Cleaning Hacks: DIY Eco-Friendly Natural Cleaners with 3 Simple Kitchen Ingredients!

There are many commercial cleaning products which are specially formulated to address stubborn stains and dirt for kitchens, bathrooms and so on. Nevertheless, although some of them are pretty effective, most of these commercial household cleaners contain harsh chemicals which may be hazardous and toxic when administered improperly.

Do You Know?

Health Effects
Common side effects of the chemicals found in the household cleaning products include irritations of skin and eye and they may trigger asthma. In addition, some of the chemicals are also linked to infertility, cancer and central nervous system disorders. Furthermore, they are also harmful to the environment.

Not all ingredients are listed
It is not compulsory for the manufacturers of household cleaning products to list all their ingredients on the bottle; they are only required to list ‘chemicals of known concern’. This is because most manufacturers claimed that disclosure of their ingredients will compromise their secret formula and give their competitors an advantage.

Therefore, if you are environmental and health conscious, you can minimize you and your family’s exposure to the harmful effects of the household cleaners with your very own DIY eco-friendly natural cleaners!

What are the advantages of DIY eco-friendly natural cleaners?

All ingredients are “al-natural” and non-toxic
By going DIY, you have complete control over all the kinds of ingredients that go into your cleaner. Therefore, you do not have to worry that you and your family will be exposed to harmful chemicals since they are safe and non-toxic.

Cheaper and easily available
The multipurpose cleaning ingredients such as lemon, vinegar and baking soda are very cheap and are commonly found in kitchens. In addition, they are very cheap and hence, will help you save on your expenditures on household cleaners.

What are the ingredients which you can use to DIY your household cleaners?

Here are top 3 basic ingredients which you should have to start your very own store of natural household cleaners. They will help you eliminate dirt, germs, and even grease effectively!

#1. White Vinegar

Image from Snug hug home

White vinegar, made of laboratory-produced acetic acid combined with water, is very acidic in nature with a PH level of of 2.4. In fact, its acidic properties help to remove sticky buildup such as soap scum, hard water spots and stains and so on. White vinegar is also excellent for removing stubborn sweat stains too! However, using white vinegar in its pure form is too hash for typical cleaning purposes, therefore it is usually diluted with water prior use.

Where can you use white vinegar as a cleaning solution?

Laundry
Remove Laundry Stains. Spray diluted (1 part white vinegar to 1 part water) white vinegar on to the laundry stains before laundering to remove the stains.

Kitchen
Disinfect cutting boards. Pour undiluted white vinegar onto the cutting wooden boards to disinfect them.
Clean microwave. Remove the grease from the insides of the microwave by microwaving a bowl of diluted white vinegar for a few minutes before wiping.

Bathroom
Unclog clogged shower drainage. Vinegar when combined with baking soda helps to unclog shower drainage easily.
Clean grout and caulk. Spray undiluted white vinegar on moldy grout and caulk to revitalize them. Let the solution sits for around two hours and scrub the grout and caulk with a brush before rinsing with plenty of water.

Tip: You can add lemon or lime juice in the white vinegar solution to make it smell fresh.
Warning: Mixing vinegar with chlorine bleach will create chlorine gas, which can be deadly. White vinegar can etch on natural stone such as marble, granite and stone floor tiles so keep it away from natural stone! 

#2. Baking Soda

Image from The kitchn

Baking soda’s pH is actually higher than neutral which makes it raise the pH of water slightly when mixed with water. It also discourages bacteria growth since it is also a mild antiseptic. Baking soda is a sodium bicarbonate, which is slightly abrasive and neutralizes both acids and bases. Therefore, these properties make baking soda a great cleaning agent.

Where can you use baking soda as a cleaning solution?

Laundry
Make colored clothes brighter and whites whiter. Add a spoonful of baking soda to your regular laundry detergent. Baking soda also helps keep your laundry smell fresh by removing the odor.
Clean washing machine. Mix ½ cup of baking soda with 1 liter of vinegar and set the temperature at 90ºC. Vinegar and baking soda when mixed together is extremely effective at removing lime and deodorizing the washing machine drum.

Kitchen
Clean dirty pans, microwave and fridge. Make a cleaning paste by combining 3 parts baking soda with 1 part water; scrub the dirty pans, insides of the microwave and fridge with the cleaning paste to remove the grime and dirt.

Bathroom
Clean toilet bowl. Sprinkle generous amount of baking soda into the toilet bowl, pour some diluted vinegar and scrub with a toilet brush to clean and deodorize the toilet bowl.
Clean bathroom tiles, grout and caulk. Mix 2 part baking soda and 1 part water into a smooth paste, apply the paste onto the stained bathroom tiles, moldy grout and caulk and let the paste sits for over an hour. Scrub with floor scrub and a toothbrush. Rinse thoroughly with plenty of water when finished.

#3. Table Salt

Image from  Pritikin

Salt is the most versatile minerals; aside from cooking, it is also used to preserve food and even for cleaning! In fact, salt has been used for cleaning since the medieval times. In addition, its ionic qualities make salt a terrific absorbent for the stains!

Where can you use salt as a cleaning solution?

Laundry
Remove stubborn stains. Mix some salt with diluted vinegar to boost the stain removing power. The diluted vinegar and salt mixture is very effective against stubborn stains like blood stains.

Kitchen
Freshen cutting board. Cut half a lemon and sprinkle generous amount of coarse salt onto the cut lemon. juice. Rub the cut lemon half on the cutting board vigorously to remove the stains and freshen up the board with a citrus scent.
Clean greasy pans. Salt absorbs grease easily and therefore is an excellent cleaner for greasy pans. Sprinkle generous amount of salt onto the oily pans. Add hot water to boost the extra cleaning power and wipe off with  a paper towel.  Rinse with warm water and some detergent.

Bathroom
Unclog blocked toilet bowls. Salt is also effective to remove clogs in a toilet when used in combination with baking powder to unplug a stubborn clog. Mix 1 part of table salt with 1 part of baking soda and pour into the toilet bowl. Add 6 parts of boiling water and let the mixture sit for around 8 hours prior flushing.
Remove hard-water stains and buildups. When combined with baking powder and vinegar, salt can enhance the cleaning power and helps to remove the calcium buildup from toilet faucet easily.

How to remove stubborn calcium build up from the bathroom faucet

Here is a quick  video demonstration of how we used all these 3 ingredients to remove the stubborn calcium buildup from our bathroom faucet easily and quickly.

Step 1. Add a teaspoon of table salt to 1 part of baking power and 1 part of white vinegar into a plastic bowl.
Step 2. Add in 1 part of warm water and stir.
Step 3. Soak the cotton cloth in the bowl with the salt-baking-power-vinegar mixture.
Step 4. Rub the bathroom faucet with the cotton cloth to remove the calcium deposits easily.

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