It’s so easy to overlook cleaning your carpets. Vacuuming feels like enough most of the time, right? But they really do need a good cleaning regularly to keep them nice and fresh and make sure there isn’t anything unpleasant lurking in there. After all, carpets are great places for mold and pests to hide. And those are two things I really try to avoid in my home. So this super easy two-ingredient carpet cleaner takes 5 minutes to make and costs less than fifty cents!

Did I mention it is also all natural and green? You can avoid all the synthetic chemicals in store bought carpet cleaners. I generally believe simple is better, and this cleaner definitely lives up to that principle. That’s why I love green cleaning so much!

This carpet cleaner is great to use for regular cleaning and deodorizing, but it isn’t a spot stain remover. It will prevent and treat icky odors and mold from permeating your carpet, so it definitely has its purpose and is extremely useful. If you do want a spot stain remover, head on over and read this post about removing carpet stains.

This recipe has only two super simple AND effective ingredients:

• Baking soda: gets rid of funky and unpleasant smells, gentle, non-toxic, and natural.
• Borax: kills and prevents mold and pests, disinfectant

And it couldn’t be easier to make.

*As with any new cleaning product, it’s always good to spot test the cleaner before you do this to make sure it doesn’t affect the fabric.

I got this adorable carpet at home goods, and I use it in my office. It gets a lot of trampling day to day, especially from my dog Biscuit. So after almost 3 months of use, I figured it was about time for a good cleaning. I sprinkled the carpet cleaner all over and it worked like a charm!

All right- this is the before photo.. just a little bit of yellowing and unfreshness, but not tons.

Before

And this is the after picture! I will admit I left the homemade carpet cleaner on overnight because I can be a bit lazy… but it worked its charm. I used it on only half the carpet and did a smell test… and it definitely helped remove some of the smell!

After

I told you it was easy!

My carpet feels much fresher now. Yay for homemade cleaners!

Let me know how making your own homemade carpet cleaner goes for you.

supplies used in this post

The post Homemade Carpet Cleaner and Deodorizer appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

Everyone loves convenience. There’s nothing more convenient than just reaching for a wipe and cleaning up a mess. But I always hate throwing them away- it feels so wasteful. So I came up with a solution: reusable cleaning wipes! These wipes are totally green, effective, and washable! Plus they dispense like a dream. I can’t get enough of them. AND the solution that I use to make the wipes cleaning and disinfecting only costs 50 cents.

So I’m ending green cleaning month with a bang! Today I’m sharing with you my favorite green cleaning recipe this month. It is kind of a combo cleaning recipe/ super easy DIY that you green fans will LOVE!

I knew if I wanted my green cleaning wipes to be convenient enough for me, they would have to dispense like kleenex- with the next wipe automatically popping out as you pull the first one out. Well, I’ve made it happen. These reusable cleaning wipes have all the convenience and effectiveness I was looking for! (and if you love convenience… you’ll love my odor eliminator tabs!)

Whats in them you ask? Just great green ingredients that clean, disinfect, and won’t harm your health.

Ingredients:

• Rubbing alcohol: disinfects, prevents bacteria or fungal growth on wipes when not in use, gives a streak free clean
• Borax: kills bacteria and fungi, dissolves dirt and grime
• Baking Soda: dissolves dirt and grime, deodorizes icky smells
• Dish soap: for a little extra bang and dirt dissolving power
• Essential oils: (optional) for fragrance (I used orange)

Supplies:

• Microfiber cloths: to use as the actual wipes
• Tupperware large enough to fit your folded wipes
• A knife: to cut the top of your tupperware so cloths can dispense

Okay! So here is a graphic explaining how I folded the cloths properly. I learned the method from Measuring Flower. I alternated yellow and blue colors to help you understand how they fold.

Essentially, the key is to overlap cloths. You should always place another cloth before folding the one before it, alternating which side you place them on.

And if that graphic doesn’t work for you, I also made a video! This was my first attempt at a video so I hope you like it!

I swear it is simpler than it looks! Once you understand the pattern, folding will be a breeze.

The next step is to cut this shape into the top of your selected tupperware:

I used my trusty cutco scissors to do it, but a knife would work as well. If you have a tendency to scrape yourself you might want to make the corners rounded, but the way they dispense shouldn’t leave you having to stick your fingers in it.

Okay, now that you know how to fold the cloths properly, I’ll share the all purpose cleaning solution I use for them!

DIY Reusable Cleaning Wipes

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups hot water
• 3 tablespoons rubbing alcohol
• 1/2 tsp borax
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 5-10 drops essential oils (optional)

Instructions:

1. Add the baking soda and borax to the hot water and stir until they dissolve. Next, add the alcohol and the essential oils
2. Pour the cleaning solution over the reusable wipes while in their tupperware container
3. Wipe away, and just toss in the washer when you’re done

These wipes are seriously my favorite DIY! I think they are BRILLIANT and they have been working so well for me. I love that I can just pull one up when I need to, and then just toss it in the hamper when I’m done.

I love convenience. I really think green cleaning should be convenient, because if it isn’t, you will fall back on bad habits.

If you love convenience, you’ll also love my homemade dusting spray which prevents buildup of additional dust and makes less cleaning time for you!

I’ve been using these cleaning wipes so much, I think I’m going to need to get a bigger tupperware for it. And even more cloths! I love that they just pop up when you’re ready.

If I had an empty wet wipes container, I would definitely use that. So if you do have one- it’s a great solution for this DIY.

What do you think? Let me know how making your own reusable cleaning wipes go for you!

supplies used in this post

The post DIY reusable cleaning wipes appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

Ah, bathroom cleaning. No one likes to clean toilets- it’s just icky. But unfortunately we have to! So if we are going to clean the toilet, we might as well make it fast and easy. This awesome homemade toilet bowl cleaner is green, natural, effective, and takes so little work to use. It is so easy it doesn’t feel like work at all.

After all, who wants to use bathroom cleaners with icky ingredients that make you feel dizzy? before I switched to making my own cleaners, I used to have to take breaks from cleaning, especially in the bathroom. The scents and fumes from the store-bought cleaners would make me feel dizzy! Well, that doesn’t happen anymore!

So if you love green cleaning, and you want a clean home, this green homemade toilet bowl cleaner is for you! If you’re interested, you should also check out my other green cleaning recipes for green cleaning month in March! While you’re cleaning your toilet, you might as well get those tubs and tiles too! But for now, enjoy this awesome toilet cleaner.

I always like to explain why I use each ingredient and why they work in the recipe:

• Borax: disinfects, counteracts hard water stains, loosens dirt, is an alkaline compound, which works well in combination with the acidity of vinegar
• Vinegar: sanitizes, loosens dirt, is acidic, which works well in combination with the alkalinity of borax
• Essential oils (optional): for scent, and depending on the oil can have other properties as well (I used lemon in this recipe- I just love that lemon fresh smell!)

All right, wondering how to do it? It’s simple enough!

Check out that shiny clean toilet! Just how I like them. Now if only they stayed that clean forever…

Well, since that isn’t going to happen, this is the next best thing. I love how easy this solution is to use, and I love when I know exactly what I’m using to clean with. Green cleaning rocks!

Let me know how your homemade toilet bowl cleaner works for you!

supplies used in this post

The post Homemade Toilet Bowl Cleaner appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

We all have tubs and tiles in our home. And they can be a really challenge to clean- soap scum and hard water marks can be tough to deal with. But tub and tile cleaners that you can buy in the store are sometimes made with ingredients that I just don’t feel great about using. So I needed to find an alternative, and I did! This homemade tub and tile cleaner is easy to make, effective, green, and costs less than one dollar! Oh, and it’s safe for marble. You just can’t beat that.

I’m gonna tell you the truth now… Cleaning my tub is my absolute least favorite chore. I would actually prefer to clean the toilet over the tub! For some reason I just hate it. So naturally I want to spend as little time as possible cleaning it, which means I need an effective cleaner. And trust me, this week, I REALLY needed one- which was perfect timing for green cleaning month!

We took our dog Biscuit to the dog park for the first time this week. Now that it’s becoming spring, all the snow is melting, which means MUD! So Biscuit needed a major bath… clearly:

And after he got that major bath, the tub was full of major mud. We did our best to rinse it all out, but we were a little busy keeping the wet dog from shaking all over everything. So the tub was a mess.

It was the perfect time for me to make a new homemade tub and tile cleaner!

I like to explain why I use each ingredient in my recipes, and the thought process behind them. That way you know why it’s made the way it’s made!

Ingredients:

• Borax: dissolves dirt, kills and prevents mold and milder
• Vinegar: sanitizes and gets rid of dirt, balances the alkaline pH of the borax
• Rubbing alcohol: sanitizes and provides a streak-free shiny clean
• Essential oils: for scent, and depending on the oil can have other properties (I used orange in this recipe!)

All right, let’s get to the recipe!

I designed this recipe to be pH neutral, with a pH of 7. I tested it using pH test strips. Since you are using your own ingredients, I still recommend using pH strips if you are using this cleaner on a natural stone.

My tub is happy now, and so am I! If only I never had to clean it again… but if I do, I have the right tools in my arsenal!

Let me know how making your own tub and tile cleaner goes for you!

supplies used in this post

The post Homemade tub and tile cleaner appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

Happy March! As you may already know, I’ve made March a green cleaning month for the blog! That means every week I’ll be sharing two green cleaning recipes with you. By the end of the month, you will be more than ready for spring cleaning. I hope you’re excited. It only makes sense to start with a homemade all purpose cleaner. It’s so versatile and easy, but better than that, it only costs 50 cents to make!

After all, you need a cleaner you can grab in a pinch and use to clean any little (and sometimes big!) messes. Sure, you need specific cleaners for different things, but my all purpose cleaner is one of my cleaning staples, and the perfect cleaner to start out with.

I’ve made an all purpose cleaner before- and I loved it! But for green cleaning month I’ve done a lot of research- and I wanted to update my homemade all purpose cleaner to make it even more effective. Plus that was one of my earliest posts, and I like to update my pictures and style anyways. So I hope you like the new and improved recipe!

Ingredients:

• Baking soda: dissolves dirt and grease, gentle and non-toxic, deodorizes
• Borax: all natural and sustainable cleaner, disinfects, anti-fungal and keeps away bugs
• Dish soap or liquid castile soap: surfactant, dissolves dirt and grease
• Essential oils: for scent, and depending on the oil, can have different properties like being antibacterial, anti-fungal, etc. (I used lemongrass)

I’ve been trying to keep my cleaners more pH neutral. This cleaner has both baking soda and borax, so it is mildly alkaline, with a pH of about 8.5. This is approximate and based on the pH strips I used to test it.

And it is super effective! Just check out the picture below:

I’m always embarrassed to show before and afters like this… my baseboard was so grimy before! But it looks clean and great now. I don’t know where all that grease and grime came from, but it looks so much better cleaned up now. And it was persistent kitchen grease, so this stuff really packs a punch!

Seriously, you can’t get much better than that for 50 cents. And I recycled an old spray bottle for it, which I always love to do. This cleaner is my new favorite!

Let me know how making your homemade all purpose cleaner goes for you!

Want more green cleaning recipes? Check out all of my green cleaning month recipes here!

Supplies Used in this post:

The post Homemade All Purpose Cleaner appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.