Safe cleaning supplies

Have you ever been cleaning your shower with bathroom cleaner and inhaled way too many chemical fumes and begin coughing? With the chemicals that go into anything nowadays, household cleaners are ones to watch for, especially when considering the health of your family. Ever think of making your own household cleaners? Remember, there were days without Windex, Draino, and Clorox, and I am sure your grandmother can attest to it. As you'll see from below, most homemade cleaning supplies involve water, vinegar, and baking soda. Anyways, here are some stellar recipes for common household cleaners, only they will keep your home a more natural place to live.

"Windex"

1/2 teaspoon liquid soap (vegetable-oil based soap recommended)
3 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice
2 cups of water

Mix ingredients together and pour into a spray bottle.

"Draino"

Pour one half cup of baking soda and one cup vinegar down the drain, plugging the drain immediately until the foaming stops. Then rinse with hot water.

I always see the ladies from "How Clean is Your House?" on BBC America use this to clear up everything. Its that basic science fair volcano only this time its your drain!

"Febreeze"

In a 32 ounce clean spray bottle, place 4 tablespoons of liquid fabric softener (you can chose the scent you like best, or use liquid fabric softener you already own.) Then fill the spray bottle with water, leaving about an inch from the top. Gently shake, then use just as you would use Febreeze.

"Scrubbing Bubbles"

1 cup water
1/3 cup rubbing alcohol

Combine and pour into a spray bottle. Simply spray the shower when you get out, no rinsing is required!

Toliet Bowl Cleaner

Mix a solution of water and vinegar. Recommended proportions vary from three tablespoons vinegar in one quart water, to three tablespoons vinegar in two cups water, to a 1 to 1 mixture. Some recipes add a drop of detergent.

The Simple Dollar also has a great recipe for laundry detergent.

There are tons of great recipes out there where you can look these up, which is where I got most of these (Thanks to Moms Budget and Creative Home Making).

If mixing things together is something you are into, check out your cleaning products aisle to find Green Works products, which are made by the people who make Windex, Clorox, etc., and have developed the same products, only they are made of 99 percent natural ingredients. The 1 percent is merely preservatives and dyes, which the company is currently working on to make it 100 percent natural. Green Works currently makes all-purpose cleaner, glass and surface cleaner, toliet bowl cleaner, bathroom cleaner, dilutable cleaner (pine-sol like product) and liquid dish cleaner. And if you checked your Sunday coupon section, there were a few coupons in there for Green Works products.

There are also products made by Seventh Generation, which include a wide variety of cleaners and detergents that are free of dyes and fragrances, as well as being all natural. Check out their website for coupons. In addition to cleaners, they also make chlorine-free products for baby, and feminine care.

So either way, provide your home with healthy chemicals that won't pollute the environment, or more closely, your own environment.