Green Eggs & Dirt

Why make your own cleaners?

I’ve found making my own cleaning supplies serves a few purposes. Among them:

It Saves Money

Making your own cleaning supplies is much cheaper than buying them pre-made and the ones I’ve made seem to work just as good as the store bought brands, if not better.

They’re Non-Toxic…For Sure

Yup, you can buy prepared non-toxic cleaners these days.  They’re very en-vogue, but rumor has it there is no guarantee that they are really non-toxic and/or environmentally friendly.  There is not much regulation on what “non-toxic” or “environmentally friendly” really means in the consumer world.  So no guarantees that the “non-toxic” or “biodegradable” detergent you just bought is really earth and health friendly.  Why not make your own, then?  You know what’s going into it, its easy, and you save a pretty penny, compared to those fancy store bought products.

They’re Easy To Make

Making a batch of All Purpose Cleaner takes about 2 minutes and one batch lasts 3 or 4 months.  That’s about as long as you might spend perusing the cleaning aisle for the next best cleaner at the grocery store.  In fact, most of my cleaning supplies are this way.  It’s a fairly effortless way to help the planet, your health, and your wallet.

Where Can You Find The Ingredients I Mention?

Most of the ingredients I mention can be found relatively easily.  If I can’t find it easily, I don’t usually use it.

Washing Soda

Washing Soda is also known as “Sodium Carbonate” or “Soda Ash”.  It’s a relative of baking soda (aka “sodium bicarbonate”), but much more acidic (so they suggest you not get it on your hands, or wear gloves).  It’s often used in swimming pools.  It’s a great degreaser.  If you have a greasy job to clean up, add a bit of extra washing soda to your cleaning potion and voila!

Of all the products, this one is the hardest to find. In San Diego, I’ve only found it reasonably priced at Walmart (ugh…) in the swimming pool section, under the name “pH Plus”. It’s about $6 for a container that lasts quite a while. I’ve heard people in other states might find it in the laundry section of the grocery store (looks just like Arm and Hammer Baking Soda, but says “Washing Soda”), but I have not been so lucky.  They also carry this at swimming pool supply stores and at Home Depot, in the pool supply aisle (you have to look for “sodium carbonate” or “soda ash”) but it’s much more expensive and only generally sold in large tubs.

Liquid Castile Soap

Ahhh….the magic elixer that is liquid castile soap.  I LOVE this stuff.  I’m very loyal to Dr. Bronner’s brand soaps.  They are a local San Diego company, but I’ve seen Dr. Bronner’s at Target and Trader Joe’s lately, so shouldn’t be too hard to find, if you live elsewhere.  They have lots of nice scents to choose from (my favorites are Eucalyptus, Peppermint, and Lavender) and a little goes a long way.  Dr. Bronner’s also makes a mild soap for babies and a more concentrated soap called “Sal Suds”.  Trader Joe’s has its own brand of liquid castile soap, right next to the Dr. Bronner’s. It’s much cheaper but I’m not sure it’s as wonderful as Dr. Bronner’s.

I use Dr. Bronner’s for many things – I’ve used it as body wash and face wash (gets you squeeky clean!), in cleaning supplies, and for washing clothes.  It can be used for washing dishes, cars, pets – you name it.  Its a great soap to take camping, because it’s biodegradable and won’t pollute natural water sources.  It doesn’t lather up as much as commercial soaps, FYI.  It gets a big thumbs up from me!

Borax

You may recognize this stuff by its full name, “20 Mule Team Borax”.  It’s an old fashioned looking box, in the laundry aisle of most grocery stores.  I find it cheapest at Target for about $4 for a box.  It also lasts quite a long time and is very versatile.

Essential Oils

Okay, I’ll admit.  Some of the homemade cleaning supplies don’t smell as nice as the store bought ones.  For example, my recipe for Window Cleaner can smell a little like vinegar and water (which is what it is).  So a few drops of lavender oil makes it easier to deal with.  Get creative! Buy a few different oils and mix them to suite you.  Eucalyptus, lemongrass, and lavender are among my favorite oil scents.

Be sure to buy pure essential oils.  Don’t buy “fragrance oils” which are cheaper but made from synthetic scents.

Other Helpful Cleaning Supplies

Here are some other things I use and find helpful.

Dish Cloths vs. Sponges

I never really liked sponges much.  They get all smelly and I could only imagine how many germs bred in them.  As an alternative, I bought a package of 60 plain white terrycloth towels (dishrag sized) at Costco for $15.  Best purchase I’ve made in a while!  I use these to wipe my counters.  Or, when the floor is dirty and I don’t want to mop, I put a damp cloth under each foot and skate around until the surface dirt is gone.   I also cut the cloths into quarters and use the small squares to wash dishes.  They have decent scouring power.  The beauty is I can use them for a day and toss them in a laundry bin to wash.  I have a hefty supply of reusable “sponges” that don’t get all germy.

Spray Bottles

I got a package of 3 spray bottles at Smart and Final for $6.  I taped a small index card onto each bottle and on the index card, I wrote the name of what’s in the bottle and the recipe. Then I covered the card with packing tape, so that it won’t peel off if it gets wet.  When I need to make a new batch, I just grab the bottle and have my recipe handy!

Bucket

I found a steel pail at Ikea for under $10 and I use it all the time.  I can put mop water in there (although I usually just fill up the sink).  I can put excess compost materials in it. A nice bucket comes in handy.  I recommend having one.