Posts Tagged ‘green shower cleaner’

Recipes from previous blogs gathered here for quick and easy reference.

After Shower Spray

white vinegar in a spray bottle with 15 drops of essential oil

Litter Box Odor Control

baking soda with a few drops of essential oil

Air Freshener

spray bottle with equal parts water and white vinegar with 15 drops of essential oil

Sponge Cleaner

soak sponges in white vinegar and a few drops of tea tree oil then boil or microwave

Ant Genocide

• 1 tsp of boric acid
• 4 tsp of sugar
• 1/2 cup of hot water
• several cotton balls

Mix the boric acid, sugar and water. Soak the cotton balls in the mixture and place them near the entrance the ants are using.

Produce Cleaner

You will need two spray bottles, white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide (the 3% kind you find in the drugstore). Spray the produce with the hydrogen peroxide first and the vinegar second. Finally, rinse with water. (Do not combine the vinegar and hydrogen peroxide in the same bottle!)

Tough Shower Stains

I use 3 tbsps of baking soda and 1/4 cup of liquid castile soap. Mix these together with a fork to work out the clumps. Then spread it over the stained tub and scrub with a natural bristle brush. For extra abrasion, sprinkle kosher salt on the stain as well. (The salt mixed with water gives you an added anti-bacterial agent.)

Roach Control

• a hose end sprayer
• 1 cup of liquid soap (you may substitute baby shampoo and Murphy’s oil soap)
• 1 cup of tobacco tea (made by putting a finger of chewing tobacco in a nylon stocking and soaking it in a quart of hot water until the water is dark brown)
• 1 cup of antiseptic mouthwash
• 1/4 cup of Tabasco sauce

Place this mixture in your hose end sprayer and treat the outside of your house.

Meanwhile, you need to kill any roaches that are already in the house. This is a fun one! Mix equal parts granulated sugar and baking soda. Spread the mixture in out of the way areas in your home. The roaches will be attracted to the sugar and eat the mixture. This will kill the roach because the roach has an acid based stomach and the baking soda is a base. This is even more fun because roaches eat their dead so the solution cascades through the colony!

Strip and Clean Linoleum

• white vinegar
• cream of tartar (found in the baking or spice aisle at the grocery)
• water
• a few rags or soft cloths

First, mix 1 oz of cream of tartar with 8 oz of vinegar (1 cup to 1 gallon). Apply this mixture to the floor and buff the wax off with a cloth.

Next, clean any remaining dirt with equal parts vinegar and warm water using a damp cloth.

Clean Stone Counters

a mixture of ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide and a few drops of liquid soap

Clean Mold, Mildew, and Fungus

1/4 cup of hydrogen peroxide, 3 tbsps of vinegar and a few drops of tea tree oil

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People often ask me for my advice with specific cleaning tasks. I encourage you to email me (teresa@greenitupllc.com) with any questions you may have. I will answer your questions in my blog. Please specify if you wish your name or question to be concealed. Below is the first in my Q&A Forum.

Dear Teresa,

I need help with how to clean really, really tough stains from my shower. I am not talking your run of the mill soap scum or mold. My stain is from blood or maybe even Hershey’s chocolate syrup. Not sure. My bathroom is in black and white. What can you suggest?

Thank you,

Norman B.

Old Highway 10, CA

Dear Norman,

Thank you for your question. The best, non-toxic way to clean a tough stain from your shower or tub is by making a mixture of baking soda and soap and chasing it with vinegar. I use 3 tbsps of baking soda and 1/4 cup of liquid castile soap. Mix these together with a fork to work out the clumps. Then spread it over the stained tub and scrub with a natural bristle brush. For extra abrasion, sprinkle kosher salt on the stain as well. (The salt mixed with water gives you an added anti-bacterial agent.)

You can spread the mixture on the stain and leave it for 30 minutes to a day. This way you spend less time scrubbing and have more time to do the things you enjoy like taxidermy, cross-dressing or hanging out in the fruit cellar with Mom!

After you have scrubbed, rinse with water and vinegar. If you have tile, avoid being too abrasive and rinse the vinegar immediately.

For whitening you may also want to scrub with lemon juice or oxygen bleach.

Hope this helps!

Happy Cleaning!

Teresa

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