Conventional cleaning products are full of questionable ingredients. Making the switch to green cleaning products is not only better for our families, it can also save us money! Many of the items I’m going to share with you are very cheap and you may already own them.
Green Cleaning Essentials
*This post contains affiliate links. I was not paid for this post and all thoughts are my own.*
Castile Soap
Castile soap can be used just like you would any other soap. I use it as an all-purpose cleaner (good ol’ hot soapy water!), to hand-wash dishes, hand washing, and pretty much everywhere in my home. It also makes a great cleaning scrub when mixed with baking soda!
My favorite castile soap is Dr. Bronner’s. You can find it just about anywhere; Whole Foods, natural food stores, Target, Walgreens, Amazon, and most places that sell soap. I have found that Thrive Market is a great place to buy it. The price is really good and it’s always nice to have it just delivered to my door.
Note: Don’t mix vinegar and Dr. Bronner’s.
Vinegar
I go through a few gallons of vinegar most months. I use it to disinfect, kill weeds, clean my toilets, clean my garbage disposal, clean blinds, as a fabric softener, and so much more! I keep some in a spray bottle at all times and usually there is a gallon on my washer.
Note: Vinegar can damage stone surfaces because it is an acid.
Baking soda
Baking soda is another great cheap cleaning ingredient. While you will see many cleaning recipes calling for it to be used with vinegar this is only good if you are clearing a clogged drain. Vinegar and baking soda, when mixed, react and become carbonic acid, which then decomposes to water and carbon dioxide gas. They are great when used separately though! Baking soda is great for a gentle cleaning scrub and deodorizing. One way I love to use it is as a carpet freshener.
Vodka
Vodka isn’t only for cocktails, makes a great cleaning ingredient! I use it to make a daily shower spray, fabric freshener, air freshener, and it works well to disinfect. Just make sure you buy non-flavored vodka! Everclear can also be used in place of vodka, in case you can’t stand to use perfectly good vodka for cleaning.
Soap Nuts
Soap nuts are my go-to laundry soap! They are berries that create soap and are pretty magical. You simply boil them, let them sit overnight, and then you have natural soap. The soap is great for HE washers as it doesn’t create suds or leave a film for bacteria to grow on. You can also use the soap for cleaning.
Cleaning Cloths
Paper towels get expensive and are not the best for the environment. There are many options when it comes to reusable options. I like using old t-shirts cut into rags but you can also buy cloths that look and work like paper towels, or bamboo cloths, or a favorite of mine Skoy cloths, which are biodegradable sponge-like cloths.
If you are just starting off this is a great place to start. You may find other things you want to add to your green cleaning kit overtime but with all of these things you can easily clean the whole house.
I’d love to hear about your favorite green cleaning products. Share below, also share your cleaning recipes and tips!
I had NO idea that you weren’t supposed to mix Dr. Bronners and vinegar. Some very useful info. Pinning.
It’s a common mistake. 🙂
This is a great list of green cleaning essentials! I love keeping jugs of white vinegar in the house. One of my favorite bathtub cleaners is white vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda. Works like a charm!
I’ve never personally used soap nuts, but I’ve heard good things about them! :]! We use a vinegar/water mixture to clean messes up at the cat shelter I volunteer at!
I am curious about how you use vinegar as a fabric softener. Do you add it to the washing machine where you would usually add the liquid fabric softener? how much do you use – and does it leave an odor? Does it help disinfect as well? You have me wondering … and ready to try it ! Great post!
You use it like you would use other fabric softener. And it doesn’t have any odor. In theory it would disinfect since it has disinfecting qualities.
Hey Lisa. Great list of ‘green’ cleaning solutions. Thanks!
Great! I didn’t know that you can use vodka as a cleaner ingredient! Very thoughtful of you! I it pretty logical that vodka is a great disinfectant! I love to experiment with different natural ingredients to create nice homemade cleaners! By the way did you know that used tea bags are also used for cleaning! I was extremely surprised when I read that! Thanks for the post! 🙂 I love it!