Many household cleaning products can be expensive and filled with harmful chemicals but it’s fairly easy to create your own natural solutions with items you likely already have around your house. Check out these ideas:
Spot treat your carpet with baking soda.
Cover a carpet stain with baking soda and spray with a mixture of half white vinegar and half water. Once the baking soda foams up, let it set for three hours before scrubbing. Then let it dry overnight and vacuum it up the next day.
Baking soda can also be used to help clean dirty pans; deodorize musty upholstery, pet beds and other things; and remove mildew from bathrooms.
Distilled white vinegar has multiple uses.
Distilled white vinegar is nontoxic disinfecting agent. Mix it with a half-and-half blend of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. The solution can be used to treat all kinds of stains, and one cup mixed with a gallon of warm water can be enough to clean an entire home’s floors. Just be sure you’re in a well-ventilated area because vinegar can have a strong odor.
Do you have a lemon tree?
If not, chances are your neighbor does and you have way more lemons than you can use. Put them to good use to clean your house. A few drops of lemon juice added to dish soap can boost degreasing ability. A dilute solution of water and lemon juice can get rid of food-prep smells on your hands, and half a lemon in the refrigerator can remove odors.
Plus, the acid in lemons is an antibacterial and antiseptic that acts like a natural bleach, and oils in the rinds can help clean and shine items in your home.
Vodka can be used for more than cocktails.
Not everyone keeps alcohol in the home, but cheap vodka can be used to diffuse smells, de-stink mildewy clothing, disinfect a mattress and clean glass, among other uses. Just keep it out of reach from your children!
