Green Cleaner

A friend recently asked for the recipe to the green all-purpose cleaner I use, and others I have shared it with have really liked it, so I thought I would share with my blogger friends. I got this recipe when I lived in the Ecovillage at Berea College, and I have been making it ever since. It works wonderfully, smells great, I always have the ingredients on hand, it's cheap to make, and...it's green! Can't get much better than that!!

All-Purpose Cleaner

Mix 2T vinegar with 2t borax until dissolved.
Fill bottle with hot water.
Add 2T liquid soap (e.g. ivory).
To scent, add 10-15 drops essential oils.
Follow in order to avoid clumping!

Someone once asked if it needed to be hot when using. No. The hot water is just to help make sure everything is dissolved and mixes well. You do want to make sure all the borax dissolves - maybe even adding a little hot water to make sure it does so before adding all the water (b/c it will be difficult to do at that point).

Also, I use more than the 10-15 drops of essential oils. Just add until you get the scent you want. My favorite combination is grapefruit and lime. Mmmmm.... But you can use whatever you want and in any combination (lavender, lemon, orange, tea tree, the list goes on!!). Some at the Ecovillage liked lavender and lemon. I'm not a big lavender fan. I like the citrus smells!

If you don't have the ingredients on hand and have to purchase them - know that they will last a long time and make MANY bottles of this cleaner. (And I mean MANY!!)

Enjoy! Let me know if you try it out and what you think!!