Green cleaning

Hi, I'm Paige from The Crunchy Mamacita and I'm so excited to be the bi-weekly green living contributor here at Women Who Do It All! There are so many ideas I want to share but today we are going to start things off with green cleaning. Over the past couple of years I've tried hard to green up my home. I've ditched the traditional toxic cleaning products for greener versions like Earth Friendly Products and Seventh Generation. I feel like I could do better though. These products still require energy for manufacturing and transportation, not to mention the plastic bottles they are packaged in. So, I have vowed to start making my own cleaning products and I hope you will join me! These are some of the easiest cleaning recipes I have found.


Dishwashing detergent
1 part borax
1 part baking soda
Mix the ingredients together in a container and use 2 tablespoons per load. Add a splash of white vinegar to the rinse chamber to prevent spots. Check out this cute gift idea!

Toilet cleaner
1/4 cup baking soda
1 cup vinegar
Mix ingredients, pour into toilet, let sit 5 minutes, then scrub with a brush.


All-purpose cleaner
1 part water
1 part vinegar
essential oil optional
Mix in a spray bottle and clean just about anything! To make glass cleaner just add one drop of dish soap or liquid castile soap but leave out the essential oil because it will cause streaks.


Furniture polish
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice or a several drops of lemon essential oil
Mix well and use to polish hardwood (spiders hate citrus so this is a good deterrent to use on your baseboards).


Carpet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
18 drops of essential oil
1 teaspoon liquid soap
Mix baking soda and essential oil. Mix in liquid soap until a creamy paste forms. Apply to spots on carpet, scrub and blot dry. I haven't tried this one yet but it seems to me like you might want to spray a little on it before you blot it up. Has anyone tried something similar??


I should mention that some vinegar comes from petroleum so try to look for distilled white vinegar that is made from grains. Also, Borax is toxic if ingested to KEEP OUT OF CHILDREN'S REACH! It can also cause skin and lung irritation so use with caution. That's all I have for you today, see you back in a couple of weeks!