Back in the day, when my grandparents were growing up no one had money to waste.  My grandparents came from big families.  Every penny was a crucial. For dinner, they served pasta most of the time and if you were given meat, chicken, or steak for dinner that was considered a luxury.

The same went for keeping the house clean.  Grandma’s house always sparkled and smelled so fresh.  You could smell the cleanness in the air.  Our grandparents cleaned the old-fashion way.  The used the techniques and family secrets that they learned from their parents.  They used natural ingredients and mixed them together to produce natural cleaning products that made their houses shine and did the job right.

They were smart.  They saved money they did not spend five to ten dollars sometimes more on toxic cleaning supplies that do more damage than good.

We all are on the run 24//7 trying to take care of families and earn an honest living.  Who has time to research and find out how to make natural cleaning supplies and how many of us remembered what grandma used in her house to make it look sparkling clean?

That is why you need cleaning gurus like me to help you maintain a clean home.  You need to use natural cleaning products that are safe for your home and for the environment.  How would you feel if you found out your child came down with asthma and the toxic chemicals you used in your home clean could have been attributing to your child getting asthma?  The companies that sell the products do not tell us how toxic or hazardous they are to our bodies.  You need to look at the ingredients and research the long-term effects it can cause.  Who has the time to research?  Not many.

Let us cut to the chase below are grandma’s secret recipes to help maintain a clean home inexpensively and most important the natural (healthy) way.

Ingredients you can use to clean your home naturally:

1.     Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate): neutralizes acid, softens fabrics, as well as deodorizes, cleans and polishes metals and plastics

2.     Borax deodorizes: prevents mold and mildew, and removes stains

3.     Cornstarch: cleans windows and carpets, and polishes furniture

          Isopropyl alcohol disinfects

4.     Lemon juice: deodorizes, cleans glass, and removes stains

5.     Mineral oil: polishes furniture

6.     Vinegar: removes mildew, grease, and wax; deodorizes; cleans windows, brick, and stone

7.     Washing soda (sodium carbonate decahydrate): removes grease, and cleans laundry

Grandma’s Recipes for Natural Cleaning Products

Air freshener:

·        Place shallow plates of vinegar in rooms to absorb odors

·        Sprinkle ½ cup borax in the bottom of trash cans or diaper pails to prevent the growth of bacteria and mold that cause odors

All-purpose cleaner:

·        Place 4 tablespoons baking soda in 1 quart warm water and shake well.

Disinfectant:

·        Mix ½-cup borax into 1 gallon of hot water.

Drain cleaner:

·        Pour ½ cup baking soda down drain

·        Add ½ cup white vinegar

·        Cover the drain

·         Wait 15 minutes

·        Pour 1 gallon of hot water down the drain.

Metal cleaner and polish:

For stainless steel:

·        use undiluted white vinegar

For tarnished copper:

·        Boil the item in a pot of water with 1-tablespoon salt and 1 cup white vinegar.

Oven cleaner:

·        Moisten oven surfaces with water

·        Sprinkle baking soda on them

·        Scrub with steel wool.

Toilet bowl cleaner:

·        Mix ¼ cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar

·        Pour into toilet

·        Let it set for 5 minutes

·        Scrub with brush.