Meet the Thrifty's (Part 2)

Safe for our active kiddo to crawl around on.

When it comes to cleaning, it's so easy to both be green and save green. I have super cheap methods of keeping my house germ-free, while also protecting the environment and my family from harmful toxins. Ever since our Sweet Baboo was born, I've wanted to keep chemicals away from him. I've been making my own cleaning supplies with nothing but water, vinegar, baking soda, lemon juice, salt and essential oils. I feel really good knowing that my son is crawling around on a floor that's been cleaned with things that are harmless enough to squeeze on our salmon or flavour our french fries. I keep all cleaning materials away from him, but I know that even if he were to somehow scale the baby gate and unlatch the child safety on the cupboard, he'd find nothing but things that are essentially harmless.

Another benefit of this that I've LOVED, is the lack of waste. I don't have to buy supplies that come in their own plastic bottles every time I run out of cleaning products. I bought plastic spray bottles at the dollar store over a year ago, and I mix my cleaning supplies in those. For mopping, I either spray a re-usable microfiber cloth mop that I throw in the washing machine,

or I use a bucket, which I can also obviously reuse. It's great for the environment, great for my budget, and great for my family! Hope you find these recipes helpful.

All Natural Cleaning Supply Recipes:

Toilet Bowl Cleaner:

Combine Lemon Juice and Baking soda to make a paste.

Apply to toilet brush and clean under rim.

Put a cup of vinegar into the toilet tank and let sit for 30 minutes.

Optional: Add an essential oil, such as teatree oil or orange oil, to cut vinegar smell.

Hardwood Floor Cleaner:

2 cups vinegar

1 gallon of water

1/2 a cup of lemon juice

Tile Cleaner:

1/4 cup of vinegar

1 gallon water

optional: 8 drops essential oil

Window Cleaner:

2 cups water

2 tbs vinegar

1 tbs dish soap

Tap Cleaner:

Make a paste with lemon juice and baking soda. Scrub with old toothbrush.