effective and eco-friendly household cleanser

Eco-and-Budget Friendly Household Cleanser

No recipe today. Instead – a great household tip; great not just for your kitchen, and so so easy to make yourself.

In Russia, we used to wash windows with a solution of water and vinegar – it was incredibly effective, left streak-free windows, and best of all – was non-toxic. For whatever reason, when we came to America, we abandoned the practice. But now that our household contains one cute, furry animal who answers to Forrest, things have changed. When I clean out his litter box every couple of weeks, I do a major cleaning overhaul in his litter area. But I worry about spraying harsh chemicals around him; these things get on animals’ paws, and when they lick their paws, they are inadvertently ingesting toxic ingredients. [If this is how nuts I get about keeping non-toxic products around a cat, wait til I get a kid.]

So I turned to my beloved water and vinegar solution once more – and I’m loving it even more than my beloved non-toxic spray cleanser. In fact, I might never buy another spray cleanser again. Just a spray bottle filled halfway with vinegar (I’m pretty sure that everyone has a bottle stashed somewhere in their pantry) and another halfway with water. And voila – a cleanser that’s gentle on your household dwellers, the environment, and your wallet. If only I was this ingenious in every other way. What’s next – homemade facials?

Update: a few readers are sharing their tips on using vinegar at home. What’s yours? Let’s share and then I’ll repost the original post with all the updates!

3 Comments

  • kickpleat

    Years ago, my friend told me how household cleaners had made her grandmother briefly forget where she was (too much fumes), so ever since then I’ve stopped with the chemicals. Vinegar & water is great & use can use a few drops of essential oil for a better scent. But my favorite tip is for removing bathtub grime, I always use baking soda + vinegar + a bit of liquid soap to form a paste. It works really well and so much better than chemical cleaners.

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