All purpose green cleaner

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» Home » home » All purpose green cleaner

All purpose green cleaner
By Green Living Tips \| Published 11/12/2007 \| home , cleaning

All purpose earth friendly cleaning fluid recipe Do you have spray bottles full of various cleaning chemical concoctions - a liquid for this, a potion for that? I've published a few articles on various common substances that you can use for different earth friendly cleaning applications around the home (check the links at the end of this article). Here's a recipe contributed by a Green Living Tips reader for an all purpose environmentally friendly cleaning fluid that's very easy to make and costs well under a dollar a bottle! Thanks to Maureen R. for sharing this! Tip: While this is a tried and tested recipe made in green cleaning workshops, always spot test any cleaning fluid before going all out. Ingredients and supplies - 32 oz. (around 950ml) spray bottle - try to use a bottle made from recycled materials, or is recycleable. Maureen recommends #2 plastic - water - White distilled vinegar. It should be vinegar made from grain or plant material. Believe it or not, some is made from petroleum based (crude oil). It gives a whole new meaning to fuel as food. - *Genuine* lemongrass essential oil. Lemongrass has anti-bacterial properties. For increased disinfecting power, you can use Tea Tree oil which also ahs anti-viral and anti-fungal properties. - Earth friendly dishwashing liquid. This can be found in just about any supermarket. The dishwashing liquid is necessary to clean mirrors and glass streak-free. Many commercial window/glass cleaners have chemicals of a waxy nature in them; so when you switch to vinegar/water, there will be streaking unless you have the dish detergent in your cleaner. Method 1. Fill bottle half with water 2. Top it up with white distilled vinegar, but leave a little room for the additional ingredients and for shaking 3. Add 10-14+ drops lemongrass essential oil. Maureen says she uses around 30 drops, but started off with 14 to minimize the chance of skin irritability. 4. Add 2-3 drops of the earth friendly dishwashing liquid. 5. Cap and shake. There should be a thin layer of foamy bubbles at the top - but not too many. 6. Label container clearly. Shake before using and store out of direct sunlight. Uses: Windows, mirrors, floors, some carpet/clothing/upholstery stains, chrome, as a rinse after using baking soda, cleaning stainless steel and porcelain, to clean toilet area. Also cleans car windows/mirrors, door handles, and much more. Maureen also keep some in the car and uses it as a hand cleaner. I just whipped up a batch of this cleaner using tea tree oil and tried it out on stainless, glass and a benchtop - works very well and smells pretty good too! Important notes from Maureen: Do not use vinegar on marble. Before you use the cleaner on glass and mirrors that have been previously cleaned with commercial products, Maureen recommends washing the surface with warm soapy water once to remove any wax buildup that can otherwise cause streaking. Pass this recipe on! Maureen tells me that this recipe is part of a Pass It Forward Project. Those who use it are warmly encouraged to share the recipe with at least one other person (preferably more!). Use the "bookmark" button below to post a link to this recipe on your favorite social bookmarking service (StumbleUpon, Reddit etc.) or click the "email to a friend" link in the right hand menu! Michael Bloch Green Living Tips.com Article reproduction guidelines Comments Comment #1 (Posted by Cheryl) Could you use both lemongrass and teatree oil together in this recipe? And how long can you store it? I can't wait to try this out!! Comment #2 (Posted by Ziggy) Would this cleaner be suitable for cleaning countertops, stovetops, and refrigerator inside & out? PS: Thanks for this wonderful website- what a wealth of information for those starting to make the adjustment to green living! Comment #3 (Posted by Michael - Green Living Tips) Cheryl, I'm just waiting to hear back from Maureen regarding her recommendations on shelf life. Ziggy, benchtops should be fine as long as they aren't marble. I haven't tried it out on our fridge as yet, but I couldn't see it causing any problems except for perhaps the odor of the vinegar (this is where the essential oils can help). Another good fridge and benchtop cleaner is baking soda - just sprinkle some on to a damp sponge. I've found baking soda particularly useful for more stubborn stains without scratching the surface. There's more baking soda tips here: http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/154/1/30-baking-soda-tips.html By the way, thanks for your kind feedback Ziggy! Comment #4 (Posted by Tina) I use vinegar/water to clean windows and use the same bottle for cleaning fruit. Could I use this recipe to clean the fruit? Comment #5 (Posted by Michael - Green Living Tips) Hi Tina - tea tree oil has been known to cause adverse reactions when ingested; but usually in quantities far larger than what's in this recipe and what you may wind up ingesting if you use it to wash fruit. There's also dishwashing detergent in this mix as well, but again it's a really small amount and dishwashing liquid residue would likely come into contact with food anyway via crockery and cutlery that's been washed with it. I really couldn't state definitively it would be safe or not for that application given that the purpose for this mix is cleaning only; but I can't see it doing any harm. Disclaimer: I am not a qualified health professional :) Comment #6 (Posted by Judith S. Rogers) I have use this recipe with one exception. I use unscented pure castile liquid soap (Dr. Bronner's) instead of dishwashing detergent. I think this is a safer choice. Judith Comment #7 (Posted by R) Is it possible to substitute something for the vinegar? I hate the smell of vinegar. Also, my brother has a cat. He's looking for a cleaner like this, but he finds citrus irritates the cat's stomach. I'm wondering if the tea tree oil would be okay for the cat. I don't have any cat experience, but perhaps you know whether this might be okay, or whether something should be substituted? Comment #8 (Posted by Michael - Green Living Tips) Cheryl - I checked with Maureen and she said lemongrass and tea tree oil can be mixed together. As for how long the product can be kept for - I've had my bottle for 3 weeks now and it's still good. Maureen said that very hot days can turn it a bit rank tho'. Judith, thanks for the tip about Castille soap! R - yep, vinegar can be a bit on the smelly side - perhaps a few more drops of oil to mask the smell? Regarding the cat - I don't think it would cause a problem because of the comparatively small amount of oil used - that is assuming the cat isn't drinking the stuff or being sprayed directly with it :) Comment #9 (Posted by Theresa) I think the vinegar smell goes away as it dries and evaporates. I use vinegar in my laundry when I was towels so they don't have that "musty" smell. I find this useful for my cousin who has hard water where she lives. Comment #10 (Posted by Serra) I justed used this on my linoleum floor, and it worked great! I have 5 cats (dont ask) and it got all their little messes up. Thanks for the mix. Comment #11 (Posted by Renée) Can this bottle of cleaning mixture be refrigerated for a longer shelf life? (for those that don't use a bottle in 3 wks or less?) Also I'm curious how well does it work on hard water build up or tub scum? :) Any other tips for green cleaning with hard water? I am renting, and there is no water softener here.. its terrible! Thanks! Comment #12 (Posted by Karen) This solution should keep indefinitely...I found a similar recipe in an herbal home hints book, and it keeps without refrigeration. That recipe called for rosemary essential oil(antibacterial, degreaser, & repels insects). Also, it works GREAT on laundry stains, just apply it, rub, and allow to set for 15 mins then launder. Comment #13 (Posted by Cheryle) Regarding the soap scum question above, I just tried a nice mixture of Borax, salt and lemon essential oil. worked wonders!!! Comment #14 (Posted by Trish) I have been using this for several months now. I love it. I use white vinegar, water and 30-50 drops of tea tree oil. I find that you can't really even smell the vinegar. (besides it evaporates quickly and the smell dissipates.) I have found so many uses for it that I go through it rather quickly. Since it disinfects and deoderizes, you can use it for almost everything. Spray trash cans to kill odors, clean counters, sinks, tables, etc. I clean the stove by sprinkling baking soda on the tough spots and spraying it with the mix, it foams up and almost wipes right off (usually) same for the tub, sprinkle baking soda in bottom of tub, spray with mix, scrub bottom and sides with netted sponge, and rinse. It gets it really clean. I use it to clean just about anything with dirt on it. Toilets, floors, mirrors, etc. Just check an inconspicuous spot first. (I have a shiny coating of sealant on my tile floors and it did remove it when I scrubbed hard. It's supposed to be re-sealed every year or so anyway.) The only real problem I have is that the spray bottle seems to be getting slightly clogged, maybe by the tea tree oil. it seems to be okay if you rinse the sprayer out with hot water after using. If anyone has any tips to resolve this little problem, I'd love to hear it. But I love the cleaner, I feel good using something that is safe for the envronment and knowing I'm not spending ton's on toxic chemicals every month. Comment #15 (Posted by Michael - Green Living Tips) Thanks for all the additional feedback and tips so far everyone :) Comment #16 (Posted by krista cavender) I make all my own cleaners and have a similar "All purpose spray" that I use. Instead of vinegar, I often use witch hazel for disinfecting and cleaning. I also use orange essential oil and castile soap. Also, for cleaning the stove top - use the all purpose spray and sprinkle a bit of Cream of Tartar, let sit a minute or two and then wipe off. Helps with degreasing! (some grocery stores sell Cream of Tartar in bulk which I buy since I use a bit more for cleaning) Comment #17 (Posted by Michael - Green Living Tips) Hi Krista, thanks for your tips :) Comment #18 (Posted by Alice) Just wondering if a sprig of fresh rosemary in the mix would work. Comment #19 (Posted by Adam) I was given another recipe similar to this but wonder what is safer to use. The recipe I have is 2 Cups water 1/2 Cup White Vinegar 1 teaspoon Pure castile soap (instead of liquid dishwashing soap) 3/4 Cups hydrogen peroxide 20 drops of tea tree essential oil 20 drops of lavender or lemongrass essential oil. It says that it is safe on acrylic, ceramic, tile, wood marble and granite too, is this safe and true? Comment #20 (Posted by Sally) I just made up a mixture of hot water and peppermint castille soap. I used it on my countertops and it worked great!! I don't want to add any tea tree oil, as the peppermint smells so good. I am wondering about adding some vinegar to it as well? It seemed to work great just as is. I filled a spray bottle and added just a squirt of the soap. Comment #21 (Posted by JEN) IN RESPONSE TO ADAM, I USE THE SAME RECIPE FOR EVERYTHING!!!! FROM MY KITCHEN COUNTERS(WHICH ARE GRANITE TILES) TO MY GLASS TOP STOVE. I ALSO USE IT TO CLEAN ALL AREAS IN MY BATHROOM. MY DAUGHTER IS 4 YEARS OLD AND AT THIS AGE SHE THINKS IT'S FUN TO "HELP" MOMMY CLEAN, WITH THIS CLEANER I DON'T HAVE TO WORRY IF SHE GETS IT ON HER SKIN OR INHALES THE "FUMES". I ALSO USE THIS RECIPE ON MY PAINTED WALLS, BUT TEST FIRST. I DON'T PUT THE LEMONGRASS INSTEAD I USE LAVENDER AND TEA TREE, I NEVER HAVE BEEN A BIG FAN OF THAT LEMON SMELL. Comment #22 (Posted by ladygish) Is it not possible to just use a 50/50 mix of water and vinegar? I understand that vinegar is antibacterial on its own, so is the addition of tea tree or eucalyptus oil necessary? Is this more of an aesthetic issue? It just seems that we are often told that antibacterial cleaning is NOT neccessary and that having bacteria around the home is good, so wouldn't vinegar alone be enough? Submit Comment (reviewed before publishing)

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