If you’re looking to clean up your bathroom or your kitchen counter, the local supermarket can provide you with a variety of cleaning agents for every surface.
However, it’s hard to say whether any of them are environmentally friendly or healthy for you and your family if you come into contact with them, which you will.
The availability of these products by no means indicates that they’re optimal for you or your home, and they may end up doing much greater damage than what you’ll be getting out of them.
The toxic chemicals they contain can damage your airways, skin, and even eyes whereas their plastic packaging doesn’t need an introduction.
Plastic waste is one of the bigger issues we’re currently dealing with, and we keep generating more of it with each passing year, so you should try to do your best and contribute to this waste accumulation as little as possible.
To help do your part, one thing you could do is give DIY cleaning products a try, as they’re beneficial for you and the environment.
Compared to commercial cleaning products, the ones you can make in the comfort of your own home are almost as, and sometimes even more effective while also lacking all the downsides of the chemicals you’d buy at the local store.
On top of this, just a few items you may already have in your home can go a long way, and with a bit of baking soda, vinegar, and lemon juice, you can put every store-bought cleaning agent to shame.
And the best part of it all is that you’re keeping your family safe while also teaching them about the harmful effects these chemicals can have on our health and nature.
All-purpose cleaning agent
This one’s fairly simple, and all you’ll need to make it are equal parts vinegar and water, and while the vinegar does have an offputting scent at first, it won’t linger on any surfaces for too long.
You can also offset this by adding some citrus juice to the mix, which will up the mixture’s acidity while also giving it a pleasant scent.
If you let the solution sit in a bottle for a couple of weeks it’ll become even more effective, and adding some lemon rinds to it can improve its fragrance immensely.
You should, however, remove the lemon rinds from the solution before using it if you don’t want to be wiping off tiny chunks of lemon from the furniture/surface you’re using it on.
Laundry detergent
You may not be aware of it, but there are natural ways to make soap without having to resort to using something like lye.
Originally, people used soap nuts, whose shells contain a chemical called saponin, to wash their clothing, as the chemical creates a soapy solution when it comes in contact with water.
However, this isn’t something that’s gone out of fashion, and you could easily include soap nuts in your washing as well, although you will have to make some adjustments.
The first thing you’ll need is a pouch to place your soap nuts in, after which you’ll tie a tight knot around one end of it and throw it in with your laundry.
If there’s excessive dirt that needs to be taken care of, you can also add some baking soda to the mix.
Do remember that soap nuts need to be dried after every use, and once they’ve been used up, they’ll turn grey.
Stain remover
There are a few things that are harder than getting a stain out of your favorite piece of clothing, especially if it’s something like a wine spill or a grease stain.
Thankfully, some age-old methods are incredibly effective at doing this, and you may just make the switch to this DIY stain remover after trying it once.
It’s made by mixing equal parts vinegar and baking soda with a tablespoon of castile soap and 2 full cups of water.
Mix it all up and toss it into a spray bottle which you’ll then use to mist the stained piece of clothing and let the solution sit for at least 15 minutes.
If it’s the furniture we’re talking about, you can just wait 15 minutes to scrub the stain off, although clothing will require a wash to get the solution out as well.
You’ll be surprised at how well these solutions deal with problems that regular cleaning products often struggle with, and even if some are less effective than their commercial counterparts, you at least know exactly what you’re using.
Final word
Being eco-friendly is a tough task, and with so many things to take care of, it can be taxing being nice to mother nature.
However, if you do your part, you’ll know that you did everything to preserve this planet’s beauty and your own health at the same time.
DIY cleaning products are just one of a myriad of things you can do to contribute to the global fight against pollution and global warming.
Give each of them a try, and if some don’t work for you don’t just give up on the spot, but rather, look for one that may be more helpful.