DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course

DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
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DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
My Natural
Cleaning
Story
In 2008, Dustin and I made a decision to change our eating habits.
Our goal was to eat less processed food and
enjoy more “real food,” a word that I learned
from reading Michael Pollan’s books. This
goal took us down many different roads:
veganism, vegetarianism, and finally the
discovery of something called pastured
bacon (hallelujah!!). To be fully honest, at
the time I thought our decision was one that
would simply change our meals, nothing
more. I never thought for one single second
that our decision to eat real food (the stuff
that actually comes from the ground or
an animal, not altered substances) would
change the way we clean, what we use on
our skin, and even the way we do laundry.
Oh how I was wrong!
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DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
That one decision resulted in a total lifestyle
change for our young family.
After a couple of years of eating real food, I
began to question not only the products we
called “food,” but also the products being used
on our skin and in our home. This questioning
led to a quest to “green” our products. Soon I found myself making friends
with castile soap and spray bottles, learning how to use vinegar for more
than just salad dressing, and loving the simplicity and cleaning power of
baking soda and hydrogen peroxide.
Today, our lifestyle
is radically different
than it was back in
2008. Our family
is larger and noisier
(hey kiddos!), our
food is made with
real
ingredients,
and we are more
informed about the
products we buy
and/or make.
My goal for this
crash course is to teach you how easy it is to make effective cleaning products
at home, with ingredients you can actually pronounce. In this crash course,
I share a checklist of common cleaning ingredients you can use to clean
your entire home, along with a list of common cleaning tools (and tools
for making homemade cleaners). I also teach you how to make three basic
cleaners using common ingredients: castile soap all-purpose cleaner, glass
and mirror cleaner, and a vinegar-based floor cleaner.
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DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
DIY Natural Cleaning
Checklist
Common Cleaning
Ingredients:
Common Cleaning
Tools:
ааbaking soda
ааwashing soda
ааwhite vinegar*
ааliquid castile soap*
ааbar castile soap
ааSal Suds
ааfresh citrus
ааessential oils*
ааborax
ааhydrogen peroxide
ааalcohol (vodka and/or
rubbing alcohol)*
ааkosher or sea salt
ааscrub brushes
ааcotton towels
ааmicrofiber cloths
ааspray bottles
ааstorage containers
ааsponges
ааdusting wand
ааbroom and dustpan
ааlabels
ааgloves
ааtoilet bowl brush
ааvacuum
ааmop and bucket or swiffer
ааfunnel
ааcleaning caddy or box
ааmeasuring cups and spoons
ааmixing bowl or bucket (for
mixing ingredients)
* Ingredients used in this crash course.
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DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Liquid Castile Soap, White Vinegar,
Rubbing Alcohol, Water, Essential Oil(s)
to make:
1
CASTILE SOAP ALL-PURPOSE SPRAY
2
GLASS AND MIRROR CLEANER
3
VINEGAR FLOOR CLEANER
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DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
Vinegar:
Vinegar is 5% acetic acid. This acid
fights against bacteria and other
yuckies you don’t want living in
your home. Vinegar can’t be used
on every surface (like marble
and granite), but even with its
limitations, vinegar is an extremely
versatile product to keep in your
natural cleaning toolkit.
Castile Soap:
Castile soap is a vegetable-based
soap with ingredients you can
actually pronounce! This soap is
both gentle on the skin and effective
in the fight against dirt, grease,
and unwanted germs. Dr. Bronner’s
is a very a popular brand of castile
soap.
The world is just a better place with
castile soap, really! Castile soap can be used to clean just about anything
and everything: your face, your laundry, and even your stinky dog! Pretty
amazing stuff.
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DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
Alcohol (Vodka and/or Rubbing Alcohol):
The guy at the liquor store knows
me well and it’s not because I’m
a lover of alcohol beverages. I’m
still trying to convince him that
my large vodka purchases are due
to my love of homemade vanilla
extract and cleaners, not well, you
get the point.
Vodka’s high alcohol content is
perfect for killing germs and even mildew. You can also use alcohol to help
shine chrome and glass. Simply wipe a surface with a cloth that’s been
sprayed with half vodka and half distilled water, and voila–squeaky clean!
Vodka may also be used to kill odors and freshen-up fabrics. That’s right.
Kiss the Febreze good-bye.
Rubbing alcohol, also known as isopropyl alcohol, is considered an antiseptic
and sold as such in grocery stores. Rubbing alcohol, similar to vodka, is used
in homemade cleaners to kill germs.
I know some people in the natural community avoid rubbing alcohol for
cleaning purposes. Vodka may be safely substituted for rubbing alcohol in
cleaning recipes.
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DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
Essential Oils:
Essential oils are very popular
today, but the truth is before the
popular oil brands marketed online
and bloggers started filling Pinterest
with essential oil recipes, essential
oils were being used by generations
before us.
Essential
oils
are
basically
concentrated oils derived from
plants. For those wanting a more scientific definition, here’s how Retha, a
certified aromatherapist from Plant Therapy, defines an essential oil, “An
essential oil is a concentrated hydrophobic liquid containing volatile aroma
compounds from plants. Essential oils are generally extracted by distillation,
often by using steam.”
Essential oils not only provide a pretty, natural fragrance to homemade
cleaners, but also beneficial properties. A few of my favorite essential oils
for cleaning include: lemon, tea tree, peppermint, lavender, grapefruit, and
orange.
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DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
Safety and Usage
While homemade cleaning products are
family-friendly and safe to use in a home,
there are a few precautions that need to be
taken when combining ingredients and using
a homemade cleaner. Just because ingredients
are natural doesn’t mean they can or should
be used on every surface in your home, or
can be mixed with other homemade cleaners
or ingredients. Let’s take a look at a few of
the precautions I recommend taking when
making homemade cleaners:
1)Water Safety: Distilled (sold in stores) or
boiled and cooled water is best to use for
long-term products. This process removes
contaminants. Tap water should be boiled
for 15 minutes. Clean tap water is okay for
short-term use products. The recipes in this book simply call for “water” in
the ingredient listings. Please use your discretion and think about how long
you’ll be storing a cleaner before adding the water to a recipe.
2) Use Your Senses: If you ever notice a slime or an unusual odor in a
bottle filled with homemade cleaner (or any product, whether homemade
or store-bought) toss the cleaner and
make a new batch.
3) Label Products: Always label a
product that you plan to store for later
with the product name and date. A
simple label can be made with tape,
or use a permanent marker directly
on glass spray bottles and containers.
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DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
4) Use Clean Tools: Always use
clean spray bottles, containers, and/or
mixing tools when making homemade
cleaners. Bacteria is usually introduced
into homemade products when the
handling materials haven’t been
properly cleaned.
5) Always Spot Test: With any cleaner that’s applied to a special surface,
always spot test. This applies to both store-bought cleaners and homemade
solutions. For cleaners that are used on special surfaces, like floors, wood, or
counter-tops, I recommend first spot testing in a small, inconspicuous area.
6)Avoid Mixing Certain Natural Ingredients:
Even though the ingredients used to make
homemade cleaning products are safe, there
are a few ingredients that shouldn’t be mixed
together due to chemical reactions. There are
three notorious natural combos, using four
different products (baking soda, hydrogen
peroxide, vinegar, and castile soap) that
should be avoided.
I’ve included storage suggestions for each
recipe in this book. The storage suggestions
are based on my personal experience, using
distilled water, with the recipes. Please use
your discretion when it comes to storing your
homemade products.
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DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
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DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
1
CASTILE SOAP
ALL-PURPOSE SPRAY
• Ingredients •
•• 2 cups water
•• 2 tablespoons liquid castile soap Note:
2 tablespoons is recommended by Dr.
Bronner’s. If you feel you need more
cleaning power, add up to 4 tablespoons.
•• 15 drops cleaning essential oil, such
as: lavender, lemon, orange, tea tree,
peppermint, or grapefruit.
• To Make •
1. Pour the ingredients into a spray bottle.
Gently shake the bottle to combine the
ingredients.
To Use
Shake the
cleaner before
each use. Spray
the cleaner on
a dirty surface.
Wipe the
surface with a
damp cloth..
The cleaner
may leave a
soapy residue
on a surface
if the surface
isn’t thoroughly
rinsed. If this
occurs, just wipe
the surface
again with a
damp cloth.
Storage
Store up to 2
months.
Makes about 16
ounces.
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DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
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DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
2
GLASS AND MIRROR
CLEANER
• Ingredients •
•• 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
•• 1/3 cup white vinegar
•• water
• To Make •
1. Add the alcohol and vinegar to a 16oz.
spray bottle. Add the water until the bottle
is full. If you don’t care for a vinegar scent,
although it goes away once the surface
dries, add a few drops of your favorite
cleaning essential oil.
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To Use
Spray the
cleaner on a
glass surface
or mirror,
then wipe the
surface with a
microfiber cloth.
Storage
Store up to 3
months.
Makes 16 ounces.
DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
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DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
3
VINEGAR FLOOR
CLEANER
• Ingredients •
•• 2 gallons hot water
•• 1/2 cup white vinegar
•• 5 drops cleaning essential oil, such
as: lavender, lemon, orange, tea tree,
peppermint, or grapefruit.
• To Make •
1. Add the hot water, vinegar, and essential
oil to a bucket. Gently stir the ingredients
together.
Note: Some people claim that vinegar works
wonders on their sealed wood floors (like
my mom), while others avoid it. The pH of
vinegar is around 2.2 (a pH of 7 is neutral) .
Always spot test first!
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To Use
Dip a mop into
the solution, then
mop the floor.
Do not saturate
the floor while
mopping.
Storage
This is a onetime use solution.
Makes 1
application.
DIY NATURAL CLEANING Crash Course
TAKE YOUR LIFESTYLE
TO THE NEXT LEVEL!
I invite you to take the DIY Natural Cleaning Challenge. This eBook
includes 50+ natural recipes and tips to clean your home.
I’ll teach you how to create a natural (cleaning) lifestyle that works for
every family and home.
I can’t wait for you to join me!
When you are ready use this gift code for 25% off: ChallengeAccepted
SIMPLICITY, LOVE, & NATURAL LIVING,
Kristin
I would love to share more via video.
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