Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner Recipes

What about Ammonia and Bleach?

Ammonia and bleach are inexpensive and effective at cleaning and disinfecting. They can be used sparingly and diluted as a last resort in household recipes. However, NEVER mix ammonia and bleach together! (i.e., spraying shower with bleach and glass cleaner (ammonia) on mirror) Mixing these chemicals together can produce highly toxic fumes. A few more safety tips:

• Chemicals can lose their effectiveness. Don’t mix more than you will use.
• If you mix any chemicals together, do so in a well-ventilated area.
• Label mixed solutions carefully and keep out of reach of children or near food.
• Never mix in food containers.
• Store original chemicals in original containers.
• Never mix bleach with anything but water. Mixing with other chemicals may cause toxic fumes

What are some simple green cleaner recipes?

We would like to acknowledge and thank Sharon Gibson and Dr. Pamela Turner from the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension for providing many of the following recipes.*

What do I need to know about the ingredients?

Baking Soda

A mild alkali scouring powder that can be used for almost all household cleaning purposes. It also absorbs odors and works great at removing baked-on food from pans and oven. It can remove stains from fruit juices and other mild acids, as well as from glass, tile, and china. Use this for cleaning refrigerators. You can also leave a small box of baking soda in the refrigerator to absorb odors or sprinkle on carpet before vacuuming. You can buy it in the grocery store baking section.

Lemon Juice

Can deodorize, lighten stains and cut grease. It can also kill bacteria remove tarnish from brass, copper, bronze and aluminum but should NOT be used on silver. You can add lemon juice to cleaners to bring out a lemony scent.

Borax

Similar in use to baking soda but stronger. Good for sanitizing, freshening laundry and deodorizing. Buy in laundry section of grocery store.

Washing Soda

Strongest alternative to baking soda and borax. Can be used with washing detergents. Use gloves when using this ingredient as it may irritate skin. Buy in laundry section of grocery store.

Castile Soap

A mild high-quality soap made from vegetable oils such as olive, and others. Can be used for all general purpose cleaning. Can be purchased in whole food stores or organic/natural sections of grocery store.

Vinegar

Good for killing germs and deodorizing, can remove some stains from carpets. Good for cleaning coffeepots, chrome, cookware and counter tops. It is an acid so be careful using it on fabrics containing acetate, such as tablecloths.

Hydrogen Peroxide

A mild alternative to bleach. Used for stain removal, killing germs, mold, or mild whitening.

Tea Tree and Lavender Essential Oils

Natural disinfectants. Others include cedarwood, lemon, and spearmint.

Essential Oils

Essential oils can deodorize and naturally provide fragrance. They can be mixed with cleaners, but do your research in advance. Some oils can be sensitizers or have warnings for people with certain chronic conditions. Unless if you know what you are doing, lemon or lime juice are good alternatives.

Soap Nuts

Dried fruit of the Chinese Soapberry. They are natural surfactants (which act like detergents) and have been used for hundreds of years in Eastern countries. You can find them in natural foods stores and online. Oftentimes used for laundry, they release their soapy substance better in warm water than cool and are reusable.