Dads Go Green.comEasy Ways to go Green

what are some eco- friendly cleaning tips?

i try to clean more ‘green’ not just because its good for the environment and all but i don’t like the idea of all the chemicals getting into my families and our animals systems….
any ideas or recipes for uses with lemons, vinegar, borax, baking soda etc.? many thanks!

Suggest review of these:
Homemade Household Products
There are plenty of eco-products you can buy off the shelves, ranging from green household cleaners to soaps and body wash. But if you’re feeling crafty or if you really want to know exactly what your products are made of…trying making your own!
Cleaning Products: Ingredients:
There are 8 staples for homemade cleaning products & some ideas for the right mixology- below:
Baking soda: provides grit for scrubbing and reacts with water, vinegar or lemon by fizzing, which speeds up cleaning times
1.Borax: disinfects, bleaches and deodorizes; very handy in laundry mixes (Warning: keep out of reach of children)
2.Distilled white vinegar: disinfects and breaks up dirt; choose white vinegar over apple cider or red vinegars, as these might stain surfaces
3.Hydrogen Peroxide: disinfects and bleaches
4.Lemons: cut grease; bottled lemon juice also works well, although you might need to use bit more to get the same results
5.Olive oil: picks up dirt and polishes wood; cheaper grades work well
6.Vegetable based (liquid castile) soap: non-petroleum all-purpose cleaners (like Dr. Bronner’s castille soap)
7.Washing soda: stain remover, general cleaner, helps unblock pipes; should be handled with gloves due to its caustic nature. Washing soda–found @ laundry aisle of grocery/drug stores.
Recipes for homemade house cleaners
What are you making?IngredientsDirections
Streak-free Window washer
•Water
•dishwasher soap
•vinegar Fill spray bottle with water. Add one tiny drop of dishwasher soap and 1 teaspoon vinegar. Shake well and use.
(this recipe came from a professional window washer’s blog)
Freshening Window Cleaner
• Water (fill the container almost all the way)
•4 tbsp. vinegar
•15 – 20 drops lemon essential oilCombine all ingredients in a 22-32 oz. spray bottle.
Hairy Drain De-clogger
•2-3 tablespoons Baking Powder mixed in luke-warm water
•1 cup Vinegar 1) Mix Baking Powder in water and dissolve as much as possible. Pour down the offending drain. The longer it takes the better – the baking powder will soak in.
2) *Slowly* pour in vinegar. Listen to it fizz! That’s how you know it’s working. Together, these will kill all of the germs or bacteria growing in your drain, which can catch hair and generally gunk things up. It will also loosen all but the most stubborn hair balls.
3) Chase with very hot water – boiling hot if possible.
4) Repeat as necessary. (its great even if you have lots of curly hair and old plumbing.)
Purifying Tub Scrub
•Oxygen bleach
•Essential oils Using oxygen bleach as the abrasive, add 6-10 drops of ONE of the following essential oils: lemon, lavender, white thyme, tea tree, grapefruit, and scrub!
Disinfecting and Uplifting Floor Cleaner
•1-gallon bucket of warm water
•A very small squeeze of liquid castile soap
•10 drops of lemon essential oil
•4 drops tea tree essential oil
Combine all ingredients in a large container and clean away!

Disinfecting Toilet Bowl Cleanser
•Approximately 18 oz. of water
•¼ cup liquid castile soap
•20 drops of white thyme essential oil (or for variety try lavender, tea tree or lemon oil)Combine ingredients in a 22 oz. spray bottle. It helps to let the mixture sit in the bowl for a few minutes before you start scrubbing.
Laundry Detergent•1 oz. liquid castile soap
•1/2 cup washing soda
•1/2 cup borax
•1/4 cup baking soda or 1/4 cup white vinegar Using the liquid castile soap as a base, combine with washing soda, borax (for stains and bleaching), and either baking soda (reduces static and softens fabrics) or white vinegar (softens fabrics, reduces static and bleaches clothes). If you feel like your clothes aren’t clean enough, play around with the amount of liquid castile soap, using from 1 oz. to 1 cup.
DIY laundry detergent.
- Bleach alternative•1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide

Daily Grommet Review: The Joy of Green Cleaning