8 Terrific Eco-Friendly Cleaning Tips

Clean your home without harmful chemicals. Today I am sharing 8 terrific, eco-friendly cleaning tips for your home.

Anyone who knows me, knows that I am not a fan of using chemicals in our home. I worry about using toxic chemicals with my family and our pup, Sadie. Instead, I look for more natural, eco-friendly cleaning alternatives.  

So today I am sharing 8 of my favorite tips to clean your home without chemicals.

Glass

Clean the glass in your home naturally with vinegar and water. Mix 50% distilled white vinegar with 50% tap water to create an all natural glass cleaner. I love how it doesn’t streak. Give it a try and let me know how it works for you!

While you are cleaning glass, skip the paper towels. Instead, use newspaper. It is highly absorbent and doesn’t contain lint.

The Dishwasher

Did you ever stop to think about cleaning your dishwasher?  I didn’t until recently, when mine was being repaired.  The repairman showed me all of the grime and build up in the hoses and explained me that the dishwasher actually needed cleaning on a regular basis.  Am I the only one who didn’t know this?

What is the solution? It is my favorite cleaner, distilled white vinegar.

Take 1/2 – 1 cup of distilled white vinegar and pour it into the bottom of your dishwasher.  Then run the dishwasher through a cycle, without any dishes. He advised me to do this once a month to help keep the dishwasher and hoses clean.

Garbage Disposal

To keep your garbage disposal clean and smelling fresh, you can also use a combination of baking soda, distilled white vinegar, and citrus fruit.

Pour about a 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain.  Add 1 cup of vinegar.  This reaction will break up any build up.  Then rinse with hot water.

To freshen the garbage disposal, add a few slice of lemon or orange and run the disposal.

Another idea to keep your disposal fresh and the blades sharp is to freeze citrus slices and distilled white vinegar in ice cube trays.  Just pop a frozen vinegar cube in your disposal when needed.

Stovetop

To keep a glass stovetop clean, first, make sure it is off and cool. Never try to clean a hot surface. Wipe any crumbs. Spray glass stovetop with a distilled white vinegar. Sprinkle baking soda on top of the vinegar. Slice a lemon in half and use to scrub the stovetop. Be careful to remove the seeds as they can scratch your stovetop. Let sit for about 15 minutes and then wipe with a microfiber cloth.  So easy and such beautiful results!

Microwave

For the microwave, mix one cup water with one tablespoon vinegar in a large microwave safe dish.  I use a large glass measuring cup. Microwave for 5 minutes. BE VERY CAREFUL not to burn yourself when removing the measuring cup. The steam will loosen any cooked on food.  Then, just wipe with a clean cloth.

Tile and Grout

I loved my kitchen floor when I initially picked it out.  I still love the neutral tile, but the grout is another story. After trying many different remedies, I finally found an easy solution to keep my sealed grout clean. Mix 6 cups water, 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/3 cup lemon juice, and 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar. Mix and pour into a spray bottle. This solution should fill up two spray bottles. Then spray on the grout. Let it sit about 10 minutes and then scrub with a stiff bristle brush. Wipe with a towel. After cleaning the grout, steam mop the floor.

*Vinegar should not be used on unsealed grout.

Here is my kitchen floor before:

And after:

What a difference! And no toxic chemicals!

Tub and shower

Hate to clean the shower and tub? Mix one cup of Dawn dish detergent and 1 cup of vinegar in a spray bottle. Just spray and then come back about an hour later to rinse and wipe. This combination of vinegar and Dawn detergent is so easy and really works!  

Shower Head

To keep your shower head clean, fill a Ziplock bag with vinegar. With a rubber band, secure the bag to the shower head. Let is sit about an hour. Remove and wipe off any grime or build up.

What are some of your favorite eco-friendly cleaners? Let’s share some ideas! I would love to hear your thoughts!