We love natural winter recipes and we’d like to share our Top 4 Natural Recipes with 4 ingredients or less!
#1 Sugar and Spice Natural Room Spritzer from Small Measures at Design Sponge
Ingredients (4)
- 3/4 cup of ethanol
- 10 drops clove or nutmeg essential oil
- 10 drops cinnamon or anise essential oil
- 10 drops vanilla essential oil
Place the essential oils in a 4- to 8-ounce jar. Add 3/4 cup of ethanol (I used vodka), and top off the bottle with distilled water. Shake, spritz and enjoy!
#2 Vanilla and Orange Simmering Potpourri Recipe from Tipnut
Ingredients (2)
- Vanilla (a few drops)
- Orange peels
Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the the vanilla drops and orange peels, boil for a few minutes, then turn the heat down to simmer all day. Set a timer for 30 minutes so that you remember to top up water as needed.
If you like the simmering potpourri and the room spritzer, you might like our other posts on Homemade Scents.
#3 Homemade Hand Sanitizer from Homemade Mommy
Ingredients (4)
- 2 Tbsp Aloe Vera gel
- 1 Tbsp filtered water
- 1/8 tsp Vitamin E oil
- 5 drops Thieves Oil
Combine the ingredients in a 2 oz. squeeze bottle adding a bit of water to thin the mixture out. You want the mixture thin enough to coat your hand. If you have any empty Hand Sanitizer bottles, you can store your homemade sanitizer in those. They’re also great for travelling with.
#4 Homemade Grout Cleaner from A Mom’s Take
Ingredients:
- 4 cups water
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup vinegar
Directions:
- Combine lemon juice, baking soda, and vinegar in a spray bottle.
- Stir in water to the mixture.
- Spray solution onto tile and grout.
- Allow cleaning solution to sit for 5 minutes.
- Scrub dirt/grime away using sponge or large scrubber.
- After scrubbing, wash with water.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on these and other natural recipes we’re collecting and sharing:
Follow The Cleaning Crew, LLC’s board Natural Cleaning Recipes on Pinterest.
Spring is upon us once again in lovely Southern Oregon, and as spring cleaning commences across the Rogue Valley, we are happy to share two simple, economical, and all-natural window cleaning recipes to brighten up your view of all the spring activities underway.
Club Soda Window Cleaner
The first DIY is so simple and inexpensive, it can hardly be called a recipe, but it works so well we had to share!
You will need:
Spray Bottle
Club Soda
That’s it! Yes, this really works. Even on water stains, the carbonation acts as a dissolving agent. The best part: absolutely no smell, and streaks are not an issue. Let us know what you think!
Vinegar and Rubbing Alcohol Window Cleaner
The second recipe is a simplified version of our multipurpose glass and surface cleaner. This recipe is great for the bathroom, as it also serves as a disinfectant, thanks to the rubbing alcohol.
You will need:
16 oz Spray Bottle
1 Cup distilled vinegar
1/4 to 1/2 Cup rubbing Alcohol
Combine vinegar and alcohol in spray bottle, and fill the rest of the way with water. We haven’t tried this with club soda instead of plain water yet, but we are guessing it would make this solution even more powerful. If you beat us to it, let us know how it works out, we would love to hear from you!
If you liked these tips, you might also enjoy reading about our Good, Better, and Best All-Natural, Homemade Glass Cleaners.
And as always, we invite you to check out the ideas we are collecting on our Window Cleaning Pinterest Board:
Follow The Cleaning Crew, LLC’s board Window Cleaning on Pinterest.
Our latest natural house cleaning recipe:
This recipe has quickly become my number one go-to cleanser in the kitchen. The grease cutting power of this cheerfully colored concoction is amazing.
Stuck on bits of food and grime on the stove top? Spray a bit of Lemon Lift Off!, let sit for less then a minute, wipe, and done! Works great as a spot cleaner on my linoleum floor, appliances, and cabinet doors.
Directions:
16 oz Spray Bottle
2 cups Lemon Vinegar
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
Water to fill
Combine the vinegar and the rubbing alcohol first, and then fill the rest of the way with water. If you prefer a lighter solution, cut the vinegar down to 1 cup instead of 2.
Directions for making the vinegar can be found here:
Lemon Infused Vinegar for Natural House Cleaning
This stuff works better than any of the store bought brands I have tried, and best of all, its inexpensive and easy to make, and does not contain harmful chemicals.
Not recommended for granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances, or glass, as the lemon oil leaves faint streaks on shiny surfaces. I have not tested it on wood, caution is recommended.
Happy House Cleaning!
All Natural Cleaning Product Recipe from The Cleaning Crew: Elisa’s Minty Multipurpose Glass & Surface Cleaner
This recipe is a the latest version of the Homemade Glass Cleaner we shared a few months ago. It has quickly become one of our favorite all natural homemade cleaning products. Easy on the environment, your health and your wallet.
Not only does it work wonders on glass and mirrors, it’s a great disinfecting all-purpose cleaner in the kitchen and bathroom and other high traffic areas in need of germ busting action. The addition of mint essential oil leaves behind a refreshing and invigorating scent, and makes cleaning more fun.
You will need:
32 oz spray bottle
If you are re-using a bottle, make sure it has been well rinsed (how to clean used bottles).
Add the following ingredients:
- 1/8 cup rubbing alcohol (70% or higher isopropyl content)
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 3 to 10 drops of mint essential oil, depending on how much minty freshness you want.
Fill the rest of the way with water, shake well.
Optional:
Mark the bottle to each fill line as you add each ingredient, this will make refilling the bottle much quicker the next time. Or, simply add the recipe to the label.
We really like peppermint or spearmint essential oil, but of course you can add whatever essential oil you like.
To spread the minty goodness, spray and wipe with a dry or slightly damp cloth. Use in the kitchen on counters, sinks, appliances, and linoleum or tile floors. Use caution on wood floors, as the alcohol may dry out the wood finish over time. Use a mild solution of plain old white vinegar and water on wood floors, instead. The same thing applies to wood cabinets, or any other wood surface. Using this once in a while for spot cleaning is fine, but repeated use over time can cause the wood to dry out.
Elisa’s Minty Multipurpose may also dry out unfinished slate or stone surfaces if used to often, but we have found it to be REALLY effective at pulling off build up on these types of surfaces. We suggest using it occasionally, when you want a really good, deep clean. For daily cleaning, use a mild all purpose soap, such as Mrs. Meyers, diluted BioKleen, or vinegar and water.
For the bathroom, use on mirrors, chrome fixtures, sinks, counters, tub and shower, toilet, and linoleum or tile floors.
We do not suggest using this solution on delicately painted or lacquered surfaces, it is best on nonporous and durable surfaces. Keep in mind the drying properties of rubbing alcohol when deciding what surfaces to use this on. Feel free to post a question on our blog if you would like advice, as well!
A great big Thank You to Elisa for creating this wonderful recipe for our clients!
Happy house cleaning from all of us at The Cleaning Crew!
House cleaning with natural products is becoming more important than ever to many people, both to maintain healthy homes and a healthy planet. The Cleaning Crew, LLC focuses on using natural products because we believe it is the right choice and we find that many of our clients value eco-friendly house cleaning as well.
With this in mind we have been trying out a few new house cleaning recipes, starting with a variation on an old standby of vinegar and water glass cleaner, something that I have come back to time and time again despite the occasional test run of store bought glass cleaners. This simple recipe has proven to be a great combination of economy and efficiency. Keep reading for an updated version of this recipe that has become a new favorite glass cleaner for The Cleaning Crew, LLC.
Good Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe
- 1 c. filtered water
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
Combine vinegar and water in a spray bottle, and mist surface evenly. Use lint free cotton cloths for the best results on glass. This basic solution is best suited for light cleaning on most surfaces.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved this simple vinegar and water solution, and planned to go on using it for the rest of my cleaning days. Never mind that it takes a little bit more elbow grease than the smelly blue stuff, and never mind that its really only effective for cleaning glass and other slick surfaces, I still loved it for all of its earth and people friendly simplicity. Also, it costs just a few pennies to make, always a nice bonus!
However, about a year ago I came across a suggestion to add rubbing alcohol to the mixture, and my oh my, what a difference! My appreciation for homemade, natural cleaning products has reached an all time high! The boost of rubbing alcohol elevates this humble glass cleaners effectiveness and provides disinfecting properties as well. My mirrors and other shiny surfaces sparkle like they have never sparkled before, and counter tops and faucets handles are squeaky clean, nary a germ to be found!
Better Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe
- 1 c. filtered water
- 1/8 cup rubbing alcohol (70% or higher isopropyl content)
- 1/8 cup white vinegar
Combine all ingredients in a spray bottle, and use lint free cotton cloths to clean and polish. Also works great for stainless steel and other slick surfaces, or for light cleaning on most surfaces.
We are careful not to use the alcohol and vinegar mixture on delicate painted or lacquered surfaces, but counter tops, sinks, appliances, door knobs, and any other durable and high traffic areas are fair game.
Best All-Natural Glass Cleaner (from Crunchy Betty)
I have included the Crunchy Betty recipe below:
The Best Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe
- 1 c. filtered, very hot water
- 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1/8 c. rubbing alcohol (at least 70% isopropyl, if not more)
- 1/8 c. white vinegar
Instructions: Boil your water and let it cool just a bit. Add cornstarch to your spray bottle, and then the hot water. Shake well to dissolve. Add the rubbing alcohol and vinegar, and shake again. Every time you use this, you’ll want to shake it up to avoid clogging the spray nozzle with undissolved cornstarch. Use liberally and happily. Smile.
Don’t ask me how, but something amazing happens with the addition of cornstarch to the mix. I have never seen anything like the polishing power of this recipe, it is amazing! We wondered if the cornstarch would leave a residue on other surfaces, like counter tips and stainless steel, but this is not the case. After a frenzy of house cleaning with this stuff, everything comes up sparkling, and the disinfectant action of the alcohol is a welcome addition. I still keep a bottle of just vinegar and water for really delicate surfaces, but rarely is it called into action, as most of the daily house cleaning occurs in areas with durable surfaces.
Bleach now sits in the very back of the cleaning supply cabinet, only pulled out for areas with high germ populations. Since my house is regularly cleaned and low traffic, this means the bathroom. Although bleach kills a larger spectrum of germs, rubbing alcohol is less corrosive to the skin and lungs of soft and pink mortals like ourselves, and it kills many germs. Of course you don’t want to expose alcohol to flame of any kind, but I don’t find myself going out of my way to make sure this doesn’t happen.
When I need a boost in the cleaning power of the glass solution, a dash of Bon Ami works wonders, especially on stainless steel appliances as long as you are careful to go with the grain. In the course of researching this article, I discovered that bleach breaks down fairly quickly into harmless components, mostly oxygen and table salt. Who knew? I certainly didn’t, and although I still prefer to use bleach as little as possible, I don’t feel as guilty about the eventual result of my bleachy house cleaning choices.
We hope that you try one of these recipes and would love to hear what you think! Do you have a favorite homemade house cleaning solution? Please let us know!
Enjoy more ideas about Window Cleaning on The Cleaning Crew, LLC’s Pinterest board.
