Baking Soda

Baking soda is cheap and has many cleaning uses. When used in the bathroom, baking soda acts as a deodorizer, to lift stains and smells trapped on surfaces.

Keep a box of baking soda in your cleaning caddy for sprinkling on surfaces or to make cleaning products (just never mix baking soda with vinegar).

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Top 6 Natural Bathroom Cleaner Recipes

How to make the top 6 natural bathroom cleaner recipes for every surface: countertops, tubs and sinks, glass, toilet, and floor.

Course DIY

Cuisine Cleaning

Keyword natural bathroom cleaner

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cleaner per recipe

Author Kristin Marr

Cost $2 per cleaner

Equipment

• 1 16-ounce spray bottle to make spray cleaners
• 1 12-ounce storage jar with lid to make toilet bowl powder or scrub cleaner
• 1 mop and bucket to make floor cleaner

Ingredients

Vinegar All-Purpose Spray

• 1 cup white distilled vinegar
• 1 cup distilled water

All-in-One Bathroom Cleaner

• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 2 cups warm distilled water
• 2 tablespoons liquid castile soap

Toilet Bowl Powder

• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup borax
• 1/2 cup coarse salt

Glass and Mirror Cleaner

• 1/2 cup rubbing/isopropyl alcohol or use vinegar instead
• 1/3 cup white distilled vinegar
• distilled water

Floor Cleaner

• 2 gallons warm water
• 1 cup white distilled vinegar OR 2 tablespoons castile soap OR 4 drops Sal Suds

Scrub Cleaner

• 1 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup liquid castile soap
• 1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide

Instructions

Vinegar All-Purpose Spray

• In a 16-ounce spray bottle, add 1 cup vinegar and 1 cup water. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil, if desired. Use this spray on all surfaces in the bathroom: tile, countertops, shower, tub, and sinks. Spray and wipe clean.
• Never use vinegar on granite, marble, or other stone surfaces. If you add a few drops of Sal Suds, use the spray to conquer soap scum.
  

All-in-One Bathroom Cleaner

• In a 16-ounce spray bottle, add 1 tablespoon baking soda and 2 cups warm water. Shake to combine. Add 2 tablespoons castile soap.
• Spray on just about any bathroom surface (except glass and mirrors). Wipe with a damp sponge or cloth, rinsing and repeating until clean.
  

Toilet Bowl Powder

• In a jar, combine 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup borax, and 1/2 cup coarse salt in a jar. Add a few drops of essential oil, if desired. Shake to combine.
• Shake into the toilet bowl, scrub, then flush. Spray the toilet bowl with undiluted vinegar or hydrogen peroxide to disinfect. Store with an air-tight lid.
  

Glass and Mirror Cleaner

• In a 16-ounce spray bottle, combine 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol (or vinegar), 1/3 cup vinegar, and top the bottle off with water. Spray on glass and mirror surfaces, then wipe clean.
  

Floor Cleaner

• Add 2 gallons warm water to a bucket, followed by either 1 cup vinegar, 2 tablespoons castile soap, or 4 drops Sal Suds. Mop the floor with the solution. For the castile soap mixture, you'll need to go back over the floor with fresh, clean water to avoid a white residue.
  

Tub and Sink Scrub

• Combine in a jar, 1 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup castile soap, 1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide, and a few drops of cleaning essential oil (optional).
• Use a scrub brush to apply the paste to the surface, then scrub, rinse with a damp sponge, rinsing and repeating. Store with plenty of room in the jar for the mixture to expand, out of sunlight, with an air-tight lid.
  

Video

Notes

• Distilled Water: The recipes above call for using distilled water vs. tap (filtered) water. Distilled water is always the safest option when making homemade cleaners.
• Storage: Use homemade cleaners within about 3 weeks of making.

More Natural Cleaners

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DIY Natural Laundry Scent Booster (Just 2 Ingredients)

Simple Homemade Fabric Softener (4 Ways)

14 Best Natural and Non-Toxic Laundry Detergents

Simple DIY Homemade Candles for Beginners

19 Frugal Natural Cleaning Hacks With Baking Soda

The post How to Make The Best Non-Toxic Natural Bathroom Cleaners appeared first on Live Simply.

Live Simply is all about keeping things simple, so I don’t want to give you the wrong idea. You don’t need to make and use 8 different cleaners in your kitchen. I use an all-purpose spray to clean most of the surfaces in my home, from my kitchen counters to dusty shelves and bathrooms.

We all have different preferences and cleaning needs, so an all-purpose spray may not work for your every cleaning need, particularly when it comes to tricky areas of the kitchen like the oven or a greasy sink. There are also other areas of kitchen cleaning to think about, like dishes and the floor. Today’s list is intended to cover every surface and cleaning need in the kitchen. Customize this list based on your own needs.

8 Homemade Cleaners For The Kitchen

Below, you’ll find what I consider to be the best of the best homemade kitchen cleaning products. Here are the cleaners we’re going to talk about and how to use them…

1. All Purpose Vinegar Cleaner: All surfaces (except marble, granite, and stone surfaces).
2. Stainless Steel and and Glass Cleaner: All stainless and glass surfaces in the kitchen and throughout the home.
3. Kitchen Sink Scrub Paste: Dirty, greasy sinks. May also be used in the bathroom on tile, tubs, and sinks.
4. Kitchen Sink Scouring Powder: An easy sprinkle-on powder for dirty, greasy sinks. This is great for a quick-fix clean that can also be used on bathroom tubs and sinks and in the toilet.
5. Dirty Oven Scrub: For all my overachiever friends who love to clean their oven. I see you and have mad respect for you.
6. DIY Dish Soap: When you need to hand wash dishes, plus suggestions for store-bought dishwasher options.
7. Granite Cleaner: For granite countertops.
8. Mop Solution for Kitchen Floors: Clean hard kitchen floors and all hard floors in the home with 2 homemade floor cleaner options.

Okay, so there’s the rundown of products. Now let’s talk about how to make each of these homemade kitchen cleaners…

1. All Purpose Cleaner 

This is the one product that literally does it all: counters, appliances, inside the fridge, the oven and stove-top, cabinets, and open shelving. If you don’t have a stone countertop (such as marble or granite), vinegar is my preference. If you have a speciality countertop, castile soap may be a better option.

• For an all purpose vinegar cleaner, combine 1 cup distilled water, 1 cup white vinegar or homemade orange vinegar, 15-20 drops essential oil of choice (if desired). Add all the ingredients to a glass spray bottle.
• For an all purpose cleaner without vinegar, add 2 cups distilled water to a glass spray bottle, followed by 2 tablespoons liquid castile soap or 1 teaspoon Sal Suds and 15-20 drops essential oil of choice (if desired).
• If you prefer the store-bought route, check out this post with my top non-toxic all purpose cleaner suggestions.

2. Stainless Steel and Glass Cleaner

If you make vinegar all purpose cleaner, use it to clean and polish glass surfaces (such as kitchen windows) and most stainless steel surfaces. If you’re using an all purpose cleaner made with castile soap or Sal Suds, you’ll need to use something else as the soap can leave behind a cloudy film on glass and stainless.

• Make a glass and stainless steel cleaner by combining 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol and 1/3 cup white vinegar in a 16-ounce spray bottle, then top off the bottle with distilled water. If you’d prefer to not use rubbing alcohol, skip it and use 1/2 cup of vinegar instead. Spray on a glass surface and wipe with a microfiber cloth.

3. Kitchen Sink Scrub Paste

My kitchen sink is constantly in use between dishes and dirty hands. A homemade scrub not only strips away build up from dirt and grease, but also shines, deodorizes, and freshens the surface. This scrub also works wonderfully in tubs and bathroom sinks.

• Make a sink scrub cleaner by combining 1 cup baking soda, 1/4 cup liquid castile soap or Sal Suds, and 1 tablespoon hydrogen peroxide. Stir until the ingredients resemble a thick paste. If you want a thinner paste, add more soap or water (distilled water if storing the cleaner, tap water is fine if this is a one-time, immediate use product). Use the paste immeadiately after combining or store for later. If storing the cleaner for future cleaning needs, spoon the paste into a jar (such as a wide-mouth mason jar or Weck jar) and seal the jar. This cleaner will harden when exposed to air for a prolonged period of time. Use an amber jar or something that won’t allow light to seep through if using hydrogen peroxide in the paste and storing for later use. It’s also important to leave room at the top of the jar for expansion. The cleaner will expand within the first 24 hours. Store for up to 1 month.

4. Kitchen Sink Scouring Powder

If you don’t want to make a scrub (above), but need something to clean a greasy or dirty sink, this powder is the easiest solution. Simply sprinkle baking soda over the kitchen sink surface, then use a wet cloth or scrub brush to scrub away the dirt and grease. So easy! Check out this Instagram video to see this trick in action.

5. Dirty Oven Scrub 

Confession: I can’t remember the last time I cleaned my oven. If you want to clean your oven, you can either use the sink scrub recipe or make an oven cleaner.

• Make an oven cleaner by combining 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/3 cup water, and 1 tablespoon liquid castile soap or Sal Suds in a bowl. Use a sponge to apply the scrub to the interior of the oven. Let the scrub rest for at least 30 minutes, longer for a dirty oven. Dip a sponge in a bowl of warm water, wipe the oven, then repeat. Change the water frequently. A scrub brush may be needed for tough grease stains. Once the scrub is completely rinsed from the oven, spray vinegar (or an all-purpose vinegar cleaner) in the oven. Wipe the oven with a damp cloth. Without the vinegar spray the baking soda may leave behind a chalk-like powder (safe, but annoying).

6. DIY Dish Soap 

I’ve made both dish soap and dishwasher soap, but I’ve found that I much prefer to go the store-bought route with my dishwasher soap and just stick to homemade dish soap. I’m not sure I’d actually call this dish soap “homemade” since there’s no soap-making involved. Instead, I use Sal Suds (which is super tough on dirt and grease, castile soap’s big brother) in its diluted form with a bit of vinegar to make dishes sparkle and shine. If you prefer to go store-bought with dish soap and dishwasher soap, here are my favorite brands.

• Make a DIY dish soap by combining 1/2 cup distilled water, 1/2 cup Sal Suds, and 1 tablespoon white vinegar in a soap dispenser. Shake the bottle to combine the ingredients and use on a dish cloth, sponge, or directly in water.

7. Granite Cleaner 

If you prefer to make a cleaner just for granite countertops (since vinegar is a no-no on stone surfaces), you can make your own with just a few ingredients.

• Make granite cleaner by combining 1/3 cup rubbing alcohol and 5 drops tea tree essential oil (optional) in a 16-ounce spray bottle. Then top off with distilled water and 1/2 teaspoon liquid castile soap. Shake the bottle before each use.

8. Mop Solution for Kitchen Floors

Finally, the kitchen floor…the place where all the dirt and crumbs end up. There are two ways to make a mop solution for hard floors in the kitchen (and both solutions can be used throughout the home), either with vinegar or with castile soap. I’ll share both recipes below…

• Make a vinegar floor cleaner, combine 2 gallons hot water, 1/2 cup white vinegar, 5 drops essential oil (optional) in a bucket. Use a mop or cloth to clean kitchen floors. 
• Make a castile soap floor cleaner, combine 2 gallons hot water, 2 tablespoons liquid castile soap, 5 drops essential oil (optional) in a bucket. Use a mop or cloth to clean kitchen floors.

Natural Cleaning Kitchen Tips

Here are 3 other areas to clean in your kitchen and natural solutions for these areas.

How to Naturally Clean Cutting Boards 

Skip the bleach and use this natural method instead. Learn how to naturally clean cutting boards…

How to Naturally Clean the Dishwasher

If you’re like me, you probably don’t think about cleaning your dishwasher often. But it’s important to give this area a clean every so often. Learn how to naturally clean the dishwasher…

How to Naturally Clean Your Fridge & Keep Odors Away

The fridge can harbor all sorts of bacterial growth and odors. Here’s how to clean your fridge and keep odors away.

The post The 8 Best Homemade Cleaners For The Kitchen appeared first on Live Simply.

The Best Natural Ingredient For Cleaning Tubs and Sinks

Baking soda is the BEST natural ingredient to use for cleaning tub and sink surfaces as it not only degreases surfaces but it will also freshen and brighten.

Sprinkling baking soda on the surface of a tub or sink and then wiping the area with a wet cloth or brush can work really well for surfaces with mild build up. But for surfaces that need some extra scrubbing power, I like to combine baking soda with castile soap or Sal Suds and hydrogen peroxide to create a powerful cleaning paste. This combo adds an extra “punch” to the baking soda, lifting dirt, oils, and other build up that can occur.

(Check out 13 natural cleaning hacks using baking soda for more ways to use this underrated ingredient.)

Ingredients Needed to Make a Homemade Tub and Sink Cleaner

To make a homemade tub and sink cleaner, you’ll need 3 ingredients (with an extra optional ingredient)…

1 cup Baking Soda

Baking soda freshens, deodorizes, and removes dirt and grease from the surface of a tub or sink. I like to buy a bulk size bag of baking soda for cleaning–this option can be found at Target, Walmart, and on Amazon.

1/4 cup Castile Soap or Sal Suds

Liquid castile soap is a plant based concentrated soap used to make multiple cleaning products from all purpose cleaner to stain remover. Sal Suds is the heavy duty big brother to castile soap and is fantastic at cutting grease and tackling super dirty surfaces. Both do a great job at lifting dirt, but if you’re tackling a super dirty or greasy sink or tub, Sal Suds may be the best option. Sal Suds may also be used to make a variety of cleaners, from all purpose cleaner to dish soap.

1 Tablespoon Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is known for its antiviral and antibacterial properties, making it the perfect cleaning ingredient for a tub or sink. Hydrogen peroxide takes a bit of time to work so it’s best to let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing. Hydrogen peroxide needs to be stored in a dark bottle, where light can’t reach the hydrogen peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide also shouldn’t be exposed to the air for prolonged periods. If you plan to make this scrub in advance, skip this ingredient or use a dark container or anything where light can’t seep through.

Optional: Essential Oil

Product marketers have done a fantastic job at convincing us that clean is associated with a particular scent. If our homes smell a certain way, they must be clean. This simply isn’t true! Most of the scents used in cleaning products are simply there to trigger a “good feeling” and sell a product. Those scents don’t add anything to a home except a bunch of undisclosed ingredients (and some ingredients may cause health issues). If you want to add a scent to this homemade cleaner, because you love a particular scent in your home, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Personally, I love grapefruit, lemon, or lemongrass. But know that this scent is completely optional; it’s not required for cleaning purposes.

How to Make Homemade Tub and Sink Cleaner

Making this homemade cleaner takes less than 5 minutes. Here’s how to make it…

• Add the baking soda to a bowl or directly to your storage container, followed by the castile soap or Sal Suds and hydrogen peroxide.
• Whisk the ingredients until they form a thick paste.
• If you want to add a “clean scent” to the paste, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil and stir. Lemongrass, lemon, or grapefruit are lovely for the kitchen or bathroom.
• The cleaner is ready to use immeadiately after combining the ingredients or you can place a lid on the jar and seal until you’re ready to use. If you’re using hydrogen peroxide, use an amber jar or something that won’t allow light to seep through the jar.

How to Clean a Tub and Sink

To clean a tub and/or sink, scoop some of the paste from the jar and apply to the surface area. Use a cleaning cloth or scrub brush to evenly distribute the paste across the surface. Let the paste rest on the tub or sink surface for a few minutes, then use a damp cloth or scrub brush to scrub the surface. After scrubbing the surface, remove the paste with fresh clean water. This cleaner should be safe for all surfaces; however, it’s always best to spot test in a small area before using any cleaning product.

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Homemade Tub and Sink Cleaner

An easy-to-make homemade tub and sink cleaner, made with 3 ingredients: baking soda, castile soap (or Sal Suds), and hydrogen peroxide. A homemade knock off alternative for Soft Scrub or Scrubbing Bubbles.

Course DIY

Cuisine Cleaning

Keyword homemade sink cleaner, homemade tub cleaner

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 10 ounces

Author Kristin Marr

Equipment

• storage jar
• mixing spoon

Ingredients

• 1 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup liquid castile soap or Sal Suds for extra tough jobs--lots of dirt or grease build up
• 1 TB hydrogen peroxide 3% strength--this is what you'll find in drug stores, grocery stores, etc.
• essential oil of choice optional, if you'd like a "clean scent" such as: grapefruit, lemon, eucalyptus, or lemongrass

Instructions

• In a medium-size bowl, add the baking soda, castile soap or Sal Suds, and hydrogen peroxide. Stir until the ingredients resemble a thick paste. If you want a thinner paste, add more soap or water (distilled water if storing the cleaner, tap water is fine if this is a one-time, immediate use product).
• Use the paste immeadiately after combining or store for later.

Storage:

• If storing the cleaner for future cleaning needs, spoon the paste into a jar (such as a wide-mouth mason jar or Weck jar) and seal the jar. This cleaner will harden when exposed to air for a prolonged period of time. Use an amber jar or something that won't allow light to seep through if using hydrogen peroxide in the paste and storing for later use. It's also important to leave room at the top of the jar for expansion. The cleaner will expand within the first 24 hours. Store for up to 1 month.

To Use:

• To clean a tub or sink, scoop some of the paste from the jar and apply to the surface area. Use a cloth or scrub brush to evenly distribute the paste across the surface. Let the paste rest on the surface for a few minutes, then use a damp cloth or scrub brush to scrub the surface. After scrubbing the surface, remove the paste with water. This cleaner should be safe for all surfaces; however, it's always best to spot test in a small area before using any cleaning product.

This recipe was originally shared on Live Simply in 2015. It’s become a very popular reader favorite. Check out more reviews for this recipe, here: DIY Homemade Scrub Cleaner: Like Soft Scrub.

The post Easy Homemade Sink and Tub Cleaner appeared first on Live Simply.

Why Make an All Purpose Cleaner With Vinegar

Vinegar is an excellent natural cleaner. Most household vinegars (used in the kitchen) contain 4-6% acetic acid, which is what makes vinegar such a great cleaning ingredient. Vinegar has been shown to have antibacterial properties. To quote Dr. Alan Taege, an infectious disease expert at the Cleveland Clinic, in a recent interview with Women’s Health Magazine, “Vinegar does have disinfectant activity. Vinegar is acetic acid, which has the ability to destroy bacteria and viruses.”

Beyond its cleaning effectiveness and long-time traditional use, vinegar is super affordable. Besides baking soda, it’s probably the most affordable ingredient you can use when making homemade cleaning products.

What kind of vinegar is best to use for cleaning?

White vinegar is considered to be the most acidic vinegar out there and the strongest option for making a household cleaner. So when it comes to picking out a vinegar for cleaning purposes, I recommend going with distilled white vinegar. There’s no need to go organic when it comes to purchasing a vinegar for cleaning, just go with the most economical option you can find. I prefer buying a large bulk bottle of vinegar as vinegar is the most-used cleaning ingredient in my home.

But I Can’t Stand the Smell of Vinegar…

Or maybe someone you live with can’t stand the smell. If this is you, here are two ways to make and use an all purpose cleaner without having your house smell like a vinaigrette salad dressing.

• Transform white vinegar into a fragrant citrus vinegar. This is easy to do and only requires a handful of leftover citrus peels (orange peels, lemon peels, grapefruit peels, lime peels–your choice), fresh herbs, warm spices, and white vinegar. This infusion turns the vinegar into a deliciously-scented homemade orange peel vinegar (or take out the oranges and sub in whatever citrus you have on hand). Use this vinegar instead of white vinegar in homemade cleaning recipes like today’s all purpose vinegar cleaner. Find the recipe for orange peel vinegar here.
• Skip the vinegar and use castile soap instead. This homemade all-purpose cleaner is made with castile soap and water. It’s a great alternative to an all purpose cleaner made with vinegar.

How to Make an All Purpose Cleaner with Vinegar

To make all purpose cleaner with vinegar, you’ll need to combine 2 ingredients, with a third optional ingredient in a 16-ounce spray bottle. Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe.

1. Vinegar

I recommend using distilled white vinegar or a homemade orange peel vinegar. You’ll need 1 cup of vinegar to make this all purpose cleaner. If I want a stronger cleaning spray, I go with full strength vinegar. If I’m just looking to wipe down some counters and dust, I usually go with the suggested 1:1 ratio of water to vinegar. The beauty of making your own cleaning products is that you are in complete control of the strength of your product.

2. Water

If you’re going to use this cleaner within a few days, filtered water from your fridge or sink will be just fine. But if you’re planning to store this cleaner for a few weeks, distilled water is the safest choice. The distilled water process removes potential contaminants that could cause bacteria growth.

3. Essential Oil (Optional)

If you’d like to add a scent to this all purpose cleaner (aside from using an orange peel vinegar, if desired), or want to add extra antibacterial properties to the cleaner, adding an essential oil or a combo of essential oils is a nice option. Essential oils are concentrated oils derived from plants. Above, I’ve included a chart of some of my favorite essential oils to use for cleaning. I personally like lemon, grapefruit, or a germ fighter blend. You don’t need to add an essential oil to this cleaner to make it effective, this is simply an added bonus ingredient if you choose to use it. Keep in mind, it’s very difficult to determine how much of an essential oil is needed to make something like this DIY all purpose cleaner an antibacterial, antiviral, etc. spray. After all, this is a homemade spray and not something we’re testing in a lab.

4. Spray Bottle

I highly recommend investing in a couple of glass spray bottles if you’re going to make your own all purpose cleaners. Glass spray bottles will cost about $20 for a set of two. I’ve had my bottles for years and reuse them over and over again when making all-purpose spray.

How to Use This All Purpose Cleaner

There are so many ways to use this cleaner. Let’s take a look…

• sinks and tubs
• kitchen counters and tables (DO NOT use on granite or stone surfaces. This all purpose cleaner is a better option.)
• dusting surfaces (I recommend using a microfiber cloth)
• dirty toys
• door knobs
• lightswitches
• stainless steel surfaces
• bathroom counters
• toilet surfaces and even in the toilet bowl

Spray the surface directly with all purpose cleaner, then use a cloth to wipe the surface clean (or a toilet brush for the toilet). I don’t recommend using the cleaner on glass or mirror surfaces as it will leave behind a residue.

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DIY All Purpose Cleaner with Vinegar

How to make an easy all purpose cleaner with vinegar. Use this homemade cleaner to clean multiple surfaces in your home: kitchen surfaces, bathrooms, tubs and sinks, and more.

Course Homemade

Cuisine Cleaning

Keyword homemade vinegar all purpose cleaner

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 16 ounces

Author Kristin Marr

Ingredients

• 16 ounce glass spray bottle
• 1 cup white vinegar (between 4-6% acidity) or homemade citrus vinegar
• 1 cup distilled water
• 15-20 drops essential oil (optional) I personally like lemon, grapefruit, or a germ fighter blend.

Instructions

• Add the vinegar, water, and essential oil (if using) to the spray bottle.
• Place the spray nozzle on the bottle and gently shake the bottle to combine the ingredients. You'll want to do this each time you use the cleaner.
• Spray a cloth or the surface directly, then use a cloth to clean the surface. (Check out my 11 natural cleaning caddy essentials here.)

Notes

Where to use this cleaner...

• sinks and tubs
• kitchen counters and tables (DO NOT use on granite or stone surfaces, use this cleaner instead)
• dusting surfaces (I recommend using a microfiber cloth with this cleaner)
• dirty toys
• door knobs
• lightswitches
• stainless steel surfaces
• bathroom counters
• toilet surfaces and even in the toilet bowl (use a toilet brush after spraying)
• interior car surfaces

More DIY Cleaning Recipes with Vinegar

• Glass and Mirror Cleaner
• Orange Peel Vinegar Cleaner
• How to Naturally Clean Your Dishwasher
• Vinegar Floor Cleaner (for Hard Floors)

The post DIY All Purpose Cleaner with Vinegar appeared first on Live Simply.

Over the past year, I’ve been looking for ways to simplify our home life even more. One of the ways I’ve simplified is in the cleaning department. I’ve limited the cleaning products used in our home to just a few basic ingredients. At this point, I’m able to clean my entire home with just three simple products: baking soda, vinegar, and Sal Suds. Oh, and a couple of essential oils.

If you’re looking to simplify your cleaning routine, today’s chat is for you. Let’s take a look at the three major cleaning products in my cleaning caddy. These products are versatile enough to clean multiple surfaces in multiple areas of the home.

cleaning solution

Natural Cleaning Made Easy

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The fast-track way to reduce your chemical exposure, use natural cleaners, and create a healthier home environment.

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The post Simplify Cleaning: 3 Natural Ingredients That Will Clean Your Entire Home appeared first on Live Simply.

It’s easy to pick up a natural ingredient–like vinegar, baking soda, and castile soap–from the store, but what does it look like to actually use these products to clean a home or care for the body?

In the past, we’ve talked about using natural ingredients to clean the main rooms in a home. We’ve also explored more specific tasks: cleaning toilets, disinfecting cutting boards, scrubbing sinks, and cleaning the dishwasher.

Today, let’s focus on how to naturally clean the fridge. Not only does a regularly cleaned fridge look and smell great (we’ll talk about avoiding fridge odors later), but it’s also an important key to successfully meal planning, staying within a budget, and keeping food fresh.

Here’s how I clean my fridge on a weekly or bi-monthly basis (depending on our schedule).

Weekly is ideal, since I can clean on the weekend, meal plan based on what’s in my fridge, and then shop for other food items needed to make meals for the upcoming week.

Step One: Make an All-Purpose Cleaner 

What You’ll Need: White Vinegar +  Sal Suds (optional) + Essential Oil (optional)

A basic vinegar all-purpose spray cleaner can be made. Or you can add a bit of extra cleaning and deodorizing power to the vinegar solution by adding Sal Suds and essential oil. Vinegar naturally disinfects and cleans, Sal Suds lifts dirt, and the essential oil provides a lovely scent and beneficial cleaning properties. I like to use grapefruit, sweet orange, or lemon essential oil.

Both spray cleaners can be used to clean other areas of the home, too, hence the all-purpose title.

Step Two: Inventory and Remove Food 

Before using the all-purpose spray, remove everything from the fridge. I personally just remove food from the main areas, saving the condiment shelves and vegetable/fruit drawers for a deep cleaning session.

As you remove the food, take a mental note of what needs to be used ASAP, what can go back in the fridge and used at a later date (this is the food you can use to create your next meal plan), and what needs to be tossed or composted.

Step Three: Spray and Wipe

Once the food has been removed, spray the main surfaces with the all-purpose cleaner. I prefer to let the spray rest on the surfaces for a few minutes before wiping the spray off with a clean towel.

Step Four: Return Food

Finally, return the usable/edible food (we already tossed the stinky beans hiding and rotting in the back of the fridge ;)) to the fridge. At this point, since I clean my fridge on the weekend, I also create my meal plan at the same time. My fridge inventory is fresh in my mind, so it’s easy to start planning based on what I already have in stock. This practice keeps my budget in check since I don’t purchase foods already sitting in my fridge when I visit the store.

Extra Deep Cleaning: 

Every couple of months, I also remove the condiment shelves and fruit and veggie drawers, and wash them in a sink full of warm water, 1 cup of vinegar, and a few drops of Sal Suds.

If there’s ever build-up in the fridge (maybe a mysterious spill that wasn’t caught earlier in the week?), I use a homemade scrub cleaner on the stubborn area.

The fridge can be a home for all sorts of interesting odors. Some of these odors are lovely (sweet strawberries and fresh herbs) and some aren’t so appealing (cooked beans that have seen better days).

Regularly cleaning the fridge helps take care of most odors, but just to be safe I like to keep a jar of baking soda and essential oil in the fridge. This mixture helps to neutralize the odors and keep them from overtaking the fridge (and other foods).

What You’ll Need: 1 cup baking soda + 40 drops lemon, grapefruit, or sweet orange essential oil

The post How to Naturally Clean Your Fridge + Keep Odors Away appeared first on Live Simply.

We all love a good superhero. A guy or gal who does it all: saves planets and people from destruction, fights off evil villains, and possesses a charming personality (and appearance).

Friend, I’d like to introduce you to a new superhero. A superhero that saves my home from dirty and greasy destruction, fights off dirty villains, and possesses a charming appearance. Okay, maybe that last one is a bit of a stretch.

Say hello to All-Purpose Cleaner Spray 2.0. Yes, this superhero is just a homemade cleaner, but a very heroic one.

A few months ago, during a busy season of our lives, I ran out of my major homemade cleaners. As I pulled out the ingredients to make more cleaners, a do-it-yourself lightbulb flickered on above my head, What if I could make just one all-purpose spray to tackle dirt, dust, and grease. An all-in-one superhero cleaner?

Clearly, I have two young children…superhero cleaner?

I looked at the cleaning ingredients in my cleaning caddy: castile soap, vinegar, baking soda, essential oils, Sal Suds, borax, washing soda, and alcohol. In order to fight dirt and grease, I knew a soap-based ingredient would be needed. Maybe castile soap? That will work.

I looked around for something else to add to the castile soap; something that would provide disinfecting properties and extra cleaning power. I knew the answer… vinegar.

Now, if you’ve read my post 4 Natural Ingredients to Avoid Combining, you’re probably waving your hands at me (well, technically your computer or phone), “No! You can’t combine vinegar and castile soap.”

That statement is absolutely correct. While castile soap and vinegar are both amazing cleaners on their own, they can’t be combined to create one mega superhero cleaner. When combined, vinegar (an acid) and castile soap (a base) cancel each other and create unsaponified soap. This reaction reduces the soap back to its original oils, which results in a very unpleasant cleaning product and experience.

So much for that combo.

With that cautionary reminder, I picked up an old cleaning friend, Sal Suds.

If you’ve been around Live Simply for long, you probably already know about Sal Suds. Sal Suds is Dr. Bronner’s tougher version of soap, although its chemical makeup makes it a detergent, not a soap. Sal Suds is formulated to conquer tough cleaning projects: unforgiving grease and stubborn dirt.  Sal Suds, unlike castile soap, can be combined with vinegar since it’s a detergent with a different chemical composition than castile soap.

I use Sal Suds for tough cleaning tasks, like washing dishes, mopping the floor (it’s amazing how much dirt two kids and two dogs can track into a house), and removing stubborn grease stains from garments. Sal Suds is my backup tough guy when castile soap just can’t get the job done (Sorry, Castile, I still love you!). Sal Suds is not a body-care product, so it doesn’t receive quite the same attention as its versatile cousin, castile soap.

Now back to my cleaning caddy…

I grabbed an empty spray bottle and proceeded to make an all-purpose spray using vinegar and Sal Suds. I poured 1 cup of vinegar into the bottle, followed by 1 cup of water, and just a few drops of Sal Suds. I shook the bottle and then set off to work, cleaning every foot (an inch isn’t really attainable ;)) of our home.

In an instant, I became obsessed with my new superhero all-purpose cleaner. The cleaner easily conquered the evil villains living in my home: dust, stubborn grease on my stove-top, nasty bathroom odors, and even an accident left behind by Toby under my desk (Did he know I was cleaning that morning? Toby…).

I’ve been using this all-purpose cleaner for several months now, and my love for it only grows deeper. Now it’s time to share this love with you.

Print

All-Purpose Cleaner Spray (with Grease-Cutting Power)

A simple all-purpose spray that lifts dirt, grease, and disinfects. 

Course DIY

Cuisine Cleaning

Keyword All-Purpose Cleaner

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 16 ounces

Ingredients

• 1 cup white distilled vinegar
• 1 cup distilled water
• 1/2 tsp Sal Suds

Instructions

• Pour the ingredients into a 16-ounce spray bottle, adding the Sal Suds last. Gently shake the bottle to combine the ingredients. 
• Spray on desired surface. Wipe the surface with a clean cloth. 

Notes

Feel free to add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to this spray, mainly for scent purposes in this cleaner (although the essential oil may also provide beneficial cleaning properties). Lately, I've been adding about 10 drops of clove or lemon essential oil to this spray. 

Learn more about why I use distilled water and other safety tips, here. 

There are two other all-purpose spray cleaners in the Live Simply archives. Both spray cleaners are fantastic (one uses vinegar and the other uses castile soap). I personally think this version offers a bit more cleaning power since it combines the power of more natural soap/detergent (lifts dirt and grease) with the power of vinegar (lifts odors and grease, and disinfects).

I've used this cleaner on my counter-tops, stainless steel appliances, in the bathroom, to clean mirrors and windows, the interior of my car, and on our tile floor (small spills or a doggy accident). Do not use this cleaner, due to the use of vinegar, on granite or marble surfaces. I recommend using 1/3 cup rubbing alcohol, filling the rest of the 16-ounce bottle with water, then adding the Sal Suds. The only issue with the rubbing alcohol is that it shouldn't be used on any wood surfaces. 

The Sal Suds Debate: Sal Suds is a hot topic in the natural community, so it remains a product that some use and others stay away from. What’s all the fuss about? Sal Suds receives an A on the Environmental Working Group’s website. You can also read more about the big SLS debate on Lisa Bronner’s blog. If you're trying to tackle tough grease (or dirt), Sal Suds is the way to go (in my opinion). Sal Suds may be purchased at most health food stores (the cleaning product aisle) or online. 

The post All-Purpose Cleaner Spray (with Grease-Cutting Power) appeared first on Live Simply.

Since our family made the transition from processed food to real food, I’ve had to learn my way around a formerly abandoned area of our home: the kitchen.

Over the past few years, I’ve learned how to pick up, wash, roast, and even de-bone a whole chicken without even wincing. (Just for background, I ate a vegan diet for a couple of years, and before that our life consisted of frozen “food” and drive-thru windows.) I’ve also discovered how to combine a few simple ingredients to create homemade salad dressings. And I’ve even embraced quinoa and kale.

Big changes have happened in this tiny kitchen of mine, and all for the better. Our family is healthier, happier, and our life is simpler. All thanks to one decision to change our eating habits.

With all of these amazing food changes, I’ve discovered one big downfall to home-cooking: grease stains! Can you just hear my moaning and groaning as I utter those words: grease stains! The horror!

I can’t think of anything more frustrating when it comes to working in the kitchen than joyfully making a homemade dressing, or breathing in the amazing aroma of bacon cooking, only to find a giant grease stain from the oil or fat splattered all over my favorite capsule wardrobe shirt. Where did THIS come from?

In my defense, I wouldn’t necessarily call myself clumsy, but somehow grease stains always, always find their way onto my favorite shirts. Just like homemade spaghetti sauce always finds its way onto my favorite white shirt. I should probably just stop wearing white in the kitchen, especially on spaghetti night. Anyway, back to grease stains. We already conquered spaghetti stains a few months ago when I shared my homemade stain remover spray. It’s a mom’s best friend!

So, what’s a real food gal to do?

The answer: Test every “more natural” grease-fighting solution ever recommended on the internet and in homemaking books. And invest in a good apron ;).

Over the last couple of years, I’ve tested many different grease-fighting solutions, from vinegar to baking soda (of course, not combined), to homemade pastes and fancy spray cleaners. Nothing has been able to completely remove grease stains. As it turns out, the answer was far simpler, and could be found in my natural cleaning toolkit.

The answer?

Sal Suds!

Sal Suds has been the best “more natural” solution I’ve used to remove grease stains, and the process of using Sal Suds to remove grease stains on my shirts and shorts couldn’t be any easier. First, let’s take a look at Sal Suds before I share how to remove grease stains and save your favorite shirt!

Sal Suds is Dr. Bronner’s tougher version of soap, although its chemical makeup makes it a detergent, not a soap, which is why I believe it works so well to remove tough grease stains. Sal Suds is formulated to conquer tough cleaning projects: unforgiving grease and stubborn dirt.  Sal Suds is a hot topic in the natural community, so it remains a product that some use and others stay away from. What’s all the fuss about? Sal Suds receives an A on the Environmental Working Group’s website. You can read more about the big SLS debate and Sal Suds on Lisa Bronner’s blog.

While I love castile soap, there are times when I need a “more natural” option that packs extra oomph, and that’s when I turn to Sal Suds. I use Sal Suds to make dish soap, clean a dirty tub, and remove grease stains from my clothes. If you don’t have any Sal Suds on hand, and you need to remove a grease stain right now, I recommend trying liquid castile soap. While I haven’t had as much success with castile soap, it’s better than feeling hopeless about that grease stain on your blouse.

Let’s conquer and remove some grease…

Print

Laundry Hack: How to Remove Grease Stains

Sal Suds has been the best “more natural” solution I’ve used to remove grease stains, and the process of using Sal Suds to remove grease stains on my shirts and shorts couldn’t be any easier.

Course How To

Cuisine Cleaning

Keyword How to Remove Grease Stains

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 application

Author Kristin Marr

Ingredients

• Sal Suds or liquid castile soap–see note below

Instructions

• Rub a small amount of Sal Suds on a fresh grease stain, using a towel or your hand to thoroughly rub the grease area with the soap. It’s important that the soap saturates and completely covers the grease stain.
• Let the Sal Suds rest for at least 30 minutes-12 hours (I usually let the soap sit on the grease stain for the full 12 hours, which causes the soap to fully dry.), then wash the garment in hot water in the washing machine with laundry soap.
• Before drying your garment, check the grease stain to make sure it’s completely gone. If not, apply the Sal Suds again and allow for more resting time. Repeat the washing cycle again until the grease stain is completely gone. The key to fighting a grease stain is to never dry a garment in the dryer until the grease stain has been removed. Drying a garment sets the grease stain, which is trickier to fully remove. That said, I’ve successfully removed grease stains using Sal Suds and a 12 hour rest time even after drying a garment.

Ingredient Notes

You can find Sal Suds (or castile soap) at most health food stores, online, and some conventional stores.

While I love castile soap, there are times when I need a “more natural” option that packs extra oomph, and that’s when I turn to Sal Suds. I use Sal Suds to make dish soap, clean a dirty tub, and remove grease stains from my clothes. If you don’t have any Sal Suds on hand, and you need to remove a grease stain right now, I recommend trying castile soap. While I haven’t had as much success with castile soap, it’s better than feeling hopeless about that grease stain on your blouse.

This post isn’t sponsored by Dr. Bronner’s, the maker of Sal Suds. It’s truly the only “more natural” option I’ve found to work when I need to remove grease stains from garments.

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The post Laundry Hack: How to Remove Grease Stains appeared first on Live Simply.

If I had to pick the one item in my kitchen that’s used more than anything else it would definitely be my favorite wood cutting board. That rectangular board has been with me for a couple of years now, faithfully taking the daily chopping, banging, and stains (think: beets for juice!) like a pro. And while it may seem obvious to many people, after we made our lifestyle change, I didn’t know how to clean my cutting board.

Let me rephrase that.

After we made the switch to real food and then natural cleaners, I didn’t know how to clean my cutting board, naturally.

Growing up, my parents used plastic cutting mats, which were constantly being sprayed with a store-bought cleaning solution or bleach. I clearly remember the harsh bleach odor filling our kitchen at least once a week. When I started to think about cleaning with natural ingredients, I had to research how exactly to get my cutting board clean without using harsh spray cleaners and bleach. Friend, as it turns out, cleaning a cutting board naturally is an incredibly simple task.

On my natural cleaning journey, I’ve also learned that there are different ways to “clean” a cutting board, or mat, depending on how it’s used: actual cleaning, deodorizing, and disinfecting. Today is all about practical tips and application (really, when is it not all about practical around here ;)). We’re going to talk about how I care for my hard-working cutting board(s) and mat with simple, natural ingredients. No bleach allowed!

How to Clean a Cutting Board

What You’ll Need: Castile soap (any scent variety), Sal Suds, or a natural dish soap + Hot water

To a clean a cutting board, I simply use a small amount of castile soap or Sal Suds (dime-size, if it’s coming straight from the bottle), or a squirt of my homemade dish soap, a dishtowel or sponge, and hot water. That’s it! According to the USDA, clean a cutting board “with hot, soapy water after each use; then rinse with clear water and air dry or pat dry with clean paper towels.” I personally like to use a reusable, clean dish towel to dry my board. If I have a sink full of hot soapy water, then I’ll just use that water, as long as the water is clean. The key to cleaning the board is hot water and (natural) soap, so how exactly you go about using these ingredients is totally up to you. I clean my cutting board after each use.

Cleaning Caution: If you’re cleaning a wood cutting board, do not submerge the board in water (in a sink full of water), or put it in the dishwasher. This will eventually ruin the board and cause it to crack. If you’re using a silicone mat, submerging the mat in water and placing it in the dishwasher is just fine.

What’s castile soap? Castile soap is a concentrated vegetable-based soap made of ingredients you can actually pronounce. This soap is gentle on the skin and effective in the fight against dirt, grease, and unwanted germs. Dr. Bronner’s is a very a popular brand of castile soap. Castile soap can be used to clean just about anything and everything: your face, your laundry, your cutting board, and even your stinky dog!

How to Deodorize a Cutting Board

What You’ll Need: 1/3 cup coarse salt (or a mixture of salt and baking soda, if you’re not using a lemon) + 1/2 a lemon

Deodorizing is the process of removing or, at least, concealing an unpleasant odor. To deodorize my cutting board, I use two simple ingredients: salt and half a lemon. Baking soda would also work really well for deodorizing a cutting board, but since I love using a lemon, baking soda isn’t a good option (base + acid = no bueno).

To deodorize a cutting board, I simply massage 1/3 cup of coarse salt on my cutting board, and then let it sit for about 10 minutes (up to a few hours). After the resting time, I massage the salt with 1/2 a lemon, squeezing the lemon to release the juice. Finally, I rinse the board with a clean cloth and hot water. If you don’t want to use a lemon, you can try mixing baking soda and coarse salt together to equal 1/3 a cup. I deodorize my cutting board about once a month, just to keep it smelling fresh.

How to Disinfect a Cutting Board

What You’ll Need: 100% white vinegar + 100% (3%) hydrogen peroxide. Do not combine the two sprays into one solution!

This disinfecting method was developed in the ‘90s by Susan Sumner a food scientist at Virginia Polytechnic Institute.

Disinfecting is an activity that’s (generally) done after cleaning and, in my cleaning opinion, needs to be done much less often. “Disinfecting…refers to killing a high percentage of the germs on a surface or rendering them incapable of reproducing.” (source)

To disinfect a cutting board, first clean the board by combining hot water and liquid castile soap. Rinse the surface with water and dry it with a clean cloth. Now it’s time to disinfect. Spray the vinegar or hydrogen peroxide on the surface; the order doesn’t matter. Let the disinfectant rest for five minutes, then wipe the surface with a cloth. Spray the second disinfectant on the surface, let it rest for five minutes, then wipe the surface with a clean cloth. I usually rinse the board after disinfecting, just for good measure.

That’s it! Whether you need to clean, deodorize, or disinfect your cutting board, you can do it all naturally. Simple, right?!

Do you have a favorite method for cleaning, deodorizing, and/or disinfecting your cutting boards?

The post How to Naturally Clean, Deodorize, and Disinfect a Cutting Board appeared first on Live Simply.

There are so many amazing benefits to enjoying a real food lifestyle (AKA: getting back to great-great grandma’s food). While the benefits may be numerous, there’s always one big drawback to this lifestyle: dishes!

Dirty dishes, and lots of them, are just a way of life for a real food family. Sure, eating processed food means dirty dishes will accumulate in the sink, but usually this means just a few plates or a bowl (for that boxed cereal or toaster “pastry”). Enjoying “real food” means a family must stock basic ingredients and turn those ingredients into wholesome and delicious meals. This means bowls, skillets, knives, cutting boards, and whisks will be dirtied in the process.

Here’s where natural living and real food merge together when it comes to tackling those dishes…

If enjoying real food means cooking and sometimes baking (PS: Did you make the blueberry muffins yet? Just one bowl is required.), a good grease-cutting, hard-working, nothing-left-behind dish soap is a major necessity. And this is where the dilemma begins…

Should I purchase the blue dish soap? It gets a D rating from the EWG.

Should I try out every “more natural” store-bought dish soap until I find one that gets the job done?

Should I try to make a do-it-yourself soap?

What about just castile soap? It seems to work on just about everything in my house.

Friend, I’m not here to answer those questions for you. I hope to provide you with a little insight, through today’s recipe post, into what I’m currently using to clean my mountain-like pile of daily dishes.

The truth is, what’s best for you and your family is a decision that you need to make, whether this means sourcing a cleaner store-bought soap (check out the EWG for the best rated “cleaner” dish soap options) or making a do-it-yourself dish soap. But know this: There are effective dish soap alternatives to the low-graded (according to the EWG) dish soaps that sit in so many American homes, and a do-it-yourself soap is a great alternative option.

Last year I shared a dish soap recipe on the blog titled, Easy Dish Soap. That recipe truly is easy to make, but after months and months of making that soap, I decided there must be an even easier way to make dish soap, a super easy dish soap.

The key ingredient in my first dish soap recipe is Sal Suds, castile soap’s big and super strong brother. With that ingredient, I started to experiment with different combinations, and finally discovered just about the simplest dish soap formula that can be made at home. Simple and effective dish soap that takes less than one minute to make? Yes, please!!!

Let’s take a look at the 3 ingredients in this DIY dish soap…

Sal Suds:  Sal Suds is Dr. Bronner’s tougher version of soap, although its chemical makeup makes it a detergent, not a soap (which is why it works so well to cut grease). Sal Suds is formulated to conquer tough cleaning projects, like sticky grease and stubborn dirt. Sal Suds is a hot topic in the natural community, so it remains a product that some people use and others stay away from. What’s all the fuss about? Sal Suds receives an A grade on the Environmental Working Group’s website. You can also read more about the big SLS debate on Lisa Bronner’s blog.

Sal Suds is highly concentrated, so it’s diluted in this recipe with water. You’re welcome to play around with a water to Sal Suds ratio that yields the best results for your dishes. I’ve found that a 1:1 ratio works best for me.

Castile soap doesn’t provide enough grease-cutting power to be considered an effective dish soap, in my opinion. If you’d like to try using castile soap in this recipe, then you’ll want to leave out the vinegar, but again, I don’t believe you’re going to get the grease-fighting power most people look for in a good dish soap.

Vinegar:  Yep, good ol’ white vinegar. Unlike castile soap, Sal Suds may be combined with vinegar (another reason why Sal Suds is a great cleaning ingredient). We have really hard water, which means we deal with a lot of spotting on our dishes, even when we used the blue dish soap. I’ve found the vinegar in this recipe works like a rinse-aid to reduce some of the spotting that may occur from hard water. You’re welcome to leave this ingredient out of the recipe, but I personally prefer to add it.

Moisturizing Oil:  This is another optional ingredient. Since this dish soap sits next to our sink, it’s also used as a hand soap on occasion, and particularly when Dustin’s been working in the garage (hello, dirty and greasy hands). I like to add a skin-loving oil to this soap to help take away the harsh soap feel since it’s being used on our bare hands. Water and oil don’t mix, so this oil rests on top of the dish soap until we shake the soap dispenser.

The color of your oil will change the color of your final product. If you use a deep yellow oil, like jojoba or olive oil, then your soap will have a slight yellow hue. If you use something like fractionated coconut oil, then your soap will remain clear. In the future, I’d like to play around with adding aloe vera gel (probably a couple of tablespoons) or vitamin E oil (probably a teaspoon) instead of the oil.

I may not be able to help you tackle that pile of glorious dishes (just think of the amazing food that you’ve made with those dishes!), but I can share my dish soap recipe to help you get those dishes squeaky clean.

Print

Super Easy DIY Dish Soap: 3 Ingredients

Here’s where natural living and real food merge together when it comes to tackling those dishes.

Course DIY

Cuisine Body

Keyword Dish Soap

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 1 cup

Author Kristin Marr

Equipment

• 1 8-ounce soap dispenser or 16-ounce soap dispenser

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup distilled water
• 1 TB white distilled vinegar optional
• 1/2 cup Sal Suds This ingredient is also available at most health food stores.
• 1 TB jojoba oil or other moisturizing oil: sweet almond, fractionated coconut oil, or olive oil, optional

Special Equipment:

• large soap dispenser

Instructions

• Pour the water and vinegar (if using) into a soap dispenser (like this).
• Shake the bottle to combine the ingredients. Add the Sal Suds and oil (if using), and gently shake the bottle again to combine the ingredients. There may be bubbles at the top of the dish soap after shaking the bottle. This is completely normal.

Notes

Distilled (sold in stores) or boiled and cooled water is best to use for water-based do-it-yourself projects. Tap water should be boiled for 15 minutes. From my personal experience, clean tap water is okay for short-term use products. Please use your discretion and think about how long you’ll be using a product before adding the water.

Just using Sal Suds and water will make an awesome dish soap. The vinegar and oil are completely optional, depending on if you need an extra something to conquer hard water (vinegar), or if you’ll be using the soap on your hands (oil–also see my note about experimenting with aloe vera and vitamin E above the recipe). Some folks may find Sal Suds is a bit too tough on the skin, even with the oil addition.

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The post Super Easy DIY Dish Soap: 3 Ingredients (The Best “Homemade” Dish Soap Recipe) appeared first on Live Simply.

My kitchen sink is by far the hardest working “thing” (anyone have a better word?) in our home. Well, except for our air conditioning system, #Floridian. Our sink is the dumping ground for plates, pots and pans, silverware, the coffee pot, leftover scraps on plates and pans, and so much more. Our sink is one happening spot.

Last summer, we remodeled our entire kitchen. Before we even started designing the kitchen and thinking about cabinets and appliances, my focus was on the sink. I’ve spent way too much time on Pinterest over the last couple of years dreaming about the loveliness of a farm-style, apron sink.  Before the walls even came down, we went to IKEA and purchased the farm sink of my dreams, which turned out to be very affordable. With our kitchen remodel complete, and my dream sink now installed, caring for our sink has been a major priority.

Since our kitchen sink is the hangout spot for our dirty dishes, it’s easy for our sink to quickly transform from clean to dirty and greasy. I love knowing that I have four different natural, homemade recipe options to help keep our sink clean and sparkly. Think of these four natural recipes like the cleaning section of the grocery store: there are multiple options to get the job done.

Before I share each recipe, it’s important to note that these recipes may be used to clean any sink in a home, not just the kitchen sink. If your sinks are delicate, like a marble sink, I recommend asking a specialist about specific care instructions.

How to Naturally Clean Your Sink

Sink Scouring Powder

This powder is a combination of baking soda, borax, coarse salt, and a few drops of essential oil. The simple ingredients create a powerful powder that I sprinkle in our sinks when they need a deep cleaning. After sprinkling the powder in the sink, I let it rest for at least five minutes, and then use a scrub brush to scrub away the dirt. Finally, I rinse the sink with warm water.

This is my go-to powder when my kitchen sink needs a deep cleaning (during my bi-monthly cleaning), and the cleaner I use in our bathroom sinks (another bi-monthly cleaning task). I also use this powder to clean our toilets. Since this powder has a very long shelf-life, a mason jar of Sink Scouring Powder is always ready to go in my cleaning caddy.

What You’ll Need

• ½ cup baking soda
• ½ cup borax
• ½ cup kosher or sea salt
• 15 drops grapefruit essential oil (or your favorite cleaning essential oil, like lemon or tea tree)
• 1 lid with holes, such as: a mason jar drink top, or a Parmesan cheese topper. Only use this lid when the powder is needed. The top used to store the powder shouldn’t expose the powder to the air.

Find the full recipe instructions, here.

Simple Lemon Surface Scrub

This scrub lives up to its simple name since it’s made with only two kitchen ingredients: a lemon and coarse salt. That’s it! I use this scrub when I need to quickly clean our kitchen sink, but don’t want to get out an actual cleaning product. We always have lemons in our kitchen, so I cut one in half, sprinkle salt over the lemon flesh, and then scrub our sink with the lemon and salt (gently squeezing the lemon as I scrub). I apply more salt to the lemon as needed. The lemon and salt combo loosens dirt and grease, and eliminates odors.

What You’ll Need

• 1/3 cup kosher or sea salt
• 1 lemon, halved

If you have my book, DIY Natural Cleaning Challenge, you’ll find this recipe on page 94.

Scrub Cleaner

My mom’s favorite cleaner, when I was a child, was Soft Scrub. She used Soft Scrub to clean everything from the bathroom tiles and tub to her kitchen sink. This scrub cleaner is my homemade alternative for Soft Scrub.

I personally don’t use this scrub very often for cleaning our sinks, because my sinks don’t get dirty enough to need this powerful cleaner. If you need something with not only cleaning power but also whitening power, this is your cleaner! This scrub is also a great product to use in a dirty bathtub or shower.

What You’ll Need

• 1 cup baking soda
• ¼ cup liquid castile soap or Sal Suds
• 1 TB hydrogen peroxide
• 1 large jar with a lid

Find the full recipe instructions, here.

All-Purpose Spray

Finally, if my sinks just need a quick wipe down, with more than just water and a dish towel, I’ll reach for a bottle of all-purpose spray. There are two options when it comes to making an all-purpose spray: vinegar or castile soap. The spray I reach for and use depends on what’s currently sitting in my cleaning caddy (a water-based cleaner has a short shelf-life). Both are incredibly effective at quickly cleaning a sink.

What You’ll Need

• 2 cups water
• 2 TB – ¼ cup liquid castile soap
• 15 drops cleaning essential oil
• 1 spray bottle

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup white vinegar
• ½ lemon, juiced (optional)
• 15 drops cleaning essential oil
• 1 spray bottle

Find the full recipe instructions, here.

Do you have a favorite natural method/recipe for cleaning your sinks?

The post How to Naturally Clean Your Sink: 4 Homemade Recipes appeared first on Live Simply.

When it comes to food, there are so many fun textures and colors to style and photograph, particularly when it comes to real food. But homemade floor cleaner? There are only so many ways to photograph a mop, bucket, and three simple ingredients. While the photos may not be as glamorous (hello white bucket and mop), I can guarantee you that today’s cleaning “recipe” is a keeper. A recipe that’s worth sharing despite the photography challenge.

At the end of last year, I shared a recipe for homemade floor cleaner, which I use frequently to clean our tile floor. If we take a look further back into the blog archives, I’ve also shared a floor cleaner made with similar ingredients in a make-ahead wipe form. Both recipes share a common ingredient: vinegar.

Vinegar has a reputation for being the “do it all” cleaner, and it’s for a good reason. Vinegar may be used to soften clothes in the washing machine and remove dingy odors. Vinegar may also be used to disinfectant toilet bowls and sinks, clean hard surfaces and windows, and wash floors. I think vinegar lives up to its “do it all” cleaning reputation pretty well.

While vinegar is an amazing cleaner, there are a couple of issues that arise when using vinegar to clean a home:

If you have a house with hard floors and you can’t use vinegar for cleaning, or you don’t want to use vinegar due to the odor issue, let me introduce you to vinegar’s competition: castile soap.

Castile soap and vinegar don’t get along, and they can’t be mixed to form one cleaner, but they can be used separately and are both amazing ingredients to add to a cleaning toolkit. Just like vinegar, castile soap also has many different uses: washing the dirty dog I referenced earlier, cleaning a human’s body (too), cleaning a hard surface, cleaning clothes via a homemade laundry soap (both dry and liquid soaps), dusting surfaces, and even washing hard floors.

What is this magical substance known as castile soap?

Castile soap is a concentrated vegetable-based soap made of ingredients you can actually pronounce. This soap is gentle on the skin and effective in the fight against dirt, grease, and unwanted germs. Castile soap has a pH around 8.9, and 7 is considered neutral. This mean castile soap doesn’t have the acidic “harshness” of vinegar, making it ideal for more fragile surfaces.

Is castile soap the natural cleaning answer for all surfaces? To be honest, I’m hesitant to say that one ingredient or product will work for every surface (or person), but I will say that I believe castile soap is a good alternative if you don’t want to (or can’t) use vinegar on your hard floors.

I hope this floor cleaner recipe provides you with one more option to clean your home, naturally. For me, it’s wonderful to know that I have many different choices for what I can use to clean my home, using the same ingredients in my natural cleaning toolkit in different ways. Next week, we’re going add this recipe to a helpful list of natural and simple products that may be used to clean an entire home, from the bathroom to the floor to the kitchen.

Print

Homemade Floor Cleaner (No Vinegar)

An easy to make floor cleaner without vinegar. 

Course DIY

Cuisine Cleaning

Keyword Floor Cleaner

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 2 gallons, one-time use

Author Kristin Marr

Ingredients

• 2 gallons hot water
• 2 tablespoons castile soap or 4 drops Sal Suds
• 5 drops pine essential oil or tea tree essential oil, or your preferred essential oil scent

Instructions

• Add the hot water to a bucket, then the liquid castile soap and essential oil.
• Gently stir the ingredients together (you don’t want a ton of bubbles).

To Use:

• Dip a mop into the solution, then mop the floor. Do not saturate the floor while mopping. Once the floor is clean, discard the dirty water and fill the bucket with 2 more gallons of hot water (no soap this time), wipe the floor with the mop and clean water.

Notes

This solution may be safe for sealed wood floors and other common household surfaces (I use this on our tile) since the pH of castile soap is around 8.9 (a pH of 7 is neutral). Always spot test first (a couple of times) before applying any cleaning product to a full surface! I’ve also learned, from some major trial and error, that’s important to talk to a floor expert about the best way to clean a particular floor (what kind of ingredients/methods to avoid in particular), since there are so many different types of floor surfaces today.

Any castile soap variety will work. I just happen to have unscented castile soap on hand as I was photographing this post. I’ve made this floor cleaner with tea tree, peppermint, lavender, and orange castile soap. I prefer to use 2 tablespoons of castile soap to 2 gallons of hot water. If you feel this ratio is too soapy, then reduce the soap ratio to 1 tablespoon of castile soap to 2 gallons of hot water. If your test spot has a soapy residue, then you know you’ll want to tweak the ratio. 

If you’re still not happy with castile soap on your floor, then I recommend using Sal Suds, which is a heavy-duty (safe) detergent. You’ll only need about 4 drops of Sal Suds versus 2 tablespoons.

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