The Great Spring Cleaning Blog
September is finally here after a long and wintry August, and that means a change of season! Here at Essentially Natural, we love to get in the Spring mood by having a good old clean out and clean up. So, we're going to share our favourite natural cleaning recipes - all non-toxic and chemical-free, and best of all you can make them from ingredients found in your home instead of spending a small fortune on nasty chemical-laden products. Green your home this Spring with homemade solutions that are safe for you, the kids, the pets and the environment!
Bathroom
Sanitise your bathroom with these homemade solutions using essential oils - no nasty chemicals:
Bathroom Liquid Hand Cleanser (Juliette's personal favourite)
Water
Lemon essential oil (can also add some orange oil for extra citrusy-ness)
Fill up the spray bottle ⅔ full of water. Add a tablespoon or two of castile soap, then add your essential oil. Shake up gently to mix. It will foam very lightly and leave your hands feeling and smelling clean and fresh!
Toilet Fizz Bombs
1 ½ c baking soda
½ c citric acid
Zest of 1 orange
25 drops lemon or orange essential oil (or do a combo of both)
24 drops lavender essential oil
Water
Silicone mold, or other easy-to-use mold
Combine all the ingredients except the water in a bowl. Add ½ a teaspoon of water at a time, mixing until you can form balls when squeezed in your hands. Press the mixture firmly into the molds, making sure they are well compacted. Allow to dry out overnight, then carefully remove the fizzies from the molds and store in an airtight container. To use, drop one or two fizz bombs in the toilet and let fizz for 5 minutes. Swish around with the toilet brush, flush and your toilet is clean!
All Purpose Bathroom Cleaner
2 c warm distilled water (can use less to make it more concentrated if you prefer)
1 T baking soda
2 T castile soap
30 drops tea tree essential oil
20 drops sweet orange essential oil
Glass spray bottle or reuse an old cleaner bottle
Add the baking soda to the warm water to the bottle and swish around to dissolve. Add the castile soap and essential oils and gently shake to combine. To use, spray on any surface and wipe clean.
Anti-mold Bathroom Spray
1 c vinegar
¼ c water
Add the ingredients to the spray bottle. To use, shake to combine the oil with the vinegar then spray on affected surface and let sit.
Around the House
Choose to live a more sustainable lifestyle with natural ingredients. Here are some natural but powerful solutions for around your home:
Scouring Powder
2 parts baking soda
1 part salt
1 part borax
Combine together and store in an airtight container. Use to scour any surfaces with tough dirt and grime.
Carpet Freshener
It's easy to make, safe and has the added benefit of killing fleas and their eggs! Ideal for pet owners.
2 c borax
1 c baking soda
30 drops essential oil (use lemon or another fresh scented oil of your choice)
Combine together, sprinkle over the carpet and leave for an hour. Then vacuum up and enjoy your renewed carpet.
Unclog and freshen up those drains using a natural chemical reaction between an acid (vinegar) and a base (baking soda)! This is an ideal and fun project for school children who are learning basic chemistry, so get your kids involved in the cleaning process.
DIY Drano
½ c baking soda
1 c vinegar
1-2 liters boiling water
Pour the baking soda down the drain. Pour in half the vinegar and cover the drain with a plug or drain cover to keep the 'fizz' action in the drain. When it has stopped fizzing, pour the rest of the vinegar down and let it fizz again. This time leave for 15 minutes. Use the time to boil the water, then slowly pour the water down the drain to wash away the grime. If your drain is particularly bad, this process may need to be repeated.
Kitchen
Spring clean your kitchen with these easy and cost effective cleaners. Use essential oils such as sweet orange, lemon, grapefruit, bergamot and rosemary to give your kitchen an invigorating spring scent!
Dishwasher Detergent
1 ½ c citric acid
1 ½ c washing soda (can also use borax instead of washing soda, either will work)
½ c baking soda
½ c sea salt or Himalayan salt
Mix together and use 1 tablespoon per load of dishes.
All Purpose Kitchen Cleaner
1 ½ c warm distilled water
2 T baking soda
3 T castile soap
20 drops tea tree
7 drops rosemary
20 drops sweet orange
Glass spray bottle or reused cleaner bottle
Add the baking soda to the warm water to the bottle and swish around to dissolve. Add the castile soap and essential oils and gently shake to combine. To use, spray on any surface and wipe clean.
Laundry
For sensitive skins, allergies and eco-friendliness, try these laundry solutions. We've even included a wonderfully effective coconut soap recipe which lathers well and works specifically on laundry.
DIY Laundry Soap Bar
975 ml virgin coconut oil
175 ml lye
355 ml water
20 ml essential oils (optional)
Measure out the water in a bowl and take it outside. Wearing protective gear, gently add the lye to the water (never the other way around!) and be careful to stay out of the way of the vapours. Let the mixture transition from cloudy to clear, and cool for 10 minutes. Add the coconut oil to a crock pot and heat to 52 degrees Celsius. Remove from the heat and gently add the lye mixture to the coconut oil, stirring to combine. Then blend to trace with a stick/immersion blender. Cook the soap on low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the soap rises up the sides and folds back over. To check if its done, roll a bit between your fingers; it should feel waxy. You can also taste it. If it 'zapps' your tongue, the lye is not yet cooked out and you need to cook the mixture longer. When done cooking, add your essential oils if using and pour into molds. Cut into bars as soon as the coconut soap is cool and firm, then allow to dry out for a few days. The best bars cure for 3 weeks, but you can use them after 1 week.
Use the soap on its own or grate finely for use in the laundry detergent (recipe below).
DIY Laundry Detergent
1 bar of pure soap, finely grated. (Coconut oil based soaps work the best - you can make your own using the laundry soap bar recipe above)
1 c washing soda
½ c baking soda
½ c citric acid
¼ c coarse salt
Mix all ingredients together well and store in an airtight container. Add 1-2 T per load of laundry.
We hope these recipes inspire you to make a small change in your home this Spring! Going natural is cost effective, fun and so much better for you and the environment.
