4 Powerful Natural Cleaning Ingredients With Unbelievable Results

It’s common knowledge that store-bought cleaning products contain chemicals which could adversely affect your family's health, but did you know it can also affect your pets’ health? For these and many more reasons, more and more people are turning to natural ingredients to clean their home. Ingredients that offer a safe alternative to traditional cleaning products. What may surprise you is that you probably don’t have to look further than your own kitchen for many of these ingredients.Here are four natural ingredients every homeowner should keep in their cleaning arsenal to keep their home fresh, germ-free and clean.

1. Vinegar - It’s Not Just For Fish & Chips Anymore

The indespensable – mom approved - cleaning product incredibly flexible in how it can be used in the home. Use vinegar to clean sticker residue, clean grime off cables and make electronics shiny and dust free. You can use it to wipe down food preparation surfaces and it even prevents mildew in the shower and bath tub. Not a fan of that “vinegary” smell? No problem, dilute this natural cleanser with water to lessen the odor, or consider adding a little of your favourite essential oil (tea tree maybe?) to your vinegar cleaning solution.

2. Baking Soda – Is There Anything It Doesn’t Do?

Got a stubborn dirt that just won’t scrub out? When applied with vinegar, baking soda produces a powerful but non-toxic fizzing effect that lifts stubborn stains in the home. Use it to clean your oven and it’s even strong enough to handle that toilet bowl. Use it to lift trodden-in dirt from carpets. Baking Soda is also a great way to to wash harmful pesticides and herbicides off fruit and vegetables safely by scrubbing with a damp sponge. Of course, Baking Soda is also a well known natural odor-killer, it is even safe for kitty and you can sprinkle in cat litter boxes. Baking soda also absorbs moisture, simply put some at the bottom of a food waste bin to soak up wetness and eliminate odors.

3. Lemon Juice – Smells Great – Looks Great – Tastes Great?

Lemon juice is a natural anti-bacterial aid, and because it is mildly acidic it can bring grimy faucets to a high shine. Use lemon juice to clean cutting boards, and soak food containers in lemon juice diluted with water and vinegar to remove stubborn odors. Adding a cup of lemon juice to your laundry will not only make it smell great, but it’s a great way to add some “oomph” to your laundry detergent’s cleaning power, it’s also a natural whitener. A (beneficial) side effect of cleaning with lemon juice is that pleasant scent – aaah lemony clean!

4. Alcohol – Rubbing Alcohol, or Vodka!

Rubbing alcohol is a powerful disinfectant that mixes well with vinegar and lemon juice to clean floors that dry quickly. Mix 1 part alcohol to 2 parts vinegar, 2 parts lemon juice and 3 parts water; mop the kitchen floors or soak small rags to wipe over bathroom surfaces. You can use rubbing alcohol or vodka, as they work equally well, just use the cheap stuff. Remember to store away from children's reach.As we have written about many times before, a clean home is the beginning to ensuring your family’s ongoing well-being. Cleaning your home does not have to be expensive, time-consuming or dangerous. Using these simple, natural ingredients, you will be able to maintain a clean home without worrying about all those ingredients you can’t pronounce in store-bought cleaning products.