My cleaning rags are washed in the washing machine, dried on the line and stored in a ragbag that hangs in the laundry. If something really dirty or unhygenic needs attention, I use a rag to wipe it up and throw that rag out. That’s the beauty of having a lot of rags: you can afford to throw out the odd one, and still have plenty for cleaning.
I don’t add cleaning cloths for the bathroom and toilet to the ragbag; they are stored under the sink in the bathroom. I colour code my cleaning rags so I know not to use a bathroom cloth in the kitchen.
I believe the best kind of cleaning cloth is an old terry towel. When a towel has finished service as a towel, I cut it up into 25-centimetre squares to use as rags. We’ve become used to neat edges and perfection in our store-bought cleaning cloths. I usually don’t worry about the edges of the terry cloths, as they don’t fray a lot when I cut them out with pinking shears. To me, a rag is a rag and should look like one. But if you’re worried about fraying, or if you want to use the rags as dusting cloths, you could run a zigzag stitch around the border to keep the edges contained. Linen and cotton do fray, so you’ll need to run the zigzag stitch around all those cloths – you don’t want to be picking up little pieces of cotton from your cloths as you dust. Generally, the zigzag stitch is fine on the edges, but if you like everything to be neat and tidy, feel free to hem or edge your rags. There are no rules here; do what suits you.
The advertising industry would have you believe that you need a specific product for each cleaning job in your home. That’s not true. It’s possible to make all the cleaners you need yourself, at home, and it doesn’t take a lot of time. All the ingredients of homemade cleaners will cost you only a fraction of what you pay for supermarket cleaners, and you’ll have enough for your various cleaning jobs for many weeks.
Many of the cleaners we make use old-fashioned ingredients like vinegar, bicarb, borax, washing soda and soap: all inexpensive and all available at most supermarkets. Making laundry powder or liquid and other various cleaners at home will not only save you money, but it is also a safer and healthier option – for you and for the environment. Before we proceed, though, I want you to understand that every chemical you use – including the safer ones – can cause environmental damage if used in high concentrations. When you start green cleaning, don’t expect vinegar and baking soda to be as fast and effective as your commercial cleaners. They are gentle cleaners, and they’re much safer in our waterways than any spray-and-wipe concoction you can buy. But even so, they need to be used sparingly.
You’ll need bottles or jars to hold them, so recycle your own suitable bottles and jars or get them from a hardware store, two-dollar shop or your local thrift shop. Mark all your bottles to clearly show what they contain. If you re-use a bottle that previously contained another cleaner, make sure the bottle is completely clean and marked before you fill it with your homemade cleaner.
Home cleaning kits
I have found that having small kits suitable for different areas has been helpful, so I’m not rushing about trying to find bits and pieces I need for certain areas. I suggest you make up three small kits – one for the kitchen, one for the bathroom and one for general cleaning – and keep each kit close to its area.
Your home cleaning kits will include a small bucket or old ice-cream container, rubber or latex gloves (if you use them), scrubbing brushes, terry or cotton cloths or old pantyhose for cleaning or polishing, and whichever of the homemade cleaners you choose for that area, such as vinegar, bicarb and creamy scrubber. Recycled toothbrushes are a great help in small areas. When you finish with a toothbrush, soak it for an hour in a cup of water to which a spoonful of bleach has been added and then add it to your cleaning kit.
Remember the principles of good hygiene. After cleaning the toilet with your bathroom kit you do not want to clean the kitchen with the same cloths and brushes. You should not use the bathroom kit in the kitchen or the living room. You may like to colour code them or mark them in some way, perhaps by knitting cleaning cloths of a specific colour for each area. That can be a good ongoing project for when you sit and relax after dinner at night. There is a pattern for homemade dishcloths in the Home chapter.
My bathroom cleaning kit is a 4-litre bucket, baking soda in a flour shaker, white vinegar, liquid soap, at least four terry or cotton cloths, a bristle brush, a broom and dustpan, and a mop and bucket.
The basic cleaning tools
Although all of the ingredients recommended here are safe, some of them can be harmful if ingested. Please keep all your cleaning aids out of the reach of children, wash your hands after preparing your cleaning products and wear gloves if you have sensitive skin.
Ingredients for homemade cleaners
bicarb (baking soda)
washing soda (a naturally occurring mineral)
borax (a naturally occurring mineral)
soap – either homemade soap or yellow laundry soap (such as Sunlight or a generic brand), or soap flakes (such as Lux)
white vinegar – the cheap variety in a 2-litre bottle
powdered oxygen bleach (such as Napisan or a generic brand)
lemon myrtle, tea-tree oil or eucalyptus oil – used sparingly
liquid chlorine bleach – used sparingly and carefully
Basic home-cleaning equipment
broom and vacuum cleaner
cotton mop or squeegee
10-litre bucket
small buckets or recycled 4-litre ice-cream containers for holding your cleaning kits
spray bottles for vinegar
shaker for bicarb – either a large salt shaker or a recycled jar with holes punched in the lid
rags
scrubbing brushes of various sizes
Experiment with your cleaners – you might need to add more of one thing and less of another. You may want to add essential oils like lemon myrtle, tea-tree, eucalyptus, lavender or rose to give your cleaners a pleasant smell. They are not necessary to the recipe but adding them does not detract from the cleaners’ effectiveness.
Homemade laundry cleaners
LAUNDRY LIQUID
Makes 10 litres
Ingredients
1½ litres water
1 cup grated yellow laundry soap or homemade soap, or soap flakes
½ cup washing soda – NOT baking soda
½ cup borax
Method
Into a medium-sized saucepan add the water and the soap. Over a medium heat, stir until the soap is completely dissolved.
Add the washing soda and borax. If you use the grey water from your laundry on your garden, leave out the borax because it can build up in the soil and affect your plants. It is safe to use if you have a septic tank. Stir until thickened, and remove from heat.
Pour this mixture into a bucket, then fill the bucket with water from the tap. Stir to combine all the ingredients. The laundry liquid will thicken up as it cools and often separates. The more you stir it while it is cooling the smoother the liquid will be.
Pour the liquid into containers that you fill almost to the top; leave room in the container so that you can shake it before use. To make it easier to store on my laundry shelves, I use recycled 2-litre milk or juice bottles for this.
Use ¼ to ½ cup of mixture per load or monitor to see what works well in your washing machine. If you have stained clothes, rub some washing liquid on the stain and leave it for 5 minutes before you add the item to the general wash. That should be enough to remove stains like oil, chocolate, pencil or dirt.
This laundry liquid and the laundry powders on the next page will not make suds in the washing machine because they do not contain the chemicals that are added to commercial detergents to make them bubble. You do not need bubbles to wash your clothes or for the laundry liquid and powders to be effective. The agitation of the washing machine does most of the washing.
All these washing aids are suitable for top loaders and front loaders. I have been using them in my front loader machines for many years
with no ill effects. I usually use the laundry liquid for stain removal and general cleaning as well.
Cost comparisons
Cost of bulk ingredients:
700 g soap flakes (9.3 cups): $6.65
1 kg washing soda (3.9 cups): $3.40
500 g borax (2.6 cups): $3.48
Cost of ingredients used in 10-litre batch:
1 cup soap flakes (75 g): $0.72
½ cup washing soda (255 g): $0.44
½ cup borax (190 g): $0.59
Cost in total for 10 litres: $1.75
At the supermarket, a 1-litre refill pouch of Dynamo costs around $8.20. So, 10 litres of Dynamo would cost $82. Not only does making your own save you more than $80, but you’ll also have enough ingredients to make it several more times.
LAUNDRY POWDER
This is a powder version of the laundry liquid but it is not as economical. I sometimes use the powder because it’s easier to mix up when I’m busy and in a hurry.
Ingredients
4 cups grated laundry or homemade soap, or soap flakes
2 cups borax
2 cups washing soda
Method
Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and store in a container with a lid.
Use 2 tablespoons per wash.
HEAVY-DUTY LAUNDRY POWDER
For use on greasy or dirty workers’ overalls, football and sports uniforms or heavily stained fabric.
Ingredients
1 cup powdered oxygen bleach
2 cups grated laundry or homemade soap, or soap flakes
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
Method
Mix all the ingredients thoroughly and store in a container with a lid.
Use 2 tablespoons per wash. For very heavily stained clothes, if you have a top loader turn the machine off when the powder is completely dissolved and allow the clothes to soak for an hour, or overnight. Soaking will help remove stains. In a front loader, operate the machine to dissolve the powder and then stop the machine to soak the clothes. Leave to soak for an hour, or overnight, then turn the machine on and continue washing as normal.
STAIN REMOVERS
Organic stains caused by blood, coffee, tea and so on should be soaked in a bucket of clean, cold water as soon as possible. After soaking for at least an hour, rub the stains with a bar of laundry soap or ¼ cup of laundry liquid. If the stains don’t come out, add 2 tablespoons of powdered oxygen bleach to a bucket of water and leave the item to soak overnight. After soaking, wash as usual in the washing machine.
Food stains can usually be removed by placing the fabric on a flat surface and applying a tablespoon of homemade laundry liquid. Rub the liquid into the stain with your fingers for about a minute, then add the clothes to the normal wash.
OTHER LAUNDRY CLEANERS
To remove stains from white clothes, mix together ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide and ¼ cup of water and dab onto the stain. Leave for 2 hours and repeat if necessary.
For a fabric softener, just add ½ cup of white vinegar to the final rinse of your washing machine.
Assorted home cleaners
ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER
Can be used as a floor cleaner – tiles, laminate or vinyl – or for general cleaning of walls, counter tops or sinks.
Ingredients
½ cup washing soda
2 litres warm water
Method
Mix together and store in a sealed plastic container.
CREAMY SCRUBBER
Simply pour about ½ cup of baking soda into a bowl, and add enough liquid soap or laundry liquid to make a texture like very thick cream. Scoop the mixture onto a sponge, and start scrubbing. This is the perfect recipe for cleaning the bath and shower because it rinses easily and doesn’t leave grit.
Note: If you plan to store the mixture, add 1 teaspoon of vegetable glycerin and store in a sealed glass jar; it will keep for about 1 month. Otherwise, make as much as you need at a time.
WOODEN FURNITURE POLISH
Ingredients
½ teaspoon olive oil
¼ cup vinegar or fresh lemon juice
Method
Mix the ingredients in a glass jar.
Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wooden surfaces. Seal in the glass jar and store indefinitely.
WOODEN FLOOR CLEANER
Ingredients
2 tablespoons grated laundry or homemade soap
½ cup vinegar
500 ml strong black tea with no tea leaves
bucket of warm water
Method
Combine all the ingredients in the bucket and apply with a cotton mop.
WINDOW CLEANER
Pour a little vinegar onto a sheet of newspaper and wipe windows. Remove all the grime and polish the window with a clean sheet of newspaper.
HEAVY-DUTY WINDOW CLEANER
For use on very dirty windows. The soap in this recipe cuts through the wax residue from the commercial brands you might have used in the past.
Ingredients
½ teaspoon liquid or grated soap
3 tablespoons vinegar
2 cups water
Method
Put all the ingredients into a spray bottle, shake it up a bit, and use as you would a commercial brand.
STAINLESS STEEL CLEANER
This is very good for appliances with a buffed-steel appearance, like dishwashers, fridges and rangehoods.
Ingredients
1 cup vinegar
½ bucket warm water
few drops eucalyptus oil
Method
Add the vinegar to the bucket of warm water. Using a clean rag, wipe the appliance over with the mixture and wipe dry.
Add the eucalyptus oil to a clean cloth and wipe the appliance, making sure all streaks are polished off.
SILVER CLEANER
This method works by a chemical reaction of the aluminium, salt and baking soda.
Ingredients
sheet of aluminium foil
boiling water
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Method
Put the plug in the kitchen sink. Lay the foil on the base of the sink and add your silverware. Pour in enough boiling water to cover the silver.
Add the baking soda and salt to the water, and let it sit for about 10 minutes. The tarnish will disappear without you touching it.
FLOOR CLEANER
This is good for tiles, vinyl or laminate. To clean all but the worst floors, ½ cup of white vinegar plus 2 litres of hot water in a bucket and a clean mop will do. If you have a really dirty floor to deal with, add a squirt of homemade laundry liquid to this mix.
Other cleaning tips
Choosing a dishwashing liquid
Making your own dishwashing liquid is quite complicated, unlike the simple cleaners in this book. So read the label and make sure you buy one that is plant-based (not petroleum-based) and phosphate-free.
Tea-tree oil
Tea-tree oil can be used effectively against bacteria and fungus. If you have a very dirty bathroom, sink or floors, ½ teaspoon of tea-tree oil in a bucket of hot water will help disinfect those problem areas.
Cleaning your mop
A clean mop is a necessity when cleaning floors. If you start with a dirty mop you’ll just loosen the dirt on the mop by making it wet again and then spread that on the floor. When you finish mopping, follow these steps to get your mop ready for the next session:
Rinse the mop out to get rid of the loose dirt.
Add a tablespoon of oxygen bleach to a bucket half-filled with hot water, and let the mop soak for 30 minutes.
Rinse the bleach out and squeeze out as much water as you can.
Dry the mop in the sun.
Store your mop on a hook off the floor, with the mop head facing down.
Cleaning crayons from painted surfaces
Make a thick paste with a few drops of water and baking soda. Wipe over the crayon
marks and scrub off with a terry cloth.
Removing glue or stickers
Cover with eucalyptus oil and leave for 30 minutes. This will loosen the glue so you can scrape it off.
There are three main cleaning areas in the home: the kitchen, the bathroom/toilet and the laundry. In the following pages I describe how to deep-clean these areas. When you have everything clean, keep it that way by doing a little touch-up each day. It only takes a few minutes to wipe down the fridge or clean up spills on the stove, but it will make a big difference to your overall workload because you’ll only have to do a big clean like this every couple of months. However, if you are time-poor or ill, or just plain tired and need a rest, don’t fret if your cleaning is left undone until you feel better and have the time to do it.
Simple green cleaning requires more effort than spray-and-wipe chemical cleaning, but your home will be safer using these methods. I expect you to use this as a guide, to modify it to suit your method of cleaning and your house. I hope you see that the emphasis is on elbow grease rather than chemicals. The products recommended here will clean thoroughly – if you start out with a dirty kitchen or bathroom, they might need two or three applications, but they will work. Whatever you do, make sure you use less and not more of everything. We are conservers, not consumers; let’s try to keep everything to a minimum.
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