Homemade Cleaning Products

Experts say that there are at least five to ten pounds of chemicals found in cleaning products per household. If that estimate is true, it is important to try to find cleaners that will actually clean your home without using chemicals to do so. One option is to use Tea Tree oil while cleaning.

Tea Tree oil, taken from the Melaleuca alternifolia tree in Australia, is a wonderful, non-chemical essential oil. The Aboriginal people in Australia have been using the oil, found in the leaves of the tree, for thousands of years for killing bacteria, to help with achy muscles, and other health-related uses.

Tea Tree oil has antiseptic, antibiotic, antiviral, and antifungal properties. (Tea Tree oil should not be ingested.) Recently, however, Tea Tree oil has been touted for more than just medicinal uses. Following are five non-medicinal uses for Tea Tree oil.

1. Since Tea Tree oil does have antiseptic properties, it is a great addition to your warm mist vaporizer to help disinfect the air after someone has been ill in your family. Adding six to eight drops to the laundry when washing the linens following an illness is another good idea.

2. You can make a homemade all-purpose cleaner that will rival any store-bought, chemical cleaner. One such recipe is to combine three or four drops of Tea Tree oil with two tablespoons of vinegar and one tablespoon of borax. Add this mixture to a 12 ounce spray bottle and fill it up with warm water. Shake to combine and use as you would a store-bought cleaner.

3. Adding a drop or two of Tea Tree oil to your soap dispenser in your dishwasher prior to adding soap will help to disinfect your dishes, as well as getting them clean.

4. To kill germs in your laundry, add a few drops of Tea Tree oil to each load of laundry. Not only will it disinfect your clothing, it will leave them clean and fresh smelling, as well.

5. Do you have household pests such as ants? When you find a line of ants, follow the line back to the point of entry. Place a few drops of Tea Tree oil where the ants are entering the house. This will deter the ants from returning through that same point of entry. Wiping down cupboards with a solution of Tea Tree oil and water will also deter roaches, should you ever find them.

These five ways for using Tea Tree oil around your home are just a few available. Yes, Tea Tree oil is natural, but like any other natural substance, just because it's natural does not mean that it's safe. Research has shown, however, that Tea Tree oil, if used properly, will help make your home the cleanest it possibly can be.

There are many items in your kitchen that can be used for multiple purposes. But one that stands out above the rest is baking soda. Yes, that's right, simple, every day, right out of your pantry baking soda.

Here are ten ways you can use baking soda that goes beyond simply adding it to your favorite baked goods recipe:

- Did you know that you can use baking soda as earth-friendly alternative to unclog your drain? You sure can! It's simple to do, less expensive than the store bought product, and just as effective.

Here's what you do: Pour one cup of regular table salt, one cup of baking soda, and half a cup of plain white vinegar down the drain. Leave it alone for 15 minutes and then pour two quarts of boiling water into the sink. Follow this by running the hot water into the sink for at least one minute.

You'll be amazed how effectively this combination works. The drains will be clean and you won't have added anything toxic to the drain system.

- Baking soda, when mixed with salt, is also an effective stain remover and scouring powder. Mix one cup of baking powder with one cup of salt. Then use this mixture the same way you would any other scouring powder. Again, an effective mixture that is less harmful to the environment.

- Sprinkle some baking soda on your carpet and let it sit for 10 minutes. When the time is up, vacuum away any stale odors that may have settled in your carpet.

- Add a little baking soda to your dishwasher the next time you're loading it. The baking soda will give your cleaner an extra boost to get your dishes sparkling clean.

- Make a poultice of baking soda and water then put it on a bee sting. This will ease the pain in no time.

- Adding two teaspoons of baking soda to lukewarm bath water will help ease the pain of chicken pox.

- Have you ever had a small grease fire on the stove when cooking? Sprinkle baking soda on the fire can safely put it out.

- Does your cat's box smell? Thoroughly clean the litter box, let dry in the sun, and then sprinkle enough baking soda in the bottom to cover. Now add your litter. The baking soda will help absorb the odors.

- Making an equal mixture of baking soda and laundry detergent will stretch your detergent and make your laundry smell fresh.

- And, if your refrigerator has a sour odor, place an open box of baking soda in it to absorb those odors. Don't forget to change the box once a month to keep your refrigerator odor free.

Baking soda is truly a multi-purpose item. The applications extend way beyond just using it to make your biscuits light and fluffy.