Make your own green cleaning products

This week's eco-topic: Green clean

I'll be honest: I tried making my own cleaner once -- and haven't again. The problem: I made window cleaner with a recipe requiring lemon juice. I juiced my own lemon -- which I'm not very good at -- and made the resulting cleaner oddly pulpy.

As you can imagine, my cleaning frenzy ended sadly, with little bits of lemon pulp stuck on my mirrors.... And since, I've been getting all these green cleaning samples to review and haven't had a chance to try concocting my own again.

But be not discouraged by my personal cleaning idiocy! Your fellow readers seem to be doing great making their own cleaners. Not only is it relatively easy -- unless you go so far as to juice your own farmers market lemons -- it'll save you a LOT of money over the years.

Easiest way to get started: As you finish off each cleaning product you have, wash out and save the bottles. Then, follow the instructions in this Care2 article, "How to Make a Non-Toxic Cleaning Kit" by Annie B. Bond, to re-create the product you need, DIY style. Annie's guide lets you make everything from an all-purpose cleaner to mold killer with five simple ingredients: baking soda, washing soda, white distilled vinegar, liquid soap or detergent, and tea tree oil.

Notice how lemon juice isn't included! OK -- There's nothing wrong with lemon juice if you use it right, I guess. In fact, lemon juice and borax have great cleansing properties, if you want to go that route. I still don't though.

Still feel daunted? Maybe these girls can inspire you. My friend Summer washed her windows using "a bucket 1/4 of the way full of water, a few glugs of white vinegar, a rag, and some newspapers." In case you're afraid you'll still mess that up, she has a coded diagram (right) to help you out.

And Jasmin of the Worsted Witch put together a whole kit, getting empties from the Container Store and decorating them with Martha Stewart labels to pretty up her eco-cleaning kit (top photo).

I'll be trying the DIY route again soon.

Photos by Jasmin Malik Chu and Summer Bowen

Comments

[Danny]

For years I've been cleaning windows with a homemade mixture of water & vinegar. Usually I add a drop or two of dishsoap. I've heard that helps reduce the streaks that are left behind.

Last week, in a house that is not my own, I actually did a little cleaning with ammonia. Ugh. I think that took off about two weeks of my life. Never again!

[Siel]

Interesting re: the dishsoap dealio reducing streaks! I'll try both (one with dishsoap drops, one without) soon and report back :) Thanks for the tip!

[Fabulously Green]

Siel,
Thanks for sending me over to this post. Love the picture of Summer washing her windows. The vinegar-water thing is ridiculously easy. I love it!
Thanks for sharing, Love the Emerald City concept. Go girl!

[Holly B.]

I've been using only white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide to clean my house for the past two years. Recently decided to add some grapefruit seed extract into the line-up as it has great disinfecting qualities!

[angelique van engelen]

I make my own eco friendly washing detergent from Sunlight bar soap. It costs next to nothing and is very efficient! Check out my guide±
http://amplifiedgreen.wordpress.com/2008/02/19/ultimate-guide-to-making-your-own-eco-friendly-washing-powder/
Regards,
Angelique van Engelen