I've collected a number of green cleaning recipes from readers and contributed my own, which you can see below. What follows is a collection of recipes you can use all over your home, as all purpose cleaners.
The first of these recipes was contributed by Stephanie T. of West Palm Beach, FL.
Stephanie's Recipe for Glass, Counter & All Purpose Cleaner
Fill a spray bottle 3/4 of the way up with hydrogen peroxide (purchased cheaply at any drug store or Walmart), and then 1/4 with warm water.
Optional is about 10 drops of any essential oil for smell. I add Lemon oil for it's clean smell and cleaning properties. ***Taylor's note: Check out my essential oil use chart to find out the most common oils used for cleaning, and what they can be used for.***
Shake gently and clean away. If you get any streaks on glass, add more water, you probably added too much soap since some soaps are more concentrated then others.
I use this for just about everything from my mirrors, glass tables, counters and floors.
Taylor says:
Thanks Stephanie for sharing your homemade all purpose cleaner recipe with me.
Do you ever use a cream or paste cleaner in your home?
I sometimes use Soft Scrub to clean things like my bathtub or counters when I need a mildly abrasive, but yet still gentle cleaner.
Well, you can make your own paste for all purpose cleaning too, and it is surprisingly simple to make and quite effective.
Baking Soda {Refferal Links}
All you do is combine baking soda and dishwashing liquid (it is best to use one without bleach) to form a paste.
I start with about 1/4 of a cup of baking soda, and then just add enough dishwashing liquid to make the paste a good thick consistency.
You don't have to be exact with your measurements, just eyeball it.
Then, just apply it to whatever surface you need to clean with a rag or cleaning cloth and gently rub it onto the surface.
It will clean and with its gentle abrasiveness it will also get rid of stuck on food or dirt at the same time.
Once you have thoroughly cleaned the surface just rinse with water and another rag and wipe dry.
Please note that if you want to make this truly one of the most outstanding green cleaning recipes don't just use any dishwashing liquid, but instead make sure you use a natural and eco-friendly one, like castile soap.
Shake and use for kitchen benches, bathroom, dog bed, even walls etc., but not fine wood furniture.
Taylor says:
Thanks for sharing your recipe Helga.
I will say, however, that if you're using pure essential oils it sounds like your recipe may add a bit much. I would most likely try a smaller ratio at first, and work up to more if I felt I needed it, instead of using a tablespoon per cup of water. That's because, as I explain in more detail in my article about how to clean using essential oils, a little goes a long way.
I think a peppermint scented general cleaner would smell divine though, and would be especially fun to use during the holidays, so thanks for sharing this recipe with me!
In addition, here are essential oil uses for cleaning and laundry that have already been shared by other readers, or you can share your own recipes which use these wonderful natural ingredients.
Finally, if you've got any more all purpose natural cleaning recipes, I'd love to hear them, and add them to this page. You can share your recipes here.
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Comments for Homemade General Purpose Cleaner Recipe That Can Be Heavy Duty
uses for hydrogen peroxide and baking soda combined by: Jess
I have been using hydrogen peroxide with baking soda to clean counters and the bathroom tiles, floors, and sometimes dishes. It make my sink so clean and white, I LOVE it.
General cleaning with vinegar and dish soap by: Anonymous
White vinegar, 8 ounces, and 3 ounces of Dawn. Cleans granite countertops, kitchen sink, and toilets. Smell will go away. Will definitely clean kitchen.
Soften water first -- if you have hard water by: Anonymous
Several have commented that they are unable to get all the powder dissolved no matter how much they shake it. I have 'liquid rocks' (Culligan man quote) soo I have learned to put table salt into water before I add any other ingredient. How do I know when it is enough? It will feel slippery. Start with about 1/2 tsp. per cup of water (iodized or uniodized)
I use this recipe to clean the kitchen, counter tops and bathroom by: Christina
Fill a 24 fl oz. spray bottle with 2-3 tablespoons of laundry detergent, and 2-4 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol and the rest with warm water. Cleans all of kitchen and floors, also walls and bathtub. Happy cleaning!!!
response re spray bottles clogging by: Taylor
Hi Cindy, I'm not sure exactly what the problem is. One idea is that the baking soda is not properly dissolving enough, so you may want to try adding it to hot water, instead of cold to make it actually dissolve more readily. Also, I've found some spray bottles just stink, especially the cheap ones from dollar stores and places like that. You may want to try a higher quality bottle, which might also work. Good luck! Anyone else have suggestions for her?
response re rhubarb cleaner by: Taylor
Hi Rut, I've personally never heard of such a cleaner but in a way it doesn't really surprise me that there is such a thing. Rhubarb has a high concentration of oxalic acid, which can be used for cleaning. If anyone has a recipe I'd love to hear it too!
Rhubarb cleaner by: Rut
Does anyone have a recipe for homemade rhubarb all purpose cleaner? I was given some to try but no one knows the recipe. It was great. Thank You.
Baking soda clogs my spray bottles by: Cindy
I shake the bottle before using and it still clogs. What am I doing wrong?
rubbing alcohol + vinegar + water by: Kerri
This is my all purpose cleaner. I just kinda eye it but in an empty windex bottle I fill 1/3 with rubbing alcohol, maybe a quarter cup vinegar and fill the rest of the way with water. I clean almost everything with this stuff! It sanitizes the kitchen and bathroom counters. Plus, it's amazing on stainless fixtures and mirrors.
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