All-purpose cleaner
Mix a really gentle castile soap, like Dr. Bronner’s, with warm water. Use a clean sponge, rags, or a brush, and scrub! One cup of soap in 3.8 litres (1 gallon) of water is a good concentration for walls, floors, and counters. One part castile soap to one part water in a foaming pump is perfect for washing hands.
All-purpose spray cleaner
Mix ½ TB really gentle castile soap, like Dr. Bronner’s, with 1 ½ cups warm water. Then add a few squeezes of lemon and 1 cup of vinegar. Mix (if you add the soap to the vinegar directly it curdles so do in the order above.) This amount fits perfectly into the average spray bottle so keep your old one after you finish up your store bought stuff.
All-purpose disinfectant
Warm white vinegar to 55°C (130°F) and put immediately in a spray bottle. If using immediately, it need only sit a minute, or if using later let it sit for 10 minutes before wiping. (NOTE: Do not use vinegar on marble surfaces.)
Scouring powder
Mix 1 part baking soda, 1 part salt, and 1 part borax powder in a jar: close the lid and shake. Lightly wet surface and sprinkle or use with a moist sponge or brush. Scrub and rinse.
Mirror, glass, and shiny silver faucet cleaner
Mix 2 teaspoonfuls of white vinegar with 1 litre (1 quart) water in a spray bottle. Use old newspapers to wipe the surface, as they won’t streak the glass or leave lint.
Sink, bathtub, and stovetop scrub
Mix a paste of baking soda, a squirt of castile or dish soap, and a squeeze of lemon. Try for the consistency of frosting. Apply to surface and scrub with a sponge or brush.
Stain remover (for clothing or porcelain)
Sprinkle an oxygen-based powder (like OxiClean) on the stain, pour boiling water over it. Let sit for 10 minutes, then simply scrub the stain away. It works miracles!
Wall stain remover
Mix Dr. Bronner’s or a similar mild castile soap with a lot of baking soda on a wet sponge and scrub like crazy.
Air freshener
You want to get rid of odours, not mask them. Leave little bowls of baking soda in the bathrooms, clothes closet, and other offending areas. A number of essential oils have antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral properties and they smell good! Good ones to try in your cleaning recipes including: tea tree, lavender, lemon, grapefruit, eucalyptus, peppermint, and rosemary. Fill a spray bottle with water and a few drops of essential oil and spray in stinky places like the bathroom, near the diaper pail, or in the hockey where the hockey gear lives.
Rug deodorizer
Sprinkle baking soda on the carpet or rug. Let it sit for 30 minutes, then vacuum up.
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