply cream of tartar and lemon juice paste. Let sit for 1 hour. Wash as usual.

Mildew

Wash in hot, soapy water. Rinse and dry in the sun.

Milk

Soak fabric in warm water. Rub with glycerin soap. Wash in cold, soapy water, rinse and dry.

Mud

Brush off the extra dirt. Rub the stain with leftover water from boiled potatoes or 2 tablespoons borax dissolved in 2 cups of water. Rinse well. Wash as usual.

Perspiration

Stretch clothing over the sink. Pour boiling water over the stain. Wash as usual.

Urine

Sponge stain with baking soda and water. Rinse in warm water. Wash as usual.

Scouring Powder Recipes

Combine ¼ cup baking soda, ¼ cup borax, and 1½ cups hot water.
Sprinkle baking soda, borax, or dry table salt on surface or sponge. Scour and rinse.
Aluminium pots – Boil 2 pints water and three tablespoons vinegar in a jar until stains disappear.
Burned or baked-on food – Cover with two tablespoons liquid soap, three teaspoons baking soda, and water. Boil for 15-20 minutes. Wash.

Rug, Carpet, and Upholstery Shampoos and Cleaners

Deodorize – Vacuum first. Combine 1-quart white vinegar and 3 quarts boiling water. Apply with a wet rag (don’t wet backing). Dry thoroughly. Rub surface with warm bread crumbs and vacuum.
Blood stains – Sponge stain with cold water. Dry with a towel. Repeat as necessary.
Grease – Cover with baking soda and rub lightly into the rug. Let sit for 1 hour. Brush off. Repeat as necessary.
Grease and oil – Cover spot with cornstarch. Let sit for 1 hour. Vacuum.
Ink – Place cream of tartar on the stain. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice on top. Rub into the stain for 1 minute. Brush off the powder. Sponge with warm water.
Wet ink – Immediately put a mound of table salt on the wet spot. Let sit for a minute. Brush up. Reapply and remove until the ink is absorbed and the stain is bleached out.
Urine – Rinse with warm water, then apply a solution of three tablespoons white vinegar and one teaspoon liquid soap. Leave on for 15 minutes, then rinse and rub dry.

Wood Polish Recipes and Replacements

Apply with a soft cloth.

Mayonnaise.
Cool tea.
Three tablespoons of lemon juice in 1-quart vegetable or mineral oil. Remove with a clean cloth.
One teaspoon olive oil, juice of one lemon, and 1 teaspoon water (1 teaspoon brandy or whiskey optional).
Three parts olive oil to 1 part vinegar.
Mahogany – Equal parts vinegar and warm water. Wipe onto wood. Polish with a chamois cloth.
Oak – Boil one-quart beer, 1 tablespoon sugar, and two tablespoons beeswax. Wipe cooled mixture onto wood. When dry, polish with chamois cloth.
One teaspoon lemon oil per two cups plain mineral oil.

Tips

Never combine ammonia or vinegar with Bleach. It creates a lethal gas called Chloramine Gas.
Wash new synthetic sheets and clothes a couple of times before using or wearing to remove formaldehyde.
Never combine ANYTHING with Bleach. It will create lethal gases.
Detergents cause more household poisonings than any other household products.
Detergents are not necessary for cotton, linens, silks, and wool as they were developed mainly for synthetic fabrics.
If vinegar and water streaks on glass and mirrors, there is build-up. Use rubbing alcohol to remove it.
Never wash windows when the sun is shining directly on them. The combination will dry too quickly and streak.
Use newspaper instead of paper towels to clean glass.
Never pour grease down the drain.
Chlorine is toxic on the skin, inhaled, ingested.
Chlorine residue left on clothes after washing can trigger allergic reactions.
Chlorine bleach causes septic systems failure. It kills the good bacteria that break down waste in septic tanks.
Hot water is the best dish cleaner.

Helpful Organizations

American Lung Association: 1-800-LUNG-USA
Consumer Product Safety Commission: 1-800-638-2772
National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences (EnviroHealth Clearinghouse): 1-800-643-4794
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH): 1-800-356-4674
Indoor Air Quality Information Clearinghouse (IAQ INFO): 1-800-438-4318
National Lead Information Center: 1-800-LEADFYI
National Pesticides Telecommunications Network: 1-800-858-7378