Homemade All-Purpose Cleaner

01/05/2015

A consideration I had not made when aiming towards self-sufficiency and low impact life were cleaning products in the home and how cleaning products would need to be considered with trying to stay as self-sufficient as possible. Manufactured cleaning bottles are usually chock full of chemicals,  chemicals such as phosphates, ammonia and bleach which have been watered down to perform cleaning tasks and to keep bacteria out of the home. These concoctions are given colourings to make them more appealing to the user with a nice label to attract purchasing with the guarantee of getting rid of dirt – the aisles in supermarkets are full of products and I couldn’t help think there might be a greener and cheaper option.

At home we use a lot of cleaning sprays to clean the kitchen surfaces, floors and appliances like the cooking hob. As part of becoming more self-reliant we are also trying to cut down on material waste. I don’t want to make cleaning products that will affect the earth and potentially us in the home through chemical inhalation, therefore I did some internet research in making an all-purpose cleaner which is eco-friendly and has a low impact on landfill but is also effective for getting rid of the usual household grimes.

In total the below cleaner cost me £4.00 for the materials, the materials used will be able to be used again and again which will cut down on cost as well as the need to purchase more cleaning products for the home, an economical buy for the future and another step into become self-sufficient at home.

All-Purpose Cleaner

• A spray bottle
• An essential oil choice – lemon or lavender would be good for the kitchen, we chose lemon
• White Vinegar

Add a third white vinegar to two-thirds warm water in a spray bottle, put some droplets of essential oil into the water. Use the cleaner to clean work surfaces, cupboards, the oven hob – anywhere that your usual cleaner would be used.

My next consideration is eradicating kitchen towels and bathroom items, any suggestions from readers would be very welcome.