Ingredients:
1 t washing soda
2 t borax
½ t shredded castile soap (Shredding tips here. I prepare several bars worth at once.)
2 cups hot water
Essential oils
1 t washing soda
2 t borax
½ t shredded castile soap (Shredding tips here. I prepare several bars worth at once.)
2 cups hot water
Essential oils
Supplies:
16 oz spray bottle
Funnel
Skewer
Measuring cup
Measuring spoon (teaspoon)
Funnel
Skewer
Measuring cup
Measuring spoon (teaspoon)
Directions:
Add dry ingredients to bottle via funnel. Don’t worry about dry ingredients sticking in the funnel at this point. Add the water via the funnel to rinse the dry ingredients down into the bottle. If the mixture clumps and sticks in the funnel, use the skewer to break up the clog. Add the essential oils directly to the bottle, so none is wasted by sticking to the funnel. For the kitchen mix, I like 2 drops tea tree oil, 5-6 drops of sweet orange, and 2-3 of bergamot.
Shake before using. Spray and wipe with a dry cloth. For especially sticky spots, spray and wipe with a cloth saturated with clean, hot water.
Add dry ingredients to bottle via funnel. Don’t worry about dry ingredients sticking in the funnel at this point. Add the water via the funnel to rinse the dry ingredients down into the bottle. If the mixture clumps and sticks in the funnel, use the skewer to break up the clog. Add the essential oils directly to the bottle, so none is wasted by sticking to the funnel. For the kitchen mix, I like 2 drops tea tree oil, 5-6 drops of sweet orange, and 2-3 of bergamot.
Shake before using. Spray and wipe with a dry cloth. For especially sticky spots, spray and wipe with a cloth saturated with clean, hot water.
Yes, it really works! I have been using this mixture for several years and it was part of The Big Clean when we bought our trashed foreclosure home.
(This recipe is based on the Castile Cleaner recipe found in the fabulous book Green Clean.)
How does this compare with just mixing vinegar and water?
ReplyDeleteThis doesn't have the offensive-to-some smell that vinegar has. It cuts grease powerfully so scrubbing is minimal even on tough things like the stove hood that I only think to wipe down a few times a year. Some people with granite countertops are concerned with using vinegar on them, so this is an alternative that is less caustic.
ReplyDeleteHow much vinegar do you add? I don't see it in the ingredients list...
ReplyDeleteJordan- This recipe is vinegar-free. My comment above was comparing this to vinegar+water. -P
ReplyDeleteYour directions do say to add vinegar above, so you might want to edit that out. Thanks for clarifying!
ReplyDeleteAh ha! Thanks, Jen. I fixed it.
ReplyDelete