Discover eco-friendly DIY cleaning alternatives for a healthier home. Save money and the planet with these green alternatives
You may take pride in maintaining a tidy home, but your efforts can sometimes do more harm than good. Certain ingredients in household cleaners can harm the planet — and, quite possibly, your health.
Fortunately, there are safer alternatives to nearly any formula on store shelves. Here’s what you should know about how your cleaning products may harm you and the planet and what to do about it.
Why DIY Cleaners Are Often Better for You and the Planet
The most obvious reason that DIY cleaners are better for you is that you can identify every ingredient without a chemistry degree. While you might not want to drink them, you’re more likely to know what to do in case of accidental ingestion without calling poison control.
Preventing packaging waste is another plus of making DIY cleaners. Every year, containers make up a sizable portion of municipal garbage, creating over 80 million tons of landfill fodder. Many sorting centers only take certain types of plastic, limiting your recycling options.
Allergies are another reason to DIY. Some researchers believe that a home overly purified with harsh cleansers like bleach may increase allergies in children, as their young systems never have the opportunity to develop resistance.
Here are some more perks to DIY cleaners:
- Save money: Instead of buying single-use products, you have ingredients you can use for various purposes — beyond the cleaning cabinet. For example, peroxide also serves as a mouthwash when you have a sore throat.
- Protect your surfaces: Buying a different cleaner for wood, marble, tile and stainless steel can get pricey and complicated. Most DIY cleaners are multipurpose, and you can craft surface-specific versions for especially delicate areas.
- Safeguard your drains: Chemical drain cleaners can damage certain pipe materials.
- Clear your air: Many commercial cleaners contain volatile organic compounds that make indoor air less breathable.
6 Clean DIY Alternatives
Are you ready to save money, the planet and your family’s health? Here are six clean DIY alternatives for commercial cleansers.
1. Floor Cleaner
Why is a clean floor that’s free of chemicals important? Think about where your baby crawls — and you know their little hands are nearly always in their mouths. The following recipe is safe for linoleum, vinyl, tile and hardwood:
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup rubbing alcohol
- 1 teaspoon original Dawn dish detergent
- ½ gallon water
A note on the soap: Many brands have a nasty habit of streaking, which is why you should stick to the pure stuff. The original Dawn is the best choice — if it’s gentle enough to clean up oil slicks, it’s sure to leave your floors sparkling.
What about your rugs? You can also go green with your freshening powders:
- ½ cup baking soda
- ½ cup Borax
- 30 essential oil drops or a teaspoon of a dried aromatic herb like cinnamon or cloves.
Feel free to play with different scents. For example, combining sweet orange and vanilla essential oils can leave your carpet smelling like a Creamsicle. Yum.
2. All-Purpose Germ and Mold Buster
You must keep your bathroom and kitchen counters clean, meaning you need a DIY all-purpose cleaner that decimates grease, germs and mold. Here’s your recipe:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 2 tablespoons rubbing alcohol
- Tea tree essential oil
Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle. You can also use this mixture on surfaces like light switches to kill germs transferred from hands.
3. Drain Cleaner
Your pipes are valuable. Treat them gently with the following recipe when they clog:
- ½ cup baking soda
- ½ cup table salt
- 1 cup boiling vinegar
Begin by mixing the baking soda and salt and pour it into the drain. Bring the vinegar to a boil and pour on top, sealing the pipe with a rag to keep the mixture from bubbling out into the sink. After 10 minutes, rinse and repeat if necessary.
4. Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner
Carpets and furniture can be the victim of many nasty spills. However, there are plenty of DIY mixtures you can try to remove stains naturally. Try one of these recipes:
- One tablespoon of dish soap, ¼ cup of white vinegar and water
- One cup of baking soda, ½ cup of hydrogen peroxide and one tablespoon of of dish soap
- Seven tablespoons of brown sugar, 1 ½ cups of lemon and orange peels and one liter of water
You can also mix baking soda, cornstarch and salt with water, depending on what you have available in your kitchen.
5. Volcanic Oven Cleaner
Cleaning your oven is akin to cleaning your drains. Dump baking soda liberally over your oven. If you have severely baked-on gunk, you might make a paste of the soda and water and leave it on stubborn spots overnight. Then, put distilled white vinegar in a spray bottle and go to town, making little volcano bubbles erupt. Scrub out the muck with a sponge, using table salt as an abrasive for stuck-on grease.
6. Reusable Counter Wipes
Did you clean your closet and end up with tons of old T-shirts cut into rags? Put them in an airtight canister with your DIY all-purpose cleaner and use them as reusable cleaning wipes. They’re just as convenient without adding to landfills — simply wash them after use.
Other Supplies to Keep in Your Green Cleaning Toolbox
Along with the above ingredients, it’s wise to keep the following tools on hand in your green cleaning toolbox:
- Rags: Microfiber cloths and melamine foam sponges are other great alternatives.
- Reusable kitchen sponges: You can wash and reuse some brands made with plant-based fibers.
- A feather duster: Bring back this old-school tool instead of using furniture polish.
- A handy cleaning caddy: This will keep all your tools together.
Planet-Friendly Cleaning Product Alternatives
Instead of harsh ingredients, try these earth-friendly cleaning alternatives you can DIY with simple ingredients you probably have on hand. Save money, the environment and your family’s health while enjoying a tidy home.
Cora’s passion is to inspire others to live a happy, healthful, and mindful life through her words on Revivalist – wholeheartedly convincing them that everyday moments are worth celebrating. Cora has spent 5+ years writing for numerous lifestyle sites – hence her sincere love for both life and the beauty of style in all things. Keep up with Cora on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook.
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