As much as we don’t like to clean our houses, it must be done and it can be done in a green way with little cost. Why not help friends and neighbors “get the dirt” on eco-friendly cleaning solutions that are non-toxic and easy to make at home with simple ingredients. All you need is a bunch of fun sponges and empty spray bottles with unique shapes or decorations to sell these quick cleaners. Why not jazz it up and make a green cleaning kit with a wash bucket/basket with a handle, recipe cards for making replacement cleaners, and feather dusters tied up with colorful hemp string. Your group can also hold a workshop to help people make and take their own cleaning solutions and kits. Why not offer to do windows to demonstrate the cleaning solutions while you’re at it? The ingredients you’ll need include water, borax (in place of bleach), baking soda, washing soda, lemon juice, vegetable oil-based liquid soap. Here are some recipes to get you started:
Creamy Soft-Scrubber: 1/2 cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid detergent to make a frosting-type texture. For heavy-duty jobs, add washing soda. Add borax for a disinfectant. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin to the mixture and store in a sealed glass jar, to keep the product moist. Scoop onto a reuseable sponge or cloth and clean. This is great for cleaning bathtubs.
Window Cleaner: Combine 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap, 3 Tablespoons of vinegar with 2 cups water in a spray bottle and shake. Use newspaper to wipe clean without any streaking.
Linoleum Floor Cleaner: Blend 1/4 cup liquid soap, 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 gallons of warm water in a pail. Wash floors with a reuseable mop.
Oven Greener-Cleaner: Sprinkle water on spills, cover with baking soda, sprinke on more water. Let sit overnight, wipe grease with rag or sponge. Use mild abrasive pad to loosen stubborn spills. Complete by sponging entire oven with liquid soap to rinse out all baking soda.
Credit: Annie Berthold-Bond
Find more recipes at: Care2 Make a Difference
