On to part two of Green Bathroom Cleaners! Don’t forget to check out Green Bathroom Cleaners Part One if you missed it. Part Three will be out next week. Man, it takes a lot to keep a bathroom clean, right? Like I said in part one, bathroom cleaning products are some of the worst offenders when it comes to harmful chemicals:
- Butoxydiglycol: toxic for the reproductive system
- Alkyl C12-18 dimethylbenzyl ammonium chloride: Highly toxic to aquatic organisms, considered acutely toxic
- PEG Compounds: harmful to human nervous system and can harm development, potential carcinogen
- Artificial Fragrance: artificial fragrances can indicate up to 4000 ingredients, which can range from causing allergic reactions to being carcinogenic
- Isobutane: irritant to eyes and skin, may be toxic to human health
And that’s just a few of the many ingredients store bought cleaners contain.
The safest way to clean your bathroom is to know every ingredient you are using. When I use commercial cleaners to clean my bathroom, I have to step out and take breaks because the fumes make me feel dizzy and awful. When I use these cleaners, there is no problem. They smell like lemon and sometimes a hint of vinegar. And they work just as well if not better.
They are also really easy on your budget. The seven green cleaners in this three part series use only five different ingredients: borax, baking soda, liquid castile soap, white distilled vinegar, and lemon essential oil. And they all cost less than a dollar to make. You can’t beat that.
This image summarizes all the cleaning recipes I will go over. Scroll down for more details and photos of the cleaners in action. Let’s start with a Green Tub and Tile Cleaner A tub and tile cleaner is a staple for bathroom cleaning. What’s a bathroom without tub and tiles right? Our bathroom has a tile floor and the walls are tile half way up. So we need a lot of this stuff. The recipe is nice and simple:
- 1 2/3 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup liquid castile soap
- 2 tbsp vinegar
- 1/2 cup water
- 10-15 drops lemon essential oil (optional)
The mixture is nice and thick and foamy. So it will need to be in a jar. I tried using a spray bottle because I was being hopeful, but it did not work. It’s too thick. The thickness is good though. The baking soda is just gritty enough to give it good scrubbing ability and the castile soap makes it foam nicely. You can see from this picture just how dirty our tub got. It’s pretty embarrassing. So focus on the cleaner instead. You can tell how thick and foamy it is. Great for scrubbing. And here is our clean tub after using this tub and tile cleaner! Awesome! And the floor. I’m also embarrassed to show this picture. The brown stain is from a honey face mask I tried out. I just felt like I should explain it. It was really drippy. And check out that floor after! Love this tub and tile cleaner. And on to the next cleaner…
Bernadyn @ B is For... says
Hi, saw your link @ Best of the Weekend…such a great post and awesome tips! I’m trying to stay away from store-bought cleaning products as I’m worried about the health risks and hate the smell of them. Pinned this and now following you on Pinterest, G+ and Twitter!
Sharon Lee Lockhart says
I make my own Liquid Castile soap and was wondering if it will work the same as the kind you used in this picture?
I just don’t like to pay a big bunch of money for something I can make at home for a lot less.
Thanks for the recipe!!!
Susie says
I have no idea if it will work the same, but it’s definitely worth a try! It’s awesome that you make your own. I want to start soapmaking too!