DIY Non-Toxic Cleaning: Vinegar, Baking Soda, Sodium Percarbonate & Soda Ash

Here at Pretty Clean Shop, we take pride in offering a growing selection of cleaning products that are efficient, safe and environmentally friendly.

We know that many household products sold in supermarkets are potentially harmful for humans and the planet. This is why many of our customers look to DIY options, for which we offer bulk ingredients to create a wide range of effective household cleaning products.

The four non-toxic cleaning ingredients

• Concentrated vinegar — highly acidic, so it kills harmful bacteria while remaining safe for humans.
• Baking soda — mildly abrasive, so it scrubs away messes by gently scratching the surface.
• Sodium percarbonate — a great alternative to chlorine bleach: less corrosive, less dangerous, and it works as a stain remover, whitener and disinfectant.
• Soda ash — sodium carbonate, a strong degreaser and water softener that's also antifungal and antibacterial.

Here are some simple formulas for daily housekeeping using safe, green cleaning ingredients.

Concentrated vinegar: remove limescale from shower doors

Vinegar can be used without moderation — it's colourless, the smell evaporates quickly, and it poses no danger to the environment. It's an excellent disinfectant, a good anti-scale agent and a natural fabric softener.

Ingredients

• ½ cup 12% vinegar
• ¼ cup dishwashing liquid
• 1 glass spray bottle

How to

1. Heat the vinegar for 1 minute, then pour into the spray bottle.
2. Add the dishwashing liquid.
3. Spray onto the surface to be cleaned.
4. Wait 30 minutes.
5. Rub with a sponge — bye bye limescale.

Baking soda: clean the toilet bowl naturally

Baking soda is eco-friendly and inexpensive, and it works in the kitchen, for body care, for home maintenance, in the garden and for animal care. An excellent alternative to expensive and potentially dangerous household products.

Ingredients

• ½ cup baking soda
• ¼ cup white vinegar
• A few drops of lemon, tea tree or pine essential oil

How to

1. Mix and pour into the toilet bowl.
2. Allow the effervescent reaction to subside.
3. Scrub with a brush.

Sodium percarbonate: whiten cloth diapers and stained fabrics

Sodium percarbonate is used in many commercial stain removers and bleaches, though usually with additives. On its own it whitens, disinfects and deodorizes, and it's biodegradable. Use it to clean reusable diapers, reusable menstrual pads, and any dingy or heavily stained fabric.

Ingredients

• 4 litres of hot water
• 2–4 tbsp sodium percarbonate

How to

1. Soak for 24 hours.
2. Wash in the machine with your regular detergent.
3. Add more sodium percarbonate if needed.

Soda ash: degrease oven and BBQ grills

Soda ash is a powerful degreaser, stain remover and whitener that also softens water. It's ecological, biodegradable and harmless to both people and the environment.

Ingredients

• One part soda ash
• One part hot water

How to

1. Mix into a paste and apply to grease and charred food debris.
2. Rub with a brush and let stand overnight.
3. Clean off with a wet sponge.

Alternative: soak grills in a basin of hot water with ½ cup of soda ash, then scrub with a brush or scouring pad.

How to choose safe cleaning products

Be sure the products you use are good for both you and the planet, and stay on the lookout for eco-responsible solutions that actually work. Three guidelines:

• Look for ingredients from natural sources — plant or mineral based.
• Look for products that are phosphate free, chlorine free and free of toxic acids.
• Look for formaldehyde-free and SLS-free formulas, ideally plant based and coconut derived.

Do your own research and watch for known behavioural toxins, carcinogens, developmental toxins, endocrine disruptors, fire retardants, heavy metals, neurotoxins, high-risk pesticides, reproductive toxins, toxic solvents and harmful VOCs.

All four of these ingredients are available in bulk at our DIY refills collection — bring your own container in store, or we'll ship across Canada.