When it comes to cleaning products, used for our home or office, we choose to make our own.

I have loved this for a few reasons: I don’t lose brain cells when cleaning, it saves lots of money and when I have kids one day I won’t have to worry with them getting into chemicals.*

Here’s a great unbiased article on using Vinegar vs. Chlorine Bleach. It suggests using chlorine as a last resort and tells you the pros and cons of both.

We wanted to share our cleaning product secrets, so here are the recipes that work for us:

Laundry Detergent:
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
1 cup Borax
1 cup finely grated bar soap (we use Ivory)
Make sure the soap is in very small pieces, which makes it easier to dissolve. We’ve found that breaking up the pieces and mixing it into the borax and washing soda with our fingers helps with dissolving. And, of course, adding it to the water before your laundry helps too.

Fabric Softener:
Just add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the wash. It softens fabrics naturally and surprisingly doesn’t leave an odor. You can always toss a clean, water dampened washcloth in your dryer with a few drops of lavender essential oil.

Tub and Tile Cleaner:
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1/4 cup peroxide
a few drops of peppermint oil
The peroxide is mild and diluted enough to be non-toxic and it still acts as a kind of bleach.

Window Cleaner:
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
teaspoon liquid dish detergent
We’ve found that turning the bottle upside down and then right side up before use gently mixes the ingredients. If it starts leaving streaks, do this and viola!

For cleaning bathtubs, toilets and just about anything, baking soda and white distilled vinegar do wonders (especially if done on a weekly basis). We have yet to find a good homemade dishwashing detergent recipe. Email us if you know of one that works.

*Large amounts of anything can be dangerous so, of course, I still plan on keeping these out of reach when little ones enter the picture.

Need more help around the house?
Check out this local cleaning lady who makes her own natural cleaning products too. Her rates start at $70 per 2-hour visit. You may have seen her before at the All Locals’ Farmers Market.