WFMW: Making my own cleaning products

Today’s WFMW post is brought to you by my sister Anna. She is pretty cool.
— Emily

I was spraying my bathroom sink with my favorite cleaning product a few weeks ago, when the warning label caught my eye. “Hazard to humans and domestic animals. Get immediate medical attention if swallowed. Beware, danger, poison…” And as I watched the bubbles ooze down the sink and into our water supply, the thought occurred to me that perhaps there was a better way to make my sink shine.

I went to the library and checked out “Clean and Green” by Annie Berthold-Bond. When I brought it home, I couldn’t wait to try it out. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I already had may of the needed ingredients, most of them in my kitchen cabinet. “Clean and Green” tells me how to clean all kinds of things – everything from rugs and carpets to bathrooms to cars – and all the recipes are non-toxic.

The first one I tried out was a glass cleaner. I chose this because it was easy to make and because I had the necessary ingredients on hand. It worked great.

Next, after picking up washing soda and borax at the store, I tried out a recipe for a tub and shower cleaner. For me, this was the real test for how well these recipes worked. I hate cleaning the bath tub and shower. I’m using the word “hate” here. But what I hate even more than cleaning the tub/shower is cleaning it with a product that doesn’t work. On many occasions, I’ve scrubbed and scrubbed, only to discover that spots remained on the shower walls. The “Clean and Green” solution worked well, as least as well as the cleaning products I had been using, maybe even better. And the apartment didn’t smell like chlorine for the rest of the day. The “Clean and Green” solution didn’t leave the faucets and fixtures as shiny as I would have liked, but the book does have some recipes specifically for them that I will try out next time. I’m also eager to try out the recipe for cleaning the oven.

I’ve found making my own cleaning supplies to be strangly motivating. It’s like doing a science experiment. I make no promises on how long this will last, but for now I’m much more excited to clean if I get to test out some new concoction.

I haven’t really researched it, but it seems to me that putting poisonous chemicals down the drain isn’t the greatest idea. I don’t know for sure if using brand-name cleaning supplies is harming the environment or not.

But here’s what I do know:
—When I use the tub and shower cleaner from “Clean and Green,” I can stand barefoot in the shower while cleaning, without fearing that the cleaning product is going to cause the skin on my feet to melt off.
—It’s cheap to make. Many of the ingredients you probably already have, and those that you need to buy last a long time, as the recipes usually only call for a tablespoon of this and a teaspoon of that.
—They work. (At least the ones I’ve tried). I’ve been very satisfied with the results of the solutions I’ve made.

Cleaning supplies that work, are cheap to make, and that won’t harm me, my family or the world… that works for me.

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, check out Rocks in My Dryer. Thanks, Anna!