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With so many amazing DIY recipes out there for spray cleaners, laundry detergents, and soaps, there is no need to pay a fortune to bring questionable chemicals into your home in the name of cleanliness.

With just a few ingredients, many of which you will likely find already in your pantry, you can have a home that is spotless, safe, and smells amazing while saving a bob or two at the same time.

Not only that, but think about all of the packaging, plastic, and waste you will help keep from the landfill! Take a look at these OGP articles that give you ideas for making your own cleaning and home care products.

1. Clean with Lemons

Lemons contain citric acid which is naturally antiseptic and antibacterial. As well, its acidic nature is excellent for breaking down grease and alkaline buildup such as limescale, and it works as a natural bleach, too. All these powers combined make lemons a great, cheap, non-toxic, and compostable solution for many household cleaning jobs. Check out these innovative ways to use lemons at home. Check out these 5 Ways to Clean and Freshen Your Home with Lemons.

2. Protect Wooden Furniture

The problem with buying products to protect wood is that they often give off harmful fumes and familiar scents that damage our health as we breathe them in. This is true for both furniture polishes that we’d use for furniture upkeep and sealants we’d use for protecting new wooden home additions. Luckily, there are very simple and safe DIY methods for getting these things done. Take a look at these 5 Ways to Naturally Protect Wood From Water Damage

3. Do Laundry

Unfortunately, many of the detergents, softeners, stain removers, and dryer sheets we are being sold are chemically concocted and, thus, not exactly primo for our health or the planet’s. So, if we are going to insist on wearing clothes — and let’s be frank in that it does keep life’s daily endeavors on task — then we need to find a way to clean our clothes without causing too much damage. Luckily, there are plenty of natural ingredients that are perfectly suited for just that! Read here for some Tips for Handling Dirty Laundry With Natural Ingredients

4. DIY Kitchen Cleaners

It only takes turning that bottle of kitchen cleaner around, reading the label, and learning what some of those chemicals are to make you rethink spreading them all over your home. While all of our cleaners boast and brag about their ability to kill germs, make your surfaces sparkle, and remove odors, what they don’t disclose is that the chemicals used to achieve this are incredibly harmful to our health. Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to keep the kitchen clean, from the dishes to the floor to the stovetop, and we can do it all with all-natural, homemade products. Have a look at these DIY Detergents, Cleaners, and Scrubs for the Kitchen.

5. DIY Bathroom Cleaners

The bathroom has to stay clean, and one of us—some of us—has to do it. While these spots—toilet seats, toothbrush holders, soap dishes—need to be hygienic, cleaning the bathroom is not the time to turn to harsh chemicals and expensive specialty products. Making your own bathroom cleaners is simple, inexpensive, and effective. With just a handful of natural ingredients, we can keep the bathroom sparkling and our experiences there as pleasant as possible. Check out these 8 DIY Bathroom Cleaners: From Tub Scrubs and Tile Grout Cleaners to Streak-Free Mirrors!

6. Clean with Vinegar

As is the case with many a home DIY project, making things ourselves and reusing containers, specifically glass jars, can help curb our dependence on plastic. The following life hacks using vinegar will quickly help those trying to avoid plastic by replacing all those products that come in plastic bottles with ones that can be made right at home, for much less money, and with much less footprint to feel wrong about. Here are 6 Life Hacks Using Vinegar That Can Help You Crush Toxins and Plastic in Your Home

7. DIY Stain Remover

The fact we subject ourselves to chemicals in the name of appearing clean makes no sense. Essentially, we are trading our own safety to have clothes, bathroom grout, or rugs that don’t look dirty. Unfortunately, the reality is that we are soiling our clothes and homes with harsh chemicals that might be making us ill. Even worse, we are paying good money to do it. Instead, we could be making our own stain removers by using all-natural ingredients, and we could be saving money in doing so. Whether it’s the bathtub, a favorite T-shirt, or the carpet, there’s an all-natural solution to try. Here are some ideas for DIY All-Natural Stain Removers.

8. Clean with Baking Soda

Whether it’s in the medicine cabinet, in the bathroom, under the kitchen sink, in the cupboard, or amongst the lost items on the lower shelf of the fridge, baking soda finds a way to earn its keep and keep things running smoothly. Twenty ways doesn’t fully encapsulate the potential of baking soda, but we have to start somewhere. Many of these 20 Surprising Ways You Can Use Baking Soda will make your house shine.

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