The greener side of clean
Stain removal stick, laundry balls, toilet bomb: 7 easy eco-friendly cleaning recipes from your local grocery store
Making eco-friendly cleaning products is simple, fun, and affordable. You can pick up most of the ingredients at a regular grocery store. With these instructions, laundry and cleaning days around the house will be a breeze!
Toilet cleaning bombs
Supplies:
- 3 deciliters of baking soda (about 1.3 cups)
- 1.5 deciliters of citric acid (about 0.6 cups)
- 3 tablespoons of dish detergent
- 20 drops of peppermint essential oil
- mini muffin cups
- a large glass jar.
Instructions:
- In a large bowl, stir the dry ingredients together. Combine the dish detergent and peppermint oil in a separate container, then gradually add it to the dry ingredients, stirring and pressing by hand until the mixture holds together.
- Shape the mixture into balls that fit the muffin cups and let them dry for 24 hours. Once hardened, place them in a jar.
- Use the bombs to clean your toilet: drop one in, let it fizz, scrub the bowl, and flush.
Fragrance-free stain remover stick
Supplies:
- about 1 tablespoon of bile soap, finely grated
- 2 teaspoons of water
- 2 teaspoons of washing soda
- 0.5 teaspoon of vinegar
- a lip balm tube.
Instructions:
- In a bowl, combine the grated soap, water, washing soda, and vinegar. Microwave the mixture in 5-second increments, stirring each time, until it’s melted and smooth. Drip a small amount into the bottom of the lip balm tube to form a stopper. Once it’s firm, carefully pour or pipe the rest in. Let it solidify. If it hardens too soon, reheat it in the microwave.
- Before washing, rub the stick onto the damp stain and let it sit for a few minutes up to a few hours—depending on the stain—before laundering the garment.
Tea-scented laundry detergent
Supplies:
- 1 liter of water (about 1 quart)
- 4 deciliters of liquid Marseille or Castile soap (about 1.7 cups)
- 0.5 deciliters of soda crystals (about 0.2 cups)
- 0.5 deciliters of baking soda (about 0.2 cups)
- 40 drops of White Tea fragrance oil
- a 1.5-liter bottle (about 1.6 quarts).
Instructions:
- Boil the water and let it cool to room temperature. Stir in the other ingredients gently until the soda dissolves and the mixture is uniform. Transfer to a disinfected bottle.
- Use 0.5–1 deciliter (about 0.2–0.4 cups) per load, depending on how much laundry you have and how soiled it is.
Tip!
Because this detergent contains soda, it removes dirt and grease effectively. You can skip the fragrance if you prefer.
Laundry balls
Supplies:
- a 200-gram bar of Marseille or Castile soap (about 7 oz)
- 1 deciliter of baking soda (about 0.4 cups)
- 2 deciliters of washing soda (about 0.8 cups)
- 1 deciliter of Epsom salt (about 0.4 cups)
- 1 deciliter of vinegar (about 0.4 cups)
- 10–20 drops of lavender essential oil
- a large glass jar.
Instructions:
- Grate the soap into a large bowl, then stir in the baking soda, washing soda, and salt. In a separate container, combine the vinegar and lavender oil. Slowly add the vinegar mixture to the dry ingredients a drop at a time to prevent fizzing. When the mixture feels like damp beach sand, it’s ready to shape.
- Roll the mixture into balls about the size of two ice cubes. Let them dry overnight, then store them in a glass jar.
- Use one ball per load of laundry. Place it directly in the washer drum with your clothes.
Dryer balls for machine drying
Supplies:
- a skein of 100% wool yarn
- pantyhose
- a clean chip tube container
- (a few drops of essential oil).
Instructions:
- Wind the yarn into loose balls about the size of a tennis ball. Slip each ball into the pantyhose, tying a knot between them. Wash them in the machine at 90°C (about 194°F). Remove the knots once they’re dry and store the balls in the tube.
- Place the balls in the dryer with your clothes. If you like, you can add a few drops of essential or fragrance oil to the balls before use.
Fresh-scented laundry vinegar
Supplies:
- 2 deciliters of boiled water (about 0.8 cups)
- 6 deciliters of spirit vinegar (about 2.5 cups)
- 60 drops of clean laundry scented fragrance oil
- an 0.8-liter bottle (about 0.85 quarts).
Instructions:
- Boil the water and let it cool. Add the vinegar and fragrance, stir, then pour into a disinfected bottle.
- Use this laundry vinegar like fabric softener, adding one or two tablespoons to the softener compartment.
Tip!
Combine one-third laundry vinegar with two-thirds water in a spray bottle for a lovely ironing spray.
Cleaning cloths
Supplies:
- 6 deciliters of water (about 2.5 cups)
- 3 tablespoons of olive oil soap
- 2 tablespoons of vinegar
- 60 drops of lavender essential oil
- an old sheet
- a spray bottle
- a glass jar.
Instructions:
- Wash the sheet on a 90°C (about 194°F) cycle, let it dry, then cut or tear it into pieces the size of dishcloths.
- Add all the ingredients to the spray bottle and shake well. Lay out each cloth on a clean surface, spritz it until slightly damp, fold it lengthwise a couple of times, roll it up, and place it in the jar.
- Use these cloths to wipe down surfaces around your home. Wash, let them dry, and make a new batch.
Tips!
- Sterilize your storage jars before filling them. Soak jars and glass lids in cold water overnight, then heat them in an oven at 125°C (about 257°F) for at least 15 minutes. Boil metal lids in a pot.
- You can make labels by printing them on sticker paper or gluing regular paper on as labels. Create a table in a word processing program, print it, cut it out, and fill in the details by hand.
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