Green Homemade Cleaning Supplies

One of my New Year's Resolutions this year 

was to make our house more green & chemical free.

I know sounds like a slightly weird resolution 

but having kids has changed my outlook on so many things

and I am constantly striving to make small changes that benefit everyone. 

So I have been searching for the best homemade cleaners out there. 

I know that you can buy lots of 'green' cleaners out there,

but honestly I have not found any I actually like, they are super expensive

 and I kinda hate wasting the plastic bottles time and time again.

As 'granola' as it sounds I bought my own reusable bottles and mixed up my own concoctions. 

So I have put them to the test for about a month or so.

And seriously they are amazing, clean better than ever, smell divine 

and they are WAY lower on cost and waste.

Sounds fabulous, right?

So here are a few websites I liked to get me started. 

http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/green-cleaning-spring-cleaning-460303

http://www.teatreeoilwonders.com/household-cleaning-tea-tree-oil.html

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/ART00580/natural-household-cleaning-products.html

http://www.keeperofthehome.org/2011/03/non-toxic-cleaners-you-can-make-at-home.html

http://healthychild.org/blog/comments/recipes_for_safer_cleaners/

http://cloud9design.wordpress.com/2008/05/11/how-to-make-a-non-toxic-household-cleaning-kit/

http://www.stain-removal-101.com/essential-oils-recipes.html

So instead of my sink cabinet being full of chemicals and harmful ingredients. 

It now looks like this. 

Simple food items that wouldn't even hurt a flea. 

I decided to make 4 bottles for various things around the house. 

1. All Purpose Cleaner

This has quickly become my go to bottle. 

It seriously smells amazing and I basically want to spray it everywhere. 

Here's what's inside: 

24 oz water

2 T. White Vinegar

2 t. Borax

1 t. tea tree oil

40 drops grapefruit essential oil 

(to make it similar to my old favorite product) 

2. Watered down dish soap 

(to last 5 times longer plus I love spraying it on dished to clean them)

24 oz. water

1/4c. liquid soap

3. Dusting

(I must tell you about this one. It is amazing. Dust stays off everything DAYS longer than with any other product. Seriously. I was a little freaked out by the vinegar usage.  Although vinegar has a super strong smell while wet once it's dry it is completely gone) 

1 c. vinegar

2 t. olive oil

40 drops lemon essential oil

4. Disinfectant

2 c. water

3 T. liquid soap

30 drops tea tree oil 

(a natural wonderful smelling disinfectant)

5. Soft Scrub/Polish

(you can make your own soft scrub for toilets and bath tubs 

by using baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.  Just pour in the peroxide till you form a paste and scrub away)

This is a GREAT way to shine anything.  Your pots & pans, toaster, oven cook top, bathroom fixtures. ect.

6. Shower - Tub - Toilet
Equal parts of liquid dish soap and white vinegar in a spray bottle.
This one has a strong vinegar smell and I don't even try to add essential oils to it.
But some call this their MIRACLE cleaner.  It really does work wonders on your bathroom and is highly recommended for any home and most any project.
Plus vinegar is a natural disinfectant so it will get all those germs lingering around. 

This has been a super great thing for our family and

saves money, the environment, & the chemical level in our house. 

Ummmm why have I not done this before??

Here's to a new non holding my breath while cleaning year!

* Plastic bottles were purchased from Walmart and under $1.00 each

* I got another use out of my chalk board contact paper
 and wrote the ingredients on each bottle for super fast refills

* One thing I couldn't part with, my windex.  Hey there is always need for improvement. 

* All other products are found at your grocer and the essential oils were purchased at Sprouts. 

I'll have to tell you about making my own laundry detergent next!!

For more resources this BOOK is incredible.
I highly recommend having it on hand.