DIY Spring Cleaning Recipes
If you are trying to reduce toxins in your home, you’ve probably thought about ditching the store-bought cleaning products and making your own. And why not? They work just as well, cost less, and keep your family healthy! Here are a few ideas to get you started on your spring cleaning routine.
Citrus Vinegar
Citrus vinegar is a natural cleaning product you can make at home and pull out for those greasy, stuck-on messes. The addition of citrus peels to vinegar makes it even more effective. You will need to prepare your citrus peels and vinegar in a jar for about two weeks before using it. This gives the citrus oils from the peels time to merge with the vinegar.
You will need:
Citrus fruit peels (enough to fill a mason jar of pint-size or larger)
White vinegar (enough to fill a mason jar of pint-size or larger)
An 8-16 oz spray bottle
Directions:
First, collect citrus peels in a mason jar. Any type of citrus fruit will do — grapefruit, oranges, mandarins, lemons, limes.
When the peels loosely fill the jar, pour vinegar over them until the jar is almost full.
Close the jar and shake gently.
Store the jar out of direct sunlight in a cool place.
Every few days, gently shake the jar.
After two weeks, strain the peels out of the vinegar and save the vinegar in a spray bottle.
You can dilute the citrus vinegar half and half with water and shake well to mix before spraying.
Do not use on granite, marble, stone, hardwood floors, or painted surfaces.
Homemade Disinfectant Wipes
You will need:
A roll of paper towels
A serrated knife
A reusable wipe container (or large mason jar if you are willing to split the paper towels into two batches to fit in the jar)
2 cups warm water
2 tbsp oil (fractionated coconut oil, almond oil, or similar)
1 tbsp liquid castile soap
5-10 drops total of your favorite cleansing essential oils (tea tree, lemon, fir, or pine)
Directions:
First, cut the paper towel roll in half. Set the paper towel roll into a bowl tall enough to cover the top of the roll.
Combine all of the other ingredients in a separate bowl or measuring cup to pour more easily.
Pour the liquid ingredients over the paper towel roll until it is saturated.
Pull the cardboard center of the paper towel roll out and discard it.
Place your wipes in the reusable wipe container or glass jar with a lid and store them in a cool, dark place for future use.
You can adapt this recipe to make baby wipes using soothing essential oils like lavender and tea tree.
Foaming Hand Soap
Store-bought hand soap is full of ingredients that don’t provide anything good for our health. Fragrance chemicals and parabens are commonly found in hand soap. Also, it’s so much more cost-effective to make your own.
You will need:
A foaming hand soap dispenser (any size)
Liquid castile soap
Essential oils
Directions:
Start by filling the soap dispenser ⅛ of the way full with castile soap.
Add 10-20 drops of essential oil, depending on the size of your soap dispenser.
Top off the soap dispenser with water, leaving enough room for the pump top, which will raise the level of soapy water and overflow if it is filled too high.
Put the lid on top and tip upside down a few times to mix well.
Mattress Spray (odors, deter dust mites)
Mattresses often get neglected when we do our spring cleaning. We wash the sheets, blankets, and pillowcases, but cleaning the mattress seems to take a backseat. Because we spend so much time sleeping, our mattresses can harbor dead skin cells, sweat, and odors, and attract dust mites. Here’s how to clean and freshen up your mattress. This should be done at least once every six months.
You will need:
3-4 cups of baking soda
Essential oils (orange, lemon, eucalyptus, or tea tree)
Directions:
Mix baking soda and essential oils in a glass jar.
Put the lid on and shake well.
Next, remove the lid or poke holes in the lid with a screwdriver.
If you poked holes in the lid, sprinkle baking soda all over the mattress.
If you removed the lid, carefully shake baking soda out over the mattress.
Leave the baking soda on the mattress for at least one hour.
Use a vacuum cleaner to remove the baking soda.
How to Clean Labels Off of Glass Jars
Have you ever wanted to reuse a nice glass jar that came with store-bought pasta sauce or jam, but the old, sticky label just wouldn’t come off all the way? Of course, the jar can still be reused, but those pesky labels don’t look nice and can leave our hands sticky every time we pick up the jar! We have all probably spent too much time scratching the little pieces off with our fingernails, which is no fun and can even damage a nail if you’re not careful!
Here’s an easier way to get the labels off completely:
Boil a pot full of water (you can use a large or small pot, depending on how many jars you have to clean).
Carefully place the jars in the pot.
Turn the water down to a simmer and leave the jars in hot water for 15 minutes.
Carefully remove the jars with tongs or let the water cool before removing them.
Most labels will slide off on their own at this point. If there’s an extra stubborn sticky residue remaining, apply a few drops of lemon essential oil directly on the residue and wipe clean with a cloth. Repeat until the jar is completely clean.
Now, you’re ready to reuse that jar! Here are some ways to upcycle glass jars:
Grow houseplants in them
Organize the kids’ small items like buttons or shells
Display items collected in nature like acorns, dried leaves, or stones
Store bulk food items like herbs, grains, spices, or dried beans
Use smaller jars as drinking glasses, especially for children who are learning to hold a cup. If it breaks, it’s not a big loss because the jar was essentially “free,” and it’s better for kids than plastic cups.
Store homemade salves, lotions, and remedies
Store homemade cleaning products (some glass jars will even take a spray top, like old vinegar jars with a narrow opening)