Last month, I had the absolute pleasure of attending a green cleaners workshop at Rocky Mountain Flatbread Co., the community-conscious, carbon neutral restaurant I’ve written about before.  It was a lovely night out with like-minded ladies, where Suzanne, one of the restaurant’s co-founders, shared all of her green cleaning tips and tricks. I left for home with a bag full of simple, homemade cleaners to put to the test.  

Now while using natural products that are safe for Miss G to be around is a top priority in our house, I love cleanliness way too much to use something that doesn’t actually work.  I’m pleased to say that so far, all three of these cleaners pass the test.  With flying colours, in fact!

And because we love them so much, Gracen and I decided we’d spread the love and make some to give to her grandmas.  We swung by an awesome local shop called The Soap Dispensary, picked up a couple of basic supplies, plus some cute wooden scoops and beautiful glass spray bottles, and got to work.

The first cleaner we made is the only one we haven’t yet fully put to the test…  Not because we haven’t wanted to, but because it’s a dishwasher detergent and we don’t have a dishwasher (much to my dismay!)  But because I’m not willing to let it sit unused, I’ve put it to the test as a kitchen sink scrub and a toilet scrub, and I’m happy to say that it’s worked great as both.  

Here’s what you’ll need to make your own lemon mint dishwashing detergent… Washing soda (different than baking soda and found in grocery store laundry aisles), Borax, peppermint and lemon essential oils (you can really use any kind you like – last time we used a combination or sweet orange and rosemary and it smelled wonderfully), and a large mason jar.

To make this one, Gracen simply added a 1/2 a cup of washing soda and a 1/2 cup of Borax to our jar, added a few drops of lemon essential oil, then another round of washing soda and Borax, and one drop of peppermint essential oil.  We shook everything up, then repeated the entire process again.

Voila!  Dishwasher detergent made of 3 natural ingredients.  To put it to use, all you have to do is add a scoop to your detergent compartment along with a squeeze of castile soap (we like this one), and let it do its thing.  Oh, and instead of Jet Dry or another rinse aid?  Apparently white wine vinegar will do the job just as well!

Next up, Gracen and I made one of my favourites…  A citrusy bathroom scrub that makes getting rid of soap scum nearly effortless. It also makes tiles, toilets, and sinks sparkle and leaves them smelling fresh too.

In the line-up for our lemon grapefruit bathroom scrub… Baking soda, washing soda, Borax, salt, lemon and grapefruit essential oils (again, you could switch up the scents), and a medium-sized mason jar.

For this one, Grae added all of our dry ingredients to the jar, dropped the essential oils on top, and shook it all up.  Easy as that.  The only thing about this recipe is that it does fill a medium-sized mason jar right to the tippy top, so mixing it in a bowl or larger jar would make it easier.

To clean tiles and other flat surfaces with this scrub, I simply shake a little on a wet, textured sponge, give the surface a scrub, and rinse it with running water or a wet cloth. Toilets are even easier – all you have to do is sprinkle some straight into the toilet bowl, let it sit a moment, and scrub with a toilet brush as usual.  And for soap scum (the nasty, stubborn stuff), I like to spray the surface with plain white vinegar first, let it sit 5 to 10 minutes, sprinkle the scrub on top, and scrub it off with a textured sponge (you’ll be amazed by how well this works!)

The last cleaner Gracen and I made may just be my very favourite of the 3…  The recipe is ridiculously simple, and it works pretty much everywhere.  I use it all over our kitchen as a basic surface cleaner, plus I use it while dusting our main living space, and while cleaning up sticky messes on the floor.  The best part though, is that it works as a glass cleaner too and leaves mirrors and windows just as spotless and streak-free as specialized glass cleaners do.  And window crayons?  They literally melt off.

Here’s what you’ll need to whip up a batch of your own… Some hydrogen peroxide, some water, some freshly-squeezed lemon juice, and a spray bottle.

We juiced our lemon, added everything to the spray bottle, and shook it up {while singing with our eyes closed apparently}.

And that’s it.  Paired with a damp cloth, it makes a great surface cleaner, and paired with a dry cloth, it makes a great glass cleaner.

With these three cleaners, we’re able to keep our entire house sparkling clean.  Plus they’re inexpensive, all-natural, homemade, and you can feel good about using them around munchkins.