Natural Cleaning Recipes
Solid Dishwashing Brick
This Solid Dishwashing Brick is the solid, even lower waste sister of 2018's Super Concentrated Lemon Dishwashing Paste. It's also super concentrated, but significantly more solid (surprise, ha) and doesn't require any packaging. I've been storing it in a small...
How to Clean Textured Tiles
If you've been following me on social media you'll know that I recently moved (again). I am no fan of moving—between all that packing, hauling, unpacking, and the general chaos it unleashes on my life, I would generally prefer to stay put, but... life happens. Anywho,...
Super Concentrated Lemon Dishwashing Paste
If you’ve been using liquid dishwashing detergent, prepare to have your world rocked. Seriously. Solid dishwashing paste kicks dishwashing butt in ways you didn’t think could happen. It’s so amazing that I was actually excited about washing dishes as I was developing...
All-Purpose Enzyme Cleaning Spray
I whipped up this simple all-purpose enzyme cleaning spray a couple months ago and it’s quickly become a household staple for me. It gently cleans and deodorizes, leaving my counter tops gleaming, and I think it's easier to make than a cup of tea! I like to pair it...
Recipes & Ideas for Spring Cleaning
I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that it's finally warm out. It's supposed to be 28°C (82°F) tomorrow! That's amazing! That's nearly double the average temperature for this time of year, which is to say spring has sprung decidedly early for this part of the world....
Bandits Mattress and Carpet Freshening Powder
This lovely three-ingredient Bandits Mattress and Carpet Freshening Powder refreshes un-launderables quickly and easily, and it uses Bandits Oil to boot, so that's awesome 🙂 You can whip this up really easily in your DIY specific coffee grinder—it might take one...
Lemon Eucalyptus Toilet Bombs
This fun little nuggets of citrussy-scented cleaning power are like bath bombs for your toilet, except instead of softening your skin, they fizzle away at your dirty toilet bowl. As far as toilet cleaning goes, these are actually pretty fun. That's not much, but it's...
Bandits Oil
Frankly, I'm a bit surprised I don't already have a recipe for, err, "Bandits" oil up here (apparently the more common name is trademarked and the owners aren't shy about threatening bloggers with legal action, which is just charming... hence the different name), and...
Lemon Cream Cleaning Lotion
This lemony scented cream cleaner comes together in a flash, and is fantastic for cleaning sinks and bathtubs, but it's also done great things to grime on my stove top. It's basically a lotion, but instead of a carrier oil, I've used d-limonene (aka citrus terpenes)...
Magical Sticky Label Removal Goo
One of my most popular entries is a short and sweet one on getting sticky labels off jars using one secret ingredient (it's cooking oil). Consider this the 2.0 of that entry. While cooking oil works wonderfully, it is liquid, and that's a problem when it comes to...
My DIY Grease-Busting Cleaning Powder
This started out as laundry powder, but then I started using it for other things, and it still hasn't made it's way into the washing machine. It's too busy in the kitchen, melting away tea stains and blasting greasy pans from DIY projects clean. I always keep a bag or...
Simple Cleaning Soap
This recipe may not be all that romantic, but I can promise it's wonderfully practical. It yields hard white bars that are inexpensive to make and nicely bubbly. The bars shred down beautifully into soapy flakes and bits that make great laundry powder and cleaning...
Orange Wax Wood Polish
I absolutely love wooden... everything, really. Furniture, staircases, combs, floors, panelled walls, cutting boards, salad bowls, utensils, whatever. You name it, and I'd like to see a wooden version of it. Wood just has a fantastic sheen and natural character to it,...
Disinfecting Yoga Mat Spray
'Tis the season for New Years Resolutions, and if my yoga studio is any indication, yoga is a popular New Years Resolution. I will easily confess that I attend fewer classes in January than in December or November due to the flood of new people, turning each class...
Aluminum Foil & Soda Silver Polish
I'm sure you've seen a variation of this around if you've even been on Pinterest. I've seen a lot of different versions of it, so I thought I'd give it a try when my necklace took a dip in the hot tub with me and it didn't like it. In about three seconds the bromine...
Natural Hair Care: Washing Your Brushes & Combs
One of my favourite articles on natural(ish) hair care dates back to the early 1900s, and is written by Mlle. Aline Vallandri, a woman who is famous for the length and health of her hair. The article is accompanied by a rather shocking (to modern eyes, at least)...
Lemon Cream Cleaning Spray
I think the most magical part about homemade cleaning products is not their low cost, the fact that they are non toxic, or the whole "yay I made something" factor—it's that they have this incredible ability to make me excited to clean my bathroom. For the first couple...
Even Better Tub Scrub (Non-Toxic Comet)
Like most people, I'm not the type who gets excited about cleaning the bathroom. You would have just cause to worry about me if I did. Anyhow, this scrub got me excited about bathroom scrubbing for at least a few minutes, and if that's not a testament to how awesome...
Deep Cleaning Washable Barefoot Shoes
I recently purchased myself a pair of Merrell Pace Gloves. I love how lightweight and flexible they are, and even though I haven't really been putting much effort into training myself to barefoot run, I still wear them all the time. And it's starting to show... in the...
Super Simple Grout Cleaner
I recently discovered the wonders of hydrogen peroxide when its mixed with . It's amazing. Someday I will write an entire entry detailing the many, many things you can do with this simple mixture. It saved a cream coloured shirt that had been...
Cleaning Fabric-Backed Smartphone Cases
A few months ago I ordered a replacement for my trusty iPhone case. Speck #1 had served me well, so I replaced it with Speck #2 and Speck #3. I've always liked the fabric-backed case look, so I got two more, and they are cute. Simultaneously colourful and protective....
At Home Dry Cleaning
I suppose I should preface this post by saying that no, this trick will not remove that ketchup stain from that silk-cashmere-ascot-thing that you ruined at that barbeque last summer. Sorry. This is more of a dry way of freshening up things that shouldn't be washed...
Fantastic Bathroom Scrub
I feel fairly safe in stating that cleaning a bathroom is probably no one's favourite job. And I also feel fairly safe in stating that most people prefer a clean bathroom to a filthy one, which creates a rather unfortunate catch-22. It can be somewhat offset by...
15 Uses for Baking Soda
Baking soda is crazy cheap and super useful. See? I no longer recommend putting baking soda on your skin; read this for more information. 1. Wash your face Baking soda is just the right texture to be mildly exfoliating, and it's status as a mild base does a great job...
