On this unluckiest of days (if you believe in that sort of thing), we are sharing the lucky fortune of having today’s top eco-friendly cleaning ingredients right in your kitchen. Here are 13 must-have ingredients that will give you an arsenal of cleaning power every day of the year.
Baking Soda
This popular baking ingredient can be used for so many things. Sprinkle it on carpet to alleviate stains and odors. Make it into a paste to clean stovetops. Add it to your laundry. The possibilities are endless with this wonder. Click here for more ideas on cleaning with baking soda.
Water
Self-explanatory. It’s a staple item–especially if it is distilled water.
Borax
Use it to clean tubs, showers, and toilets to get rid of mold and mildew. It can also be used in kitchens and to remove odors.
Vinegar
This eco friendly favorite cuts through almost anything–from soap scum on shower heads to streak-free windows. Vinegar is also a great stain remover. Click here for more ideas on cleaning with vinegar.
Lemon Juice
This powerful fruit can be used to disinfect surfaces, clean microwaves, and deodorize plastic containers, among other things. Click here for more ideas on cleaning with lemons.
Cornstarch
Grease stains, dirty window, and dusty stuffed animals. Say no more. Cornstarch can be used for all of those and more.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Clean your refrigerator, whiten grout, remove tub scum, or remove stains from clothing.
Essential Oils
These are definitely optional, but a few drops of your favorite scent can add a nice smell to your home and what you use to clean it. Use it to make a carpet deodorizer, add it to water for a furniture or linen spray, or even use it in bathrooms to fight bacteria.
Castile Soaps
Castile soap can pretty much be used in every room from laundry (laundry soap) to kitchen (scrub dingy pans) to bathroom (clean makeup brushes). You can even use it to make reusable and washable cleaning cloths (click here for instructions).
Olive/Vegetable Oil
Use it in your stainless steel sink to bring back a shine or to hydrate wood surfaces.
Salt
When mixed with lemon juice, it’s a great way to scour surfaces. It can clean your coffee pot, remove tarnish from silverware, and keep your sponges fresh.
Club Soda
Clean cast iron pans, remove stains, even use it to keep your car’s windshield clean.
Beeswax
Forget oily wood and furniture polish and turn to beeswax instead.