The original topic was posted in the Italian-speaking Community Center by @Sondra6 and we have translated it below.
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What cleaning products can I use to be environmentally friendly? Floor cleaner, multipurpose, anti-limescale, window cleaner: these cleaning products remove dirt from my home, but they dirty the planet! You can use environmentally friendly products, then! When I spend a bit more, I reconcile the ecological factor and the quality of the cleaning, and I buy biodegradable and environmentally friendly products, but I have to say that these are really more expensive than the others.
What can I do to save money, respect the planet and have a clean house? Am I asking too much? No!
I swung into action and self-produced an inexpensive and super-tested multipurpose cleaner โ here's the recipe, it's very easy.
How to make a multipurpose cleaning product that doesn't pollute the environment
THE RECIPE
Here are the quantities so you can try it out for yourself, if you like:
- 5 tablespoons of pure baking soda powder
- 1 teaspoon of liquid ecolabel soap (I use my multipurpose, which is perfect, but the soap is also great for washing dishes, ecolabel is the only one I recommend)
- 8 tablespoons of water, or more, depending on the consistency you want to obtain)
- 5/6 drops of tea tree essential oil
Mix the water well with the soap, and then add the baking soda a little at a time, mixing constantly.
The result is a soft and very white compound. To clean the ceramic sanitary ware and the steel washbasin of the kitchen, I add to the sponge a small amount of the saturated solution that I prepared, and I go over the surfaces, then with another wet sponge, I carefully rinse, and the result is super shiny. ๐
Pure baking soda is a natural element, and in Italy, it is almost all extracted from the Rosignano quarries in Tuscany. It does not undergo industrial processing and is also suitable for food use: it is, in fact, used to help leavening, for some preserves, in toothpastes and for many other purposes.
Baking soda is a natural substance, so its environmental impact is minimal compared to the chemicals in industrial detergents.
This is an antibacterial product thanks to the salinity of bicarbonate. It is slightly abrasive, so it removes dirt without any damage to the ceramic. Thanks to the soap surfactants it can be used for dishes or, in my case, multipurpose cleanser, as it removes greasy dirt. I add a few drops of tea tree essential oil (optional) at the end, which also has a disinfecting action.
An excellent product for daily cleaning in the bathroom and kitchen.
Fun fact: ceramic surfaces shine and stay shiny and white for quite a while after cleaning.
I also find it very good for washing the floors! Rinsing is also necessary in this case, but it's worth it!
