Best Homemade Natural Cleaning Products Recipes

A clean home is very important since toxic mold and mildew can easily build up and cause many health issues. However, you have choices. There are what’s known as eco-cleaners, as I mentioned above, and it’s worth learning about them. You can try some of the more cleaner eco-friendly versions out there, and you can try making your own cleaning products, like my Homemade Melaleuca Lemon Household Cleaner using some essentials oils and a few other clean, environmentally friendly ingredients to help combat those tough, hard-to-clean areas while keeping your home germ-free.

If you choose one of the green cleaning products out there, you still need to read the labels, even of the top green products on the shelf. The National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) is working very hard to ensure safety regulation, but we still have a long way to go, which means it’s your responsibility to be educated. The NRDC has a Health & Environment program working toward protecting families from toxic chemicals that can cause diseases, such as asthma, autism, problems in children and cancer, to name a few. And children and pregnant women are most susceptible to these dangers. (5)

The EWG reminds us to completely avoid unnecessary cleaners, such as oven cleaners and drain cleaners, which are highly toxic. They suggest using a drain snake or plunger in drains and to try a DIY oven cleaner using baking soda and water.

There are lots of homemade cleaning recipes, products and ingredients out there, and here are a few you can try:

• Castile Soap
  
• Tea Tree Oil
  
• Natural Home Deodorizers
  
• Pine Oil
  
• Homemade Dish Soap
• Homemade Laundry Detergent
• Top 10 Lemon Essential Oil Uses and Benefits
• 20 Unique Apple Cider Vinegar Uses and Benefits
• 6 Proven Diatomaceous Earth Uses and Benefits

The Dangers of Common Household Cleaning Products

All too often, we default to what we have always done, and if we can’t physically see something, we think we’re not being harmed by it. But that sparkling countertop is typically where you place dishes and food so the chances of contamination exist, even after using cleaning products. You get the picture: numerous scents, detergents, bleaches and task-specific cleaners made for anything from the bathroom tile to the oven can be dangerous and cause health hazards either immediately or over time, such as skin or respiratory problems, irritated eyes, asthma, burns, and even cancer.

Additionally, we have to think about what happens to the environment. In some cases, cleaners may be OK once disposed of properly, but in others, they may greatly impact the environment and even the water you drink. Again, we have a habit of not thinking too much about what we don’t “see.”

Philip Dickey of Washington Toxics reminds us what to avoid. He notes that the three most dangerous cleaning products that are in most homes home are drain cleaners, oven cleaners and toilet bowl cleaners that are acid-based. If you look, you will see that these products are labeled “DANGER. Corrosive. ” Corrosive products can severely burn skin or eyes, and if swallowed, it could cause burns inside the body too. (6)

It’s important that you don’t mix corrosive products with other products, as that can cause serious problems by emitting even more toxic fumes or other dangerous reactions. For example, never mix bleach and ammonia! This is a very common mistake that’s very harmful because a serious chemical reaction occurs, emitting gas called chloramine. This gas severely irritates the lungs and causes coughing and choking.

Another common mistake is mixing household cleaners with other cleaners that contain chlorine bleach. You probably have chemicals containing bleach or ammonia in your home right now. Chlorine bleach is usually an ingredient in automatic dishwasher detergents, mildew stain removers and other bathroom cleaners. Ammonia is typically found in glass cleaners, metal cleaners, as well as dishwashing liquids. Regardless, while most cleaning products cause irritation to the skin or eyes, the ones labeled as corrosive cause burns as well. I advise that you never have corrosive products in the home and definitely not if you have children of any age.

Instead, opt for natural cleaning products, and always check the validity and ingredients of any potential natural cleaning products you’re considering buying.