Eco-Friendly Cleaning Recipes Used By Our Grandmothers

Grandma knows best – when it comes to cooking, taking care of grandchildren, and, especially cleaning. She was the master of using ingredients she already had at home, with no harmful chemicals that will invade your home and your lungs. The recipes below are grandma-approved…so you know they’re going to be great! Our homes deserve to look and feel clean as they are our safe space at the end of the day. Here’s how to clean your home in an eco-friendly way using eco-friendly cleaning recipes right from Grandma!

Eco-Friendly Cleaning Recipes Used By Our Grandmothers

Eco-Friendly Cleaning Recipes

Stain Removal for Silk Carpets

One of the easiest eco-friendly cleaning recipes grandma used to use was on her silk carpets.

First, it is important that you remove stains before they set in and attach to the fibers of silk contained within the carpet. Then, remove the solid parts of the spill with a spoon. Do not scrape the fibers of the rug, as it can tear the silken fibers. Next, take a clean white cloth and press gently. This will extract the excess liquid from your spill.

After that, take some club soda and apply it so as to remove the color from stains. Pour the club soda onto a clean cloth, and blot. Then use a dry cloth to pick up any excess club soda. Let the area air dry-don’t use heat, as this can cause damage.

To finish, apply a mixture of equal parts of vinegar and water to remove the stains. Pour the mixture onto a clean cloth and blot the stained area. Let the area air dry and do not use heat.

All-Purpose Cleaner

Here’s another eco-friendly cleaning recipe we all can enjoy! This will be great for use on all the major surfaces-the stovetop, counters, and even the bathroom sink where germs run wild. You can use this to get rid of water deposit stains on your shower stall, the chrome fixtures in your bathroom, and even mirrors and windows.

Just do the following:

Mix ½ cup of vinegar with a ¼ cup of baking soda into a ½ gallon of water.  Put it into a spray bottle and use some eco-friendly cloths or even cut up and recycle old t-shirts as cleaning rags.  Super safe and effective.

To make your house smell nice as well as be clean, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil and mix well. Don’t over-do it, you don’t want the smell to take over, but just to add something extra and a bit more freshness.

Diaper Wash

Every grandma was an epic mama before being an epic grandma. That means she probably knew how to keep those old-school cloth diapers clean for her children. Since these diapers are making a comeback, it’s good to know an eco-friendly cleaning recipe to clean them in a natural way.

The trick is to soak your cloth diapers in water with a ½ cup of baking soda for a few hours before washing. This will help with odors and stains. Don’t soak them for longer than that – avoid keeping them in the water overnight, for example.

Avoid off-the-shelf-detergents and fabric softeners, as these expose your kids to chemicals and make your diapers less absorbent.  This is where the all-mighty baking soda comes to rescue once again!

You can make your own detergent by mixing 1 ½ cups of baking soda, 1 ½ cups of washing soda, ½ cup Epsom salt and 2 tablespoons of regular salt in a food processor. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to make it smell amazing.  

Yellow Underarms on White T-Shirts Cleaner

If you’re someone that loves wearing bright-colored clothing, particularly white shirts during summer, then you may be familiar with the struggle of yellow armpit stains. They just look bad, they kill your self-esteem when someone notices them. And they ruin your favorite shirts.

Luckily, grandma has an eco-friendly cleaning recipe for this problem, just like she does for pretty much anything else! Several ingredients such as water, baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, crushed Aspirin pills, and vinegar can help remove the annoying stains.

What you have to do first is soak your t-shirt in a bucket where you combined two cups of warm water plus a cup of vinegar. Let it soak for half an hour, then take another container and prepare a cleaning paste. For this recipe, you need just baking soda and water, mixed in a 3 to 1 ratio. Place the shirt on a towel and start spreading the paste on the stains using an old toothbrush, then let it sit for an hour or even overnight if the stains are bad.

In the end, just wash your t-shirt as you do in general, but check if the stains are gone before you use the dryer. In some cases, if the stains are deeper, they won’t go away from the first try, so you’ll have to repeat the process. Go through all the steps again until the shirt is as good as new.  

Garbage Disposal Cleaner

If your home has a garbage disposal or just a smelly sink in general, start by making yourself a lemonade and put half of the used lemon, or even a handful of citrus peel through that disposal. It’s a great way to use up any rinds from these fruits.

You can also use baking soda when cleaning your sink or garbage disposal.  Baking soda eliminates odors naturally, so you can get rid of those yucky smells coming out from the sink with the simple sprinkle of some baking soda.

Final Thoughts on Eco-Friendly Cleaning Recipes…

It is super easy and wonderful to keep things friendly and safe in your house. And it is cheaper, too – the money you save mixing up your own cleaners with simple ingredients like vinegar and baking soda adds up over time. Plus, natural cleaners mean your kids and pets are not exposed to any of that yucky stuff that can damage their health. Keep your home sparkling…and remember, grandma knows best.