If you want to minimise the amount of chemicals you use in your home you can try these greener and safer recipes for house cleaning detergents. All the ingredients can be found in your utility countertops, so these solutions are cheaper and greener version of hazardous commercial cleaners.
Steam Cleaning Detergent
This recipe is perfect for your portable steam cleaner. You can even use the solution on moisture sensitive carpets and rugs and upholstery. Fill the container ¾ up. After that, mix in a small bowl two tablespoons of liquid dish soap, half a cup of hydrogen peroxide, a few drops of essential oil and a 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar. Then add the mixture into the steam cleaner’s container and shake it well. Use the steam cleaner as usual.
Carpet Freshener
This recipe is really easy and you use it as often as you want. It comes quite handy if you have a pet. The ingredients you need are half cup of borax, half cup of baking soda and 5-6 drops of your favorite essential. Mix everything together and sprinkle this powder directly onto the carpet. Agitate carefully using a soft brush. Leave it like this for a half an hour and then run a vacuum. Baking soda does all the magic in this recipe, because it extracts foul odours.
Vinegar Steam & All Purpose Cleaner
Some people hate vinegar smell, others like it because it is a wonderful cleaning agent. However if can bare the odour you can try this recipe for all purpose vinegar cleaner. Mix one cup of white distilled vinegar and two cups of water. Use this solution in your steam cleaner instead of commercial product. Don’t worry about the vinegar smell because once the surface is dry it disappears. You can also use the solution to remove greasy spots from kitchen countertops, clean your bathroom, sinks, shelves etc.
Colour-Protect Carpet Cleaner
It is really easy to prepare this recipe and have homemade colour protecting carpet cleaner. You will need 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar, half a teaspoon of ammonia, 3 tablespoons liquid dishwashing detergent and 2 cups of tap water. Mix all of the ingredients together in a small ball. When the mixture get homogeneous pour it into a foaming dispenser. If you don’t have foaming dispenser use an egg-beater.
Make thick foam and apply it onto the carpet. If you use liquid you can’t be get rid of the ammonia smell after the cleaning. Once you apply the foam evenly onto the carpet grab a slightly damp sponge and gently blot the area. You will see how foam is getting dirtier and your carpet – cleaner. After a few minutes rinse the sponge and squeeze it until it is almost dry. Blot again to remove any residues from your carpet. It will remain slightly damp after the procedure, so wait until it is completely dry and run a vacuum to complete the process.
Although homemade recipes work great you shouldn’t expect wonders. Hire professional cleaning company at least once a year to maintain your carpets in perfect shape. Experts can give you valuable advice on how to maintain and thoroughly clean your rugs, carpets and other textile floorings.
