5 Homemade Cleaners For a Naturally Sparkling Chemical-Free Bathroom
Scrubbing down a bathroom doesn’t usually top the favorite items on a to do list. In fact, it takes last place on most people’s preferred chores. At least mine, anyway.
Even if I try to keep up with it, the bathroom just gets gross too easily. Soap scum builds up in the shower. Bathtub rings form. Stray hair balls up in the corners. And, the toilet. Need I say more on that one? It ain’t pretty.
Even though you can’t call cleaning the bathroom fun, it does have one quality in its favor. After a good cleaning, you can really SEE the difference. Organizing the bedroom or dusting the living room surfaces doesn’t quite have the same affect.
After scrubbing the bathroom down, countertops gleam. It smells fresh. Everything looks pristine. Your scum-less shampoos, scrubs and body washes line the shower, at the ready for you to suds up. In short, it’s a room that makes you want to get clean, not feel dirty.
Speaking of dirty, you eco-minded chore-completers likely don’t want to dirty up your bathroom with those toxic chemicals we can’t see. Many conventional bathroom cleaners contain toxic chemicals, including solvents, ammonia, formaldehyde and carcinogens. At the least many of these cleaners can cause skin, respiratory and eye irritation. At the worst burns, cancer, blindness, and even death if certain products are swallowed.
Why risk it? Get a spotless bathroom with safe, natural cleaners that you can easily make yourself! Try out these five green cleaners.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Get a pristine porcelain throne using just two simple ingredients.
Ingredients:
1 cup baking soda
2 cups white vinegar
Directions:
Pour the baking soda into the toilet. Follow it with the vinegar. As your sixth grade science class likely taught you, the combination of baking soda (a base) and vinegar (an acid) will create a chemical reaction. After the fizzing and bubbling subsides, scrub your toilet with a toilet brush.
Bathtub and Sink Scrub
This cleansing scrub will get rid of soap scum and other buildup on sinks and tubs the natural way.
Ingredients:
1 cup baking soda
½ cup castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)
3-4 drops tea tree or peppermint essential oil
Directions:
Place the baking soda in a bowl. Slowly add the soap until the mixture gets thick. Add in a few drops of an antibacterial essential oil, like tea tree or peppermint essential oil. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge or damp cloth and give your bathtub and sinks a good scrubbing.
All-Purpose Spray
Clean countertops, sinks, bathtubs, toilets, floors—pretty much anything with this antibacterial all-purpose spray.
Ingredients:
1 cup white vinegar
2 cups water
1 tablespoon castile soap (like Dr. Bronner’s)
3-4 drops essential oil of your choice
Directions:
Combine all of the ingredients in a spray bottle. Spray on any areas that need a good cleaning. The vinegar, which is antibacterial, will help remove mildew and mold.
Clog Remover
Skip the Drain-O. This all-natural clog remover will get the job done.
Ingredients:
½ baking soda
½ cup white vinegar
Hot water
Directions:
Pour the baking soda down the offending drain. Follow it with the vinegar. Let it fizz for about 10 minutes. Then pour a kettle full of boiling hot water down the drain. Repeat with more water if necessary.
If the clog still won’t let up, use a drain snake, which you can find at most hardware stores.
Mirror Shiner
Polish your mirror until it gleams with this simple natural method.
Ingredients:
White vinegar
Newspaper
Directions:
A spritz of white vinegar and a little elbow grease with a bunched up newspaper will shine up your mirrors better than any store-bought glass cleaner. And, this one actually is streak-free!
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image: danieljdonovan
