Green Cleaning Recipes
Save a few bucks, have a clean home and reduce your indoor air pollution – try a few of these ‘easy to make’ household cleaners

The Essentials:

  • Vinegar - Vinegar means distilled white vinegar, available by the gallon at your supermarket. Note that while vinegar has a slight scent while wet, when dry, it leaves no odor. You can scent your vinegar with a few drops of pure essential oil and give it a nice scent and some very beneficial additional properties.

  • Liquid Soap - Liquid soap means castile soap, a mild soap made from olive oil, but now may include other vegetable oils as well. Coconut oil soaps are another good alternative to petroleum-based soaps. Many are scented with your favorite essential oils such as lavender and peppermint. Preferred Organics 'Lavender Castile Soap' not only has a wonderful soft floral scent but has aloe to keep your hands from drying out.

  • Washing Soda - Washing soda and borax are minerals related to baking soda, but are stronger and more caustic. Though natural, both washing soda and borax can irritate skin, so use gloves. Borax can be toxic when swallowed, so keep it out of children's reach at all times. Both of these items can be found in your supermarket's laundry aisle.

Kitchen

  • Countertops: For a "soft scrub," mix together baking soda and castile soap until you get a consistency you like. The amounts don't have to be perfect. Make only as much as you need, as it dries up quickly. Our all natural ‘Luv My Produce’ made from castile soap and pure essential oils is an effective and easy ‘wipe up’ of counters, appliance handles, refrigerator shelves and more.

  • Ovens: To clean extra-greasy ovens, mix together 1 cup baking soda and 1/4 cup of washing soda, then add enough water to make a paste; apply the paste to oven surfaces and let soak overnight. The next morning, lift off soda mixture and grime; rinse surfaces well.

  • Microwave ovens: can be cleaned with a paste of 3-4 tablespoons baking soda mixed with water. Scrub on with a sponge and rinse.

  • Cutting boards: Disinfect them by spraying with vinegar and then with 3% hydrogen peroxide (available in drug stores). Keep the liquids in separate spray bottles and use them one at a time. It doesn't matter which one you use first, but both together are much more effective than either one alone.

BATHROOM

  • Tub and tile cleaner: Mix 1 2/3 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup liquid soap and1/2 cup water. Then, as the last step, add 2 tablespoons vinegar (if you add the vinegar too early it will react with the baking soda). Immediately apply, wipe, and scrub. For a quick scrub, mix Lavender Essential Oil with vinegar in a spray bottle and mist mildew spots and scrub with a brush.

  • A good all-purpose disinfectant: 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar and 3 to 4 cups hot water in a spray bottle. For extra cleaning power, add 1/4 teaspoon liquid soap to the mixture.

  • Toilet bowl: Pour 1 cup of borax or baking soda into the toilet before going to bed. In the morning, scrub and flush. For an extra-strength cleaner, add 1/4 cup vinegar to the borax.

  • Drains: Prevent clogged drains by using hair and food traps. To de-grease and sweeten sink and tub drains, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down drain followed by 1 cup vinegar; let bubble for 15 minutes; rinse with boiling water. You might have to repeat the whole procedure more than once or leave the baking soda and vinegar to "cook" overnight.

LAUNDRY

  • Fabric Laundry brightener: Add 1/2 cup of strained lemon juice to the rinse cycle.

  • Rinse: Add 1/4 cup of vinegar to the washing machine's rinse cycle to remove detergent completely from clothes, eliminating that scratchy feel. This will not leave your clothes smelling like vinegar! Add your favorite essential oil to the vinegar if you prefer a scent.

  • Detergent: Since laundry detergent is one of the most toxic products in your home, why not use an all natural soap. Preferred Organics ‘Luv My Laundry’ is made from certified organic ingredients and contains absolutely NO harsh chemicals. No need for fabric softener since our laundry soap contains aloe, a natural softener. We also carry Soap Nuts which may be used in place of both laundry soap and fabric softener as well. These all natural products are hypoallergenic and biodegradable, unlike commercial laundry detergents, and may be safely used on delicates.

  • Detergent Booster: To reduce the amount of laundry detergent you need to use, add baking soda or washing soda. These minerals soften the water, which increases the detergent's power. For liquid detergent, add 1/2 cup of soda at the beginning of the wash.

  • Bleach: Use hydrogen peroxide instead of chlorine bleach.

  • Dry cleaning: Many delicate "dry clean only" items can be washed at home by hand. In general, it's best to use slightly warm water and a mild castile soap. Both Luv My Laundry and Soap Nuts may be used on leather, silk, down and other delicate water safe fabrics. Squeeze or wring gently and lay flat to dry.

Rug and Upholstery Cleaner

  • Sprinkle corn meal, baking soda or cornstarch on dry rugs and vacuum. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the dry mix to leave a light scent. Use club soda or soap-based rug shampoo.

Carpet Cleaning Foam

Mix together:
¼ c. castile soap
3 tbsp. (or more) water
Whip ingredients in bowl with egg beater. Rub foam into problem areas of the rug. Rinse well with water. For harder stains use straight Club Soda, preferably Wal Mart brand. It is cheaper and contains more sodium which helps to clean even better. Chemical carpet cleaners are highly toxic and should be avoided ESPECIALLY around kids and pets.

Wood Floors and Linoleum


Mix together:
½ c. white vinegar
1 gal warm water
Polishing with skim milk after the floor is dry will make the floor glow!
Castile soap is also an effective cleaner for wood floors and linoleum when used in small amounts. Do not repeatedly damp mop your wood floors as the water may eventually damage the wood.

General Cleaning

  • Dusting: Dry dusting simply stirs up dust and moves it around. You may try 1 teaspoon olive oil per 1/2 cup vinegar. Mix together in a bowl and apply with a soft cloth. Preferred Organics ‘Luv My Spray and Wipe’ is a great furniture cleaner. The aloe and essential oils in it leave fine furniture clean and shiny. Micro fiber cloths, while attracting a lot of dirt and dust, hold the particles in the cloth which may scratch fine finishes. The Eco towels and sponges, made of viscose, are soft and don’t trap dirt in the fibers. They can be thrown in the wash and tumbled dry which only makes them softer.

  • Glass Cleaning: Mix 1/2 teaspoon castile soap, 3 tablespoons vinegar and 2 cups of water. Shake well and spritz. Use newspaper instead of paper towels to get streak free windows. Another simple cleaner is Wal-Mart brand club soda. Just pour it ‘full strength’ in a spray bottle, and you will be surprised how clean your glass and chrome will be. Also, no worries if somebody accidentally drinks it!!

Metal Polish

  • Brass, copper, bronze and aluminum: To remove tarnish, rub the metal with sliced lemons. For tough jobs, sprinkle baking soda on the lemon, then rub.

  • Sterling silver: Put a sheet of aluminum foil into a plastic or glass bowl. Sprinkle the foil with salt and baking soda, then fill the bowl with warm water. Just soak your silver in the bowl of warm water and the tarnish will migrate to the aluminum foil. Finally, rinse, dry and buff your silver with a soft cloth. Eco towels are soft Preferred Organicsenough for the job and won’t scratch the finish.

  • Chrome: Mix rubbing alcohol or a small amount of ammonia with hot water and wipe with the dampened cloth. Also use white flour on a damp rag and rub lightly.