DIY bathroom cleaners for the toxin-free home

There are a lot of reasons to switch your toxic household cleaners for ones using natural ingredients—chemicals often found in cleansers can cause headaches and irritation of the eyes, nose, and throat. Not to mention, products like chemical drain cleaners can seriously damage your plumbing. Using items like vinegar, baking soda, and essential oils, you can keep your bathroom squeaky clean without the harmful toxins of store-bought cleaners. Here are some easy recipes for DIY household cleaners:

Drain cleaner

From thankyourbody.com

Ingredients:

• ½ cup baking soda
• 1 cup white distilled vinegar
• 1 gallon of boiling water (8 – 16 cups)

Directions:

1. Remove the drain plug and pour baking soda down the drain.
2. Pour in half the vinegar and quickly cover the drain with something to keep the “fizz” going down the drain. Once it has stopped fizzing, pour the remaining vinegar and quickly cover the drain again.
3. Keep it covered and let the mixture sit for 15 – 30 minutes.
4. Use this time to boil your water. Slowly pour boiling water down the drain.

Depending on the severity of the clog, you may have to repeat this entire process 2 or even 3 times.

Glass cleaner

From goodhousekeeping.com

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• ½ cup white or cider vinegar
• ¼ cup rubbing alcohol 70% concentration
• 1-2 drops of orange essential oil

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients in a spray bottle.
2. Spray the solution on a paper towel or soft cloth first, then on the glass.

All-purpose cleaner

From goodhousekeeping.com

Ingredients:

• 1 part white vinegar
• 1 part water
• Lemon rind
• Rosemary sprigs

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients in a spray bottle.
2. Let infuse for a week before using.

Wood cleaner

From hgtv.com

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups distilled water
• 1 cup distilled white vinegar
• 8 tbsp. olive oil
• Lemon essential oil

Directions:

1. Combine ingredients in a spray bottle.
2. Shake to mix before using.

Mold and mildew remover

From realsimple.com

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• 2 tspn. tea tree oil
• ¼ cup baking soda

Directions:

1. Pour the water and tea tree oil into a spray bottle and shake well.
2. Heavily spray moldy areas and let it sit for 24 hours.
3. Pour baking soda into a small bowl and gradually spritz it with the solution until a glue-like paste forms.
4. Apply to the moldy surface using a clean toothbrush and scrub.
5. Rinse

Protect the pipes

Avoiding damage to your plumbing pipes will greatly benefit you in the long run. The better you treat your pipes, the less damage you’re likely to have in the future. Just like how you take care of your home’s pipes, SAWS takes care of their pipes—12,000 miles of water and sewer pipes that are underground the city right now. This is done with regular maintenance and initiatives to make residents aware of what shouldn’t be flushed down the drain.By putting a priority on the maintenance of our infrastructure, SAWS is preventing costly repairs in the long run, which saves everyone money. What could be better than that?