DIY Nontoxic Cleaning Recipes is the brand new e-book out by Heather of Mommypotamus. I absolutely loved her last books, Nourished Baby and DIY Organic Beauty Recipes, but I’m loving this one even MORE! Why? Because everyone cleans. You can’t get around it. Some of us use a super simple skincare routine (but I still use the makeup remover from her beauty book), but we all, especially if you have kids and/or pets, have to do quite a bit of cleaning to maintain a home.
I’m so excited for these recipes, I feel like using beautiful, healthy products to clean that are scented with natural essential oils is my ‘reward’ for my least favorite cleaning tasks. But now I can make them all myself!
One of the first ones I’m going to try is dish detergent. Pink Lemonade Dish Detergent- who wouldn’t want to do dishes while smelling pink lemonade? Heather tried and tested recipes until she came up with this one that includes Washing Soda, Grapefruit Essential Oil, Lemon Essential Oil, and Bentonite Clay. She also has a Citrus Shine rinse aide to keep spots from your glassware.
Another thing to love is what she doesn’t include in her recipes: Borax. Borax is controversial in the homemade cleaning world, because it is a pesticide, herbicide, and the European Union requires a warning on anything that contains borax stating that it may cause birth defects. It’s widely used in the US, but if I’m going to the trouble to make my own cleaning products, I would rather avoid it as well.
I know my kids will be thrilled to have these room freshening sprays. It’s simple ‘rewards’ like spraying a happy scent in a newly clean room that motivate them (and let’s be honest- me!) to quickly and cheerfully clean up a room. We can finish it off with a natural room spray like “Sunshine Spray” or “Tuscan Escape”.
Other recipes included in the book:
- Lemon and Lavender All-Purpose Spray Cleaner
- Goo and Gunk Remover
- Fruit and Veggie Wash
- Liquid Dish Soap
- Ruby Red Grapefruit Soft Scrub
- Oven Cleaner
- Tub and Tile Cleaner
- Oxygen Bleach
- Lemon and Rosemary Dusting Spray
- Leather Conditioner
- Stainless Steel Cleaner
Gift ideas!
Really, I’m super excited to make all the recipes in this book. Because I’ll be gathering the ingredients and containers anyway, I’m going to put together little natural cleaning baskets (lined with natural cleaning cloths!) for my family and friends for holidays this year. We’re really all trying to stay away from clutter and unnecessary purchases, but having a nicer healthier version of products people use every day is a great gift- great for their health, the environment, and shows that it was hand made with love.
Dryer balls!
My kids made the dryer balls pictured above, we actually spent two afternoons and made 6 of them! I try to keep 3 at any given time in the dryer (we just store them there), the other three float around the house as soft inside balls and for the dog to play fetch with. I just toss them in the hamper as I find them again, and run them through the washer and dryer again- any cycle- it doesn’t matter.
How to make DIY Nontoxic Cleaners Dryer Balls:
Use 100% wool yarn in fairly neutral colors, worsted weight (not superwash or red/black/navy/bright blue), the scratchier the better for this project- scratchy wool sticks together well, and that’s what we need. Start the ball for the kids, and then continue to wind a yarn ball until it reaches your desired size, ours are about the size of lemons. After you’re done, leave a 12″ long tail, and then thread that tail around the outside of the ball randomly, over and under the outside couple layers. Toss the dryer balls in the washer on hot, and then in the dryer. Enjoy!
* For more detailed instructions, as well as instructions for how to roll the ball, see DIY Nontoxic Cleaners!
Buy now and save $4.99!
Click here to buy DIY Nontoxic Cleaners and use the coupon code that’s especially for readers of Health, Home, & Happiness – code HEALTHYHOME saves 20% until October 10th, 2013!
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Hi Cara,
All your hyperlinks go to an organic beauty book, not the cleaning recipes. Can you update, please? Thanks :)
Ah, thanks! Will do!
Safari can’t open because it can’t find the server?
Hopefully it works now,sometimes servers go down.
Safari can’t open the page because it can’t find the server? What’s going on thank you
I bought this ebook a few weeks ago and can’t say enough about it. About a year ago, I started taking our household toward being organic and artificial-free. The plan was to change a few things and then slowly adopt what caught my attention. But the healthy results were so dramatic that I jumped in with both feet. (We have allergies, asthma, crohn’s disease and high blood pressure, and that’s just my husband and me!)
YET I still held off on somethings, like making my own laundry detergent and dishwasher powder, etc. Until I bought this ebook. Everything is laid out clearly and sensibly. The recipes are very doable, even for those of us who are not quite crunchy yet. Even the photos are beautifully done. I find myself referring to this at least 2-3 times a week and have been thrilled with the results. The added benefit is how much money we’ve started saving on wholesome household necessities.
Thank you, very much for the time and planning you put into your book. I hope you know how valuable and lovely your accomplishment is.
Is it possible to get the book in hard or soft cover????