8 Eco-Friendly Cleaning Solutions At Every Home

1. 8 Natural Cleaners Found at Every Home Salt, vinegar and borax, just to name a few...

2. Natural cleaners are all around us... It’s tempting to buy all the commercial cleaners we see in everyday advertisements. After all, these products are said to remove even the toughest of stains such as grease, blood, coffee, mud and others. However, strong as they might be, they are neither eco-friendly nor cheap and definitely not suitable for cleaning a large number of items. One cleaner would only work for one item or two in the best case scenario. On the other hand, when combined, vinegar, water, salt, borax and other natural ingredients, can easily become excellent and universal cleaning solutions. All you need to do is know how to mix and apply them. So, without further adue...

3. Salt What it can clean: • Wine stains - put salt on the stain after having blotted it. Then soak the cloth in cold water after which you can wash it with your other clothes • Refrigerators - mix salt with soda water and wipe the inside of your fridge • Perspiration stains - pour 4 tablespoons in one quart of hot water. Sponge your fabrics until stains fade away • Sink drains - pour hot water and salt in the drain to remove grease residue

4. Lemon What it can clean: • Kitchen countertops - dilute lemon juice with water and apply it with a spray bottle. Wipe with a clean cloth • Grease covered grills - mix lemon juice with some salt and scrub with a brush • Cutting boards - rub lemon onto your cutting board and let it sit overnight • Microwaves - put water in a cup and mix with several tablespoons of lemon juice. Place it in your microwave and heat to boiling. After microwave cools down, wipe away the food particles. • Mirrors and windows- mix lemon juice with water and apply solution via spray bottle

5. Baking Soda What it can clean: • Dishwasher - run an empty cycle with baking soda instead the standard product • Combs and hairbrushes - put your hair styling tools into a mixture of one tablespoon baking soda and some warm water. After that rinse and dry • Plastic Toys - put ¼ cup of baking soda in one quart of warm water, then leave the toys in the mixture. After several minutes rinse them with clean water • Lawn furniture - mix one quart of warm water with ¼ cup of baking soda. Dip a soft cloth in the solution and clean your garden furniture • Children’s pool - wash away the mildew with baking soda and warm water

6. Olive Oil What it can clean: • Hands covered in paint - rub your dirty hands in olive oil and wait for several minutes after which wash up with soapy water • Stainless steel and brass objects - rub the item with a cloth slightly dabbed in olive oil using circular a motion. After that go over with a clean cloth • Pans and pots - mix olive oil with another vegetable oil and add a one tablespoon coarse salt. Apply the solution with a brush and scrub. Then rinse with hot water

7. Cream of Tartar What it can clean: • Stainless steel sink - in a non metal container combine ¼ cup tartar cream with 1 cup of distilled white vinegar. Scrub your sink after which rinse with water • Coffee pot - put 3 tablespoons of tartar cream in your pot, fill it with water and heat it. Then wipe clean and rinse • Grout - mix cream of tartar with some white vinegar to form a paste and wipe away the mold and dirt from your grout

8. Cornstarch What it can clean: • Silver - mix cornstarch with water to make a paste like substance and apply it to your silver items. • Carpets stains - put some cornstarch on the carpet stain and leave the product to its work for about 20 minutes. After that vacuum it off • Bloodstains on fabrics - mix cornstarch with cold water to make a paste substance. Rug the substance on the stain and leave it to dry. Then clean it off • Pet fur - cornstarch works like a dry cleaners. Apply it on your pet’s hair, wait for several minutes until it absorbs the dirt and then brush it away

9. Vinegar What it can clean: • Window blinds - buy white cotton gloves and moisten the fingers with white vinegar and warm water. Slide your your fingers across all the slats • Fine china - rub your china dishes and cups with a vinegar and salt solution. Then rinse with warm water • Pots and pans - make a paste of salt, flour and some vinegar. Clean thoroughly your pans and pots and rinse them well with water after you’re done • Thermos - fill the bottle with a warm water and a ¼ cup of white vinegar. Add uncooked rice to act as an abrasive. Shake well, rinse and dry

10. Borax What it can clean: • Showers and bathtubs - put some borax on a damp sponge and scrub your shower and tub. After that rinse thoroughly with water • Counters and sinks - combine 2 tablespoons of vinegar, 1 tablespoon of borax and a few drops of dish soap in a spray bottle. Then clean as you usually would • Carpet stains - make a solution of ½ cup borax and 2 cups warm water. Apply in on the stain and scrub. Leave the solution on for 30 minutes, then vacuum • Windows - mix 3 cups of water and 2 tablespoon of borax. Apply the solution on your windows with a soft cloth and wipe the dirt away.

11. Acknowledgements This presentation was brought to you by London carpet cleaning. The company you can always trust to rid your textile floorings of dirt and stains. Sources: To see how you can use salt for more than just sprinkling it on your food go to 10 tips for cleaning with salt To read more about the lemon refreshing and cleaning properties visit 45 uses for lemons that will blow your socks off Cleaning with baking soda would be hard it it wasn’t for this guide on 51 uses for baking soda Apartment therapy had a great article on cleaning with olive oil To learn how to clean with tartar cream go to this page Cornstarch can be used for more than cooking, read more here Vinegar can be used for more than just cleaning and cooking according to 150 uses of vinegar Read more about the uses of Borax on this page