Natural alternatives for cleaning your house

While house cleaning might be an unending task, it doesn’t mean you have to use harsh chemicals to get the job done. By learning what natural items do the trick to clean up even nasty grease and grime, you can keep your home tidy while being kind to your skin and the environment.

“Many people are conditioned to believe that modern chemical-laden cleaners are more effective than plant-based cleaners, but this isn’t so,” said Karyn Siegel-Maier, author of “The Naturally Clean Home. “Dirt hasn’t changed much over time and simple items like baking soda and vinegar still move it along nicely. The addition of a few drops of essential oil lends germ-killing power.”

Siegel-Maier said she used plants for food, medicine, and even cosmetics for most of her adult life, but her children inspired her to take it a step further. “Not only did I want to create a healthier and safer environment for them, but I also wanted to show them by example a better way of living,” she said.

“There are so many great sprays and cleaners out there,” said Jamie Vosen who has been using natural cleaners to take care of her home for many years. She relies primarily on vinegar, castile soap (an olive oil-based soap), and essential oils to create products to replace all of the typical store bought cleaners.

“You can also use vodka, too. It’s fantastic. It kills bugs; it kills brain cells, too,” she laughed.

“I don’t want all of those fake scents in my house,” she said. Instead she prefers the natural fragrances of lemon, cloves, cinnamon, lavender and orange to smell good, as well as provide anti-bacterial properties.

Melissa Zech, a mother of five, also relies on natural products to keep her busy home clean. One of her favorites is what’s called a “protective blend” made up of cloves, cinnamon, wild orange, rosemary and eucalyptus.

“The cinnamon and clove is amazing. I like to use it because it can kill viruses, mold and bacteria. It’s also non-toxic (to people). There’s nothing in it that’s going to hurt the kids,” she added, “so the kids can help me clean!”

A cleaner for every application

For a general all-purpose cleaner, Vosen makes up a spray she keeps on hand to clean most nonporous surfaces.

In a 32-ounce spray bottle, she adds 1 cup water, ¾ cup vinegar, 3 drops liquid soap with 5 drops of lavender, 5 drops of orange and 5 drops of peppermint essential oils. For an extra heavy-duty option, she’ll add ¾ cup of 90 percent rubbing alcohol.

“I’d rather clean with that,” she said. “It’s the vinegar and a couple of drops of soap, and it cleans up almost anything. I love that kind of stuff.”

She also used a variation of this cleaner when she accidently torched a chicken and smoked up her entire kitchen. After trying a number of products, she still couldn’t remove the smoke smell.

Vosen said the mix that cleaned it best was vinegar, water and an essential oil blend consisting of lemongrass, citronella, rosemary, melaleuca, lavandin and myrtle. This took out the smell better than anything.

Zech uses a similar concoction to clean her floors and the bathroom, adding 10 drops of lemon or melaleuca oil to the vinegar and water mixture.

And one of Siegel-Maier’s go-to cleaners is a “Lavender Soft Scrubber” made up of ¾ cup baking soda, ¼ cup powdered milk, ¹/₈ cup liquid castile soap and five drops of lavender essential oil.

“Combine all ingredients in a squirt-top bottle, and add enough water to make a smooth paste. Shake or stir to mix. Apply to the surface, then wipe the area clean with a damp sponge. Rinse well. This scrubber not only cleans but is mild and will actually soften your hands,” she said.

Siegel-Maier also uses her natural mixes in the dishwasher. For her “Citrus Sparkle Automatic Dishwasher Powder” she mixes together two cups washing soda, 1 ¹/₃ cups baking soda, 6 tablespoons citric acid powder and 25 drops of grapefruit essential oils. She keeps this in a plastic tub and uses 2 tablespoons per load of dishes.

Washing soda, also called sodium carbonate, is usually found in the laundry section at the grocery store. Siegel-Maier said that citric acid powder is often available at home-brewing or soap-making businesses.

Even on wood surfaces, natural cleaners do the best. Instead of using an aerosol-based dusting spray, Vosen said she likes a recipe that uses 1 cup water, ¼ cup white vinegar, 2 teaspoons of olive oil and 10 to 15 drops of your favorite essential oil. Lemon is a natural choice. She keeps this in a spray bottle and just shakes it up before she sprays it.

And for super-heavy duty grease and grime, Siegel-Maier suggested salt. “It’s the best for cleaning ovens,” she said. “Also, getting rust stains off of porcelain is a lot easier when you use a lemon (acid) covered with salt (abrasive) as a scrubber.”

Vosen uses baking soda and salt to clean her oven. “I add a little water to make a paste, rub it on the bottom and let it dry,” she said. She was very impressed by how well it brought up the oven residue.

Ditching the bleach

Although bleach is renowned for its disinfecting powers, it can be harmful to the environment and your health.

Even with a large family and young children, Zech said, “I haven’t used bleach ever. I’ve never had the need to because the natural cleaners are good enough.”

She said oils such as the protective blend with the cloves and cinnamon have been shown to effectively combat even the MRSA bacteria, and others such as lemon, peppermint and rosemary also demonstrate powerful anti-microbial properties.

“You have a power-packed punch,” she said.

“Bleach is one thing you want to get away from,” said Vosen. “In the laundry, instead of bleach, you can use hydrogen peroxide.”

Saving money

Not only are natural cleaners easier on the environment, they’re gentler on the budget.

Zech noted that a window cleaning spray consisting of distilled water, white vinegar and a few drops of essential oil costs about 80 cents for the bottle, while buying a bottle of window cleaner at the store costs $2.42.

It’s the same with a carpet freshener. Baking soda mixed with a few drops of essential oils costs pennies compared to commercial preparations.

Vosen makes her own laundry detergent using borax, washing powder and shaved bar soap (like Fels-Naptha). “The laundry detergent costs me $3.99 per batch,” she said.

And instead of a fabric softener in the wash cycle, Zech recommended adding a few drops of your favorite essential oil. She adds the clove and cinnamon protective blend since it kills germs as well as smells good. “I like the peace of mind,” she said.

If your goal is to save money while creating a healthier home, look into natural cleaners as an alternative to commercial. With a few ingredients, you can effectively keep the germs at bay with the pleasant smell natural fragrances of your choosing.