I try to avoid using chemical cleaners if at all possible. With the exception of one product (a terribly toxic substance that seems to be the only solution to wiping out the ring of dirt and hard water around the tub - might anyone have a natural remedy to this problem?), everything in our cleaning cupboard is safe to use and wouldn't kill our children if they were to accidentally ingest it. Baking Soda, Vinegar, and Lemon go a long way!
These lemon dust cloths take just minutes to prepare and can be stored in an airtight jar until you're ready to use them. Sometimes dusting with a dry cloth does more harm then good as it moves the dirt around instead of catching it. These cloths are damp and infused with vinegar to help catch and kill the bugs at the same time. The addition of olive oil and lemon rind bring a soft polish to your furniture.
To make, you'll need six things:
- 1 cup vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 lemon rind
- 2 dust rags
- 1 glass jar with lid
Mix the vinegar, water, and olive oil together. Soak the rags in the solution. Ring out until damp-dry. Alternate rinds with rags inside your jar and seal the lid tightly.
Do you have any natural cleaning solutions to share? I'm especially interested in learning how to get marker off fireplace stone. It seems someone in our house decided the slab looked to boring in grey. :-)
What a great idea, Jacinda! I stay away from toxic cleaners, as well, but had never thought of this.
ReplyDeleteI've used orange oil for several yrs to dust my furniture. Like your lemon dust clothes, it has a wonderful citrus twist!
I have always wondered what the natural solution to a dusting spray would be. Thank you for sharing.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've been looking for just this recipe thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteJacinda - try ivory liquid soap for the dirt ring around your tub. It works great for us!
ReplyDeleteIngenious! I'm going to have to try that soon. I've got a whole cupboard of 'toxic' cleaners...but am quite attached to their different usages and I love the fresh smell attached to them. But I'm sure if I did some real research, I'd not be too happy to know what's all in there besides the fresh odours!
ReplyDeleteLove this! I'm going to be trying this soon! :) You might really like the book The Naturally Clean Home - They have tons of natural cleaning recipes for everything! I used one for the bathtub years ago and loved it - I just can't remember what was in it. It's my Mom's book & I haven't gotten a copy yet since getting married 2 years ago. :)
ReplyDeleteTry using a coat of carnauba wax on your tub and shower after you've cleaned it really well. It helps protect against the build-up of soap scum and water deposits. Just don't put it on the floor of the tub because it can make it slippery. While it is bleached and may have some chemicals in it, carnauba wax may allow you to use milder, less toxic cleaners.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea! Thank you so much for sharing this timely advice (we're clearing our home of chemicals for cleaning!).
ReplyDeleteKristi
homeschoolingandotheradventures.blogspot.com
I can't help but wonder about the effect of acid (vinegar) on certain surfaces. Have you used this on wood surfaces? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi Jacinda,
ReplyDeleteI couldn't resist replying to your this blog post... that's excellent that you are removing toxic cleaning chemicals from your home! The health of your family will be SO much better for it!
I use a cleaning system called ENJO (I actually sell it too:) in my home. It's a system that uses fibre technology and water to clean every surface in the home.
And it works better than anything else I've tried (vinegar, baking soda, cleaners, etc) and is very simple and easy to use. It even works wonders at removing hard waters spots and soap scum!
Feel free to e-mail me if you are interested in learning more or trying any ENJO products. :)
Is ENJO a lot like Norwex cleaning cloths?
DeleteWhat a neat idea, I have to try this :-)
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!
ReplyDeleteWonderful idea! I'll have to give this a try!
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful post! I too use the vinegar, baking soda, essential oil combos, but I had been searching for a dusting alternative. I am 8 1/2 months pregnant, and set out to rid our home of all toxins once I found out I was pregnant. I had wanted to for some time, and the thought of a little one thwarted me forward on that endeavor. Thank you for your Godly, honest, and uplifting posts. I enjoy reading your blog, it is lovely. God bless.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I'm really not a fan of the smell of vinegar, this sounds like an interesting alternative to dusting the furniture.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting tid-bit about vinegar: once it dries there is no more vinegar smell.
DeleteThis is great---thank you! I'd love to have you link this up in my Homemaking Link-Up Weekend...starts tomorrow night!
ReplyDeleteHave a great night!
Sarah
Great idea! Thanks for sharing it!
ReplyDeleteThese look great! Thanks! I wonder if straight baking soda, with a tad of water to make a paste would work on your marker on the fireplace stone? I know it is a good, natural abrasive cleaner.
ReplyDeleteThis is great - thank you! I've been looking for a good way to dust better - with a dog and forced air heat it's hard to keep up with it sometimes. :)
ReplyDeleteI also have ridiculous stains in my tub from hard water; I use a combination of lemon/ vinegar water, baking soda and lots of elbow grease to get it out. It works, but it has to be done every couple days. I'd love to hear if you find any better options!
Oh, thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteI so love this idea! I'm bookmarking and using this recipe, especially since my kids like helping me dust. Thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteI have never heard of this before , but I love it!!! I am definitely going to try it out.
ReplyDeleteI love my lemon dusting spray, but this sounds like a great alternative. I had looked once - a long time ago - for a non-toxic alternative but everything I found either smelled bad or was way to hard to make. This sounds like the perfect solution. I'm definitely going to bookmark this to try once we move onto our new homestead in a few weeks. I think my little boy may enjoy helping make this, as well.
ReplyDeleteNice post thanks for sharing..blessings for you...loves soraya
ReplyDeleteI definitely will try this. it doesn't sound like it would be greasy with such little olive oil. As to the marker on the fireplace brick, I have no clue. My mom would say it adds character ;-/ Thanks for sharing...I will have to use your format for my link-ups from now on...everything I do seems to take such a long time. You are so much more organized.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your submission on Nourishing Treasures' Make Your Own! Monday link-up.
ReplyDeleteI would love to feature this, but I'm not seeing a link-back :(
Thanks for this recipe! How often do you empty the jar and start over?
ReplyDeleteI've been making my own cleaners for 15 years now. We've eliminated nearly all products with chemicals and feel so much better! I can't even walk down the air freshener aisle at the store anymore. The smells are overwhelming!
As for the marker on the fireplace, I'd recommend a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. I've used it to remove sharpie markers from several surfaces, as well as stubborn bathtub grime. It doesn't have any smell and the label doesn't have any warnings about toxicity. I've used it for years with no ill effects. It will leave permanent white marks on unfinished or poorly finished wood, though. You can find it in the cleaning supplies aisle.
TURPENTINE is what you need to get the marker pen marks off your fireplace. It certainly works perfectly! Thanks for this great post on kepping your dusters fresh- what a great idea, thank you so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI'm hosting a weekly linky over at Natural Mothers Network and would love it if you popped over and linked this post! It would be great to introduce your blog to my readership! Seasonal Celebration Linky http://naturalmothersnetwork.com/seasonal-celebration-sunday/seasonal-celebration/ Thank you :-) Rebecca x
Tea Tree Oil gets marker of walls (and my childrens clothing) so I would think it would take it off stone aswell. Tea Tree Oil also gets off bathtub rings, just dilute it alittle bit. (I also dilute it when using on my wall)
ReplyDeleteOh as an added bonus tea tree oil will also soothe bug bites (my mom orders it from Melaleuca but I just buy it from the pharmacy), I just mix the tea tree oil in with some homemade lip balm and the kids put it on there bits or injuries.
ReplyDeleteJust saw this. Can't wait to try these!
ReplyDeleteLooks wonderful! Thanks for the idea :)
ReplyDeleteMade these today! Love them already!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of using these dustcloths. I find that a damp cloth with a couple tablespoons of baking soda (it should create a damp lump on the cloth) works very well for removing bathtub rings. Just wipe and rinse.
ReplyDeleteHi! I found you on Pintrest as I am trying to get away from Chemicals and be a less toxic household. I saw you were trying to find a good soap scum remover and i have one pinned that is Vinegar and Dawn, heres the link my friend says it works great :)
ReplyDeletehttp://lifecraftsandwhatever.blogspot.com/2012/01/dawn-vinegar-soap-scum-killa.html
I recently read Borax is a great bathtub cleaner. We have horrible hard water and my husband has been using it and lots of elbow grease and it seems to be working. I've also decided a little bit of vinegar can clean almost anything!
ReplyDeleteThanks a bunch for that safe and effective and good smelling recipe! My grands like to help their mommy dust and these will be perfect!
ReplyDeleteThankyou for the natural and safe and good smelling recipe! My granddaughters love to dust for their mommy and this will be perfect!
ReplyDeleteI use a vinegar/dawn solution I found on pinterest for my shower/tub. We have hard water and I was finding that even the chemicals were not getting it clean. It's a 50/50 solution. I have a spray bottle for it. heat 1 cup vinegar in the microwave and then put it in the spray bottle and add equal amount of dawn. The original recipe calls for the blue original dawn. I had green ultra concentrated dawn. I found equal amount of the concentrated to be a little too much so I just guess as to how much to put in. Anyways, the first time we used it we let it soak overnight and scrubbed it. Now I find I can just spray 1x a week and let it sit for a couple hours and then spray it off with the shower head (not sure if the couple hours are necessary but I do other housework after I spray it). I would think any soap would work as basically the soap keeps the vinegar sticking to the sides a bit longer than if you were to just use vinegar.
ReplyDeleteI user vinegar faithfully to wash my floors and in cleaning my bathroom. Borax serves as wonderful scouring agent in the bathtub and on the other fixtures as well. I also use it as a "green" laundry booster as well.
ReplyDeleteI have not tried it...but I recently read that using a pasted of baking soda and peroxide will clean grout. So it may work on your stone fireplace????
ReplyDeleteI clean hard water deposits from pans/shower heads/etc with vinegar (as you seem to do). The caveat is that it is a rather slow process. Heating the vinegar (I boil it) makes it go much faster. It is a bit more difficult in something like a tub, as the vinegar needs to sit on the deposits, not just be rinsed over it. Its a start though =]
ReplyDeleteI watched the TV show "The Chew" (ABC) on Monday and they did cleaning solutions for common clothing stains - the second one was ink on a white shirt. They used rubbing alcohol (or said you could use hairspray too) to get the stain out. The alcohol might work on the grout though. Other suggestions were to use Dawn dish soap on coffee stains, straight Peroxide on blood stains, and a peroxide/baking soda toothpaste on grass stains. They did demos on the show and I was amazed on how fast and well they worked.
ReplyDeleteI use 50/50 blue Dawn/white vinegar as a bathroom cleaner/laundry stain remover, and it works wonderful! Just mix it in a spray bottle, give it a little shake to mix each time you use it and voila!
ReplyDeleteThat's exactly what I was going to reccomend
DeleteWould this be safe to use on an antique piano. I'm trying to remove all the toxic chemicals from our home. Just want to be sure this is safe on wood. Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteHow long can you leave these damp dust cloths in the jar/container? Wouldn't they mildew? My dusting episodes are not always frequent.
ReplyDeleteHow long can the dustcloths stay in the jar/container? Would they mildew? I am an infrequent duster, I'm afraid.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! For that awful ring around the tub, heat up 1 cup of vinegar and mix it with 1 cup of blue dawn in a squirt bottle. Spray on the tub and let sit for half an hour and voila! Its single use so you might need to make a smaller batch but it works beautifully!
ReplyDeleteI changed to a soap free wash...no more rings and it's kinder to the skin than soap.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if the vinegar keeps the cloths from smelling like mildew? Also for the ring you can try wetting your tub and shower and sprinkling cream of tarter all over it, then slice a lemon in half and rub it all over the tub.
ReplyDeleteWhile this isn't completely natural, it is low in chemicals - we use the Mr Clean Magic Eraser for any crayon/pen/marker stains and use it on the ring around the tub as well.
ReplyDeleteBaking soda and elbow grease (consider it a workout) gets the tub rings off.
ReplyDeleteI'm totally going to do this! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteAlso, this is my absolute favourite natural scrub. The Creamy Soft Scrub. It works miracles, I love it so much.
See if it works on your tub? http://www.thelyhome.blogspot.ca/2012/08/creamy-soft-scrub.html
Love the dawn and vinegar mixture for my tub! Just pinned the 'get the yellow pit stains out of your white shirt. Dawn, peroxide, baking soda mixture. I have a large jug of vinegar in every room that gets a major cleaning (bathrooms, kitchen, laundry room), just in case.
ReplyDeleteBefore I try this - I would like to know the shelf life. do you mix it just before you use it - or can it stay in the airtight container for...........how long? I am concerned about mold/mildew - but anxious to try.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
~windi
Is there a chance that this could get moldy since you can keep them in the jar until you need it? Or do the ingredients keep this from happening? Im excited to try this out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this tip, I'll definitely try this. As for the ring around the tub take a new or used bounce fabric softner sheets and wipe. Comes right off.
ReplyDeleteI've used plain old Hydrogen Peroxide for my bathroom cleaning and it works wonders. Try that on your hard water ring if the previous suggestions don't help. :-)
ReplyDeleteFor the ring around your tub, take a cup of vinegar and warm it up in the microwave for 2 mins, than pour into a spray bottle, add a cup of dawn liquid detergent to it and shake. Spray the contents in your tub let sit for about 15 mins or so than wipe away. Works wonders..
ReplyDeleteTake a cup of vinegar and heat it up in the microwave for about 2 mins, than pour into a spray bottle. Add 1 cup of dawn liquid detergent to it and shake, than spray all over in the tub. Let sit for about 15-30 mins and than after that wipe clean. You will have a nice shiny tub and the ring will be gone as well.
ReplyDeleteAlso works wonders to clean the nasty grease that builds up on the sides of your stove and also the hood above the stove.
Just saw this on Pinterest today and can't wait to try it out! Fantastic idea!
ReplyDeleteI am really into natural housekeeping too. I use doTERRA essential oils all of the time. I also use Norwex cleaning cloths. A few drops of pure lemon oil in this recipe would replace the lemon rinds, and it dissolves anything sticky and smells divine. I had an old window pane that had been on my cabinet over my stove and was covered with sticky, greasy dust. The lemon oil dissolved it very quickly and the Norwex cloth wiped it right away. I also use three drops of an oil blend in one quart of water and it disinfects my whole house and smells great. Email me if you have any questions.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if you've found a solution to the marker on your fireplace or if you'd even be will to try this but I have used hairspray on a number of occasions and many surfaces to take off permanent marker. It melts right off. What does that say about hairspray?
ReplyDeleteCan orange peels be substituted? And like some others have asked, how long is the shelf life? Thank you!
ReplyDeleteJust made this. So excited about this. Can not wait to use. I have seen some others ask... what is the self life of this? My concern is the lemon peels mildewing.
ReplyDeleteAlso, those of you that have posted regarding the Dawn/Vinegar cleaner... what all is this good for cleaning?
Love this idea! Thanks!!
ReplyDeleteWow, it's a lovely idea....I would like to implement that idea.Cleaner Jobs
ReplyDeleteI'm curious of the shelf life as well. How long can the rags stay in the container?
ReplyDeleteAmy, I make a new batch once a month. I've never had an issue with mold ( I suppose the acid from the vinegar and lemon help prevent that), so they might last longer.
DeleteI would love to try these but have a couple of questions. Can you use a different oil like almond or grapeseed? I'm allergic to olives. Also how about a different rind like orange? I'm allergic to lemons too (but for some reason not oranges!). Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI didn't read all the comments--so maybe someone gave you this tip. For removing hardwater rings/scum, I read to make a past of baking soda and dawn dish soap. I did that and used it with a sponge and WOW it worked great. I had a tub with a textured bottom to make it anti-slip, but it would get a gross dirty looking build up of minerals, soap and whatever washed off us. I used bad smelling chemicals and had to really scrub, then used a magic eraser, but the mixture of dawn and the baking soda worked great. I rubbed it on, let it set a little then went back and scrubbed/rinsed.
ReplyDeletetoothpaste, not the gel, will get out your tub ring or a magic eraser will work too...just get it wet and scrub(you dont have to scrub too hard, either) then just rinse tub...they both work...promise. Good luck!
ReplyDeletehi, i am definitely going to try this. i had a brick wall and fireplace in my last home. the previous owners had a little boy who wrote him name in crayon. i tried everything and then i just used sandpaper. gone in a minute. hope this helps.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry if you are getting too much feed-back on this, but I can't help sharing a recipe I found for cleaning bath tubs. I have tried many different cleaners; from toxic, chemical laden ones to natural, and nothing wowed me like this one: heat 1 cup of vinegar and 1 T corn starch in the microwave for 2 minutes. Add 2 T dish detergent and put it in a spay bottle. Spray. Wait 1hr. Wipe. Rinse. Thank you so much for your blog. You are an inspiration!
ReplyDelete