Everybody wants to find greener, more eco-friendly cleaning methods, but it can be difficult to know where to start. It’s so easy to just grab products off the shelf without thinking; there’s also a perception that cleaning the green way is costly, ineffective and time-consuming—but it’s not! In fact, since you can use so many of the same (inexpensive) recipes for all your green-cleaning concoctions, the cost can be much lower.
Plus, by using homemade natural cleaning products you’re helping save the environment, decreasing your family’s exposure to toxins and chemicals, and probably getting better results than with store-bought products. Sounds like a win-win to us!
Below is everything you need to know about cleaning your home the green way: a room-by-room checklist and guide with easy DIYs for products you’re probably buying at the store, plus a shopping list to get you started. Once you have all these household items on hand (you probably already have many of them at home), you can easily whip up any of these DIYs and get cleaning in no time!
Room-by-Room Cleaning Guide
To help you get organized, here’s a checklist of what to do in each room.
Green Cleaning Shopping List
Green Cleaning Shopping ListGet a printable PDF of everything you need to clean your whole house the eco-friendly and non-toxic way (including all the recipes below) here: Green Cleaning Shopping List | HelloGlow.co)
29 Easy DIY Green Cleaners
1. Two-Ingredient Fabric Softener
Soften your clothes the DIY way with this easy recipe.
2. DIY Laundry Detergent
Make detergent is big batches and avoid having to lug home a huge container of store-bought stuff.
3. Homemade Lavender Linen Spray
Your sheets and pillowcases will smell amazing—perfect as an ironing spray, too!
4. DIY Stain Remover Spray
When stains strike, battle them with this simple homemade concoction.
5. Homemade Dryer Sheets
Use up pretty fabric remnants and give up wasting a new dryer sheet with every load of laundry.
6. DIY Natural Glass Cleaner
You’re only four ingredients away from streak-free windows and mirrors.
7. All-Natural Floor Cleaner
Make mopping less of a chore with this fresh citrus-smelling floor cleaner.
8. Reusable Disinfectant Wipes
Save the earth and your sanity by relying on these reusable, super-cheap disinfecting wipes rather than disposable ones.
9. Lemon Cutting Board Cleaner
Keep the surface that your food sits on in tip-top shape with lemon and salt.
10. Stainless Steel Cleaner
You only need rubbing alcohol and distilled water to make this natural stainless steel cleaner.
11. Toilet Brush Cleaner
Sorry, unless you want to clean your toilet with a dirty brush, you do have to disinfect this one occasionally. Luckily it’s super easy and only requires one ingredient.
12. Humidifier Disinfectant
Don’t let your humidifier make you sicker! Give it a quick soak and scrub with this method.
13. Ceiling Fan Cleaner
Take a few minutes to clean off the ceiling fan and you won’t be sorry.
14. All-Purpose Grapefruit Cleaner
This powerful (and great-smelling) cleaner is great for countertops.
15. DIY Antibacterial Foaming Hand Wash
So cheap and so easy! Make it smell great with a few drops of essential oils.
16. Homemade Soft Scrub
Use this all-purpose cleanser pretty much anywhere in the bathroom.
17. Scour Scrub
For extra scrubbing and scouring power (hello, tub rings!), mix up lemon juice, salt and baking soda.
18. Toilet Volcano
Baking soda and vinegar create bubbles that help scrub your toilet clean.
19. Natural Air Freshener
Essential oils help freshen the house without overpowering chemical scents.
20. Natural Bleach Alternative
Ditch the chlorine bleach and use this version, which also disinfects and whitens laundry.
21. DIY Cloth Dusters
Ordinary socks get dusting superpowers in this DIY.
22. Garbage Disposal Refreshers
Citrus battles the inevitable icky smell that comes from the garbage disposal.
23. DIY Fruit and Veggie Wash
Rid your produce of germs and dirt with an easy-to-make fruit and veggie wash.
24. Foaming Hand Soap
Find a pretty bottle and refill it with this DIY foaming hand soap mixture—much cheaper than buying a new bottle every time!
25. DIY Mold and Mildew Spray
Get rid of mildew and leave your shower smelling fresh.
26. Grease-Fighting Lavender Dish Soap
Natural soaps can be just as effective as the store-bought kind—and they smell way better, too.
27. Clean Your Grill the Natural Way
Two ingredients and some elbow grease goes a long way—and helps you ensure safe grilling.
28. DIY Dishwasher Detergent Tabs
Use this easy recipe as a powder or mold into tabs using an old ice cube tray.
29. Hairbrush and Makeup Brush Cleaner
When you’re spring cleaning, don’t forget hair brushes and makeup brushes!
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I would like to print the room by room cleaning guide – where could I find it as a pdf?
Thank you!
There is a lot a great tips I didn’t know in this post ! Thank’s
This is very good information,I love your ideas I have grown children with families of their own that would just LOVE this info,thanks for your time, energy,thoughts,and lovethat went in to all of this. Sign: Gig
Nice information! Thank you! I use natural products for cleaning in my kitchen, I even make a dishwasher detergent. But I have to make the rest of my house “green” as well. Thank you again for your nice tips!
You really make it seem so easy with your presentation however I find this matter to be really one thing that I believe I would by no means understand.
It sort of feels too complex and very large
for me. I am looking forward on your subsequent publish, I’ll attempt
to get the hang of it!