10 Kid Safe Homemade Cleaning Products

If you are interested in going green and keeping your kids safe from caustic cleaning products, making your own homemade cleaning products provides a viable, cost-effective solution. Not only will your kids’ thank you, but your planet will thank you as well, as all of these cleaning products are safe for the environment.

1. Use vinegar and water to clean your windows. In a spray bottle mix 3 tablespoons of vinegar to 2 cups of water. Shake and spray onto windows. Use newspaper to wipe the cleaner off. This combination leaves a streak free shine without using harmful cleaners and paper towels.
2. For an all-purpose cleaner mix water with natural soap and essential oils. In a spray bottle mix 2 cups of water, a few drops of natural or organic soap, and 15 drops each of lavender essential oil and tea tree oil. The oils have antibacterial properties, making them essential for sanitization. Use this cleaner for all of your kitchen and bath surfaces, but be aware that this solution will leave streaks if you try to clean glass or a mirror.
3. To clean your toilets use vinegar and baking soda. You know how baking soda will fizz up when combined with an acid? That’s the principal behind this home cleaner. Drizzle the inside of the toilet bowl with vinegar and sprinkle with baking soda. Let this mixture sit for 10 minutes and then scrub with a toilet brush. Flush and you are finished. This mixture works for cleaning sinks too. If you prefer a lemony fresh scent you can use lemon juice in place of the vinegar.
4. Use salt instead of oven cleaner. If you’ve ever used oven cleaner you know that it is some toxic stuff. When you use it, the area needs to be well ventilated and you need to wear rubber gloves. That can’t be safe for you or the kids. Instead of waiting to clean the oven when it’s really dirty, try to clean up spills as soon as possible after they happen. While the spill is still hot pour some table salt onto the spill. Once the oven cools go in and wipe up the spill.
5. For a mildly abrasive cleaner, mix baking soda and natural liquid soap. No exact measurements on this one. Just make a paste to the consistency that you like using liquid soap and baking soda. To clean your refrigerator, eliminate the liquid soap and just use baking soda and water. This will leave it clean and fresh.
6. An easy natural drain cleaner can be made from baking soda and vinegar. Pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain followed by 1 cup of vinegar. Let it foam for 15 minutes or so and rinse it down with really hot water. If this doesn’t work you can repeat the process or start it at night and let it sit over night before rinsing with hot water. This will also work to freshen up your garbage disposal.
7. Olive oil works for dusting. Add 1 teaspoon of olive oil to ½ cup of vinegar and mix. Dampen a clean soft cloth with the mixture and start dusting. Pushing around the dust with a feather duster may be natural, but isn’t effective. The dust just gets stirred up and into the air only to land on your furniture again. Wet dusting is best.
8. Lemons will clean your copper pots. Rub tarnished copper with lemon wedges to bring back the shine and clean away the tarnish. If you have a particularly dirty spot try rubbing lemon and baking soda on the spot. In a pinch, ketchup will also clean tarnish off of copper.
9. When cleaning wood floors use 1 cup of vinegar per bucket of hot water. Wood floors are becoming far more common these days and manufacturers would love for you to spend big bucks on their ‘special’ cleaners, but vinegar and water will do the same thing. The vinegar helps to degrease the floor and freshen it up.
10. Baking soda absorbs odors out of more than just your refrigerator. By sprinkling baking soda over your carpet and letting it sit for 30 minutes before vacuuming you will effectively remove any odors trapped in your carpet. Make sure to vacuum slowly so that your vacuum has time to suck up all of the dirt and fluff up any traffic patterns.

Taken From Summer Nanny Jobs