Edna is our cleaning contributor to Pantry Paratus; she is back with a persuasive piece on making your own cleaners as a way to cut down on your budget!
If you are new at green cleaning, or have not even begun yet, there are a few very important things you need to know about it caring for your home in an ecological way. You have likely read all about its benefits to the environment and how it is not dangerous to people’s health, those facts are all true. But what you might have missed or did not pay attention to is the fact that green cleaning is also economical and frugal.
When people hear about ‘green’ cleaning they think they have to buy special and more expensive cleaning products that are labelled ‘green’, when in fact you do not have to do any such thing. Actually the ‘green’ cleaning will save you lots and lots of money, because it proves more inexpensive in two ways.
Homemade Green Cleaners have Cost Effective Ingredients
First, when you make yourself your own natural cleaning products, all you will need are several important ingredients that can be found in any kitchen, or even if you need to buy them it will be much less expensive. All you will need for your natural cleaning products are baking soda, white vinegar, water, some rubbing alcohol and essential oils. It depends on what you are going to use it for.
So even if you need to buy absolutely every ingredient to make your homemade cleaner, it will still be less expensive than buying a branded cleaning product.
Homemade Green Cleaners Are Usually a One-Size-Fits-All
Secondly, making your own homemade cleaner will save the number of bottles under sink; you save money because when you make your own cleaning products, you will have to do only minor changes in the ingredients to adjust for your intended use. Forget about all those branded store-bought cleaning products that are specific for every single thing that needs to be cleaned. You spend your money on things like bathroom cleaner, kitchen cleaners, floor cleaner, degreaser, when all of them can be cleaned with one simple and inexpensive solution.
Baking soda, for example, mixed with some water of essential oil can be used as a great and efficient abrasive for your sink, toilet, bathtub. One efficient and cheap abrasive for several things. No chemicals, no volatile smell. Easy and inexpensive. Chaya from PantryParatus.com swears by citric acid for getting mineral stains off of porcelain, but says that it’s also the trick for pots and pans, and for cleaning the Excalibur trays.
Essential oils are another great example of multi-use ingredients for your cleaning supplies! They are all natural and have many features. They are not used only for their scents, they are also great in cleaning solutions and are great disinfectants. A bottle of essential oil itself might not be that cheap, but it will last you for a very long time, since all you need are just a couple of drops for amazing results. You will not have to buy them very often, but you can use them for many things. Essential oils can be used as bug repellents, they can be added to your laundry detergent, washing machine, cleaning solutions and can be used as natural air fresheners and deodorants. Say goodbye to the expensive, manufactured and non-lasting air fresheners. With essential oils used for cleaning and fresheners around the house, your home will enjoy the natural and fresh smell.
What is more, you can recycle old bottles from store-bought cleaning products and use them for your new eco-friendly cleaning solutions. Furthermore, you can get yourself Castile soap – it is all natural, it is made from lye, olive oil and water. And it can be used to wash pretty much anything. So it will save you money and it will improve greatly your goal for green cleaning since it has no chemicals and is biodegradable.
If you are new to green cleaning, take this into account and be calm that by turning to green cleaning you will not only clean with chemical-free products and help your health, but you will also save yourself a ton of money. It is a win-win situation.
The article is contributed by Edna Thomson. She is owner of ProCarpet Cleaners London, and has written these other great articles for Pantry Paratus: