Hazlo!
Make it!
Fernando Arroyo
2011
For the Urban Garden Coalition Foxfire Friday Workshop
HAZLO YA! | MAKE IT NOW!
These are some of my favorite DIY better-for-you cleaning recipes
HOUSE
Basic Ingredients
Some you’ll use alone, some you’ll combine.
 Baking Soda
 White Vinegar
 Hydrogen peroxide
 Borax
 Essential oils, like tea tree oil, lavender oil, eucalyptus oil, or
lemongrass oil
 Castile soap (like Dr. Bronner's)
 Fresh herbs, citrus, or citrus peels
 Olive or vegetable oil
 Water
 Kosher Salt
BATHROOM
Via Re-Nest
Equipment or Tools
 Measuring cups and spoons
 Jars
 Spray bottles
TUB AND TILE CLEANER: In a jar or spray bottle, combine 1 2/3 cup baking
sodawith 1/2 cup vegetable oil-based liquid soap. Add 1/2 cup
water and 2 tablespoons vinegar. Shake before using. Apply with a cloth
or sponge and rinse well.
SCOURING POWDER: Combine 1 cup baking soda, 1 cup borax, and 1 cup
kosher salt in a jar. Sprinkle on area to be cleaned, wipe with a sponge,
and rinse.
TOILET BOWL CLEANER: Mix 1/4 cup borax or baking soda and 1 cup
vinegar in the toilet. Let it sit for 15 minutes (or longer, if necessary),
scrub, and flush.
GLASS CLEANER: Combine 1/4 cup vinegar and 4 cups warm water in a
spray bottle. Use to clean glass or mirrors with a dry cloth or piece of
newspaper.
DRAIN CLEANER: Pour 1/2 cup baking soda into drain followed by 1 cup
vinegar. Let it sit and fizz for 15 minutes, then rinse with hot or boiling
water. May need to repeat or leave baking soda and vinegar in overnight.
FLOOR SANITIZER: In a bucket, mix 1/2 cup borax with 2 gallons hot
water. Apply with a mop or sponge. Rinsing is not necessary.
SOAP SCUM REMOVER: Sprinkle on baking soda, scrub with a cloth or
sponge, and rinse. Vinegar or kosher salt also work.
CALCIUM OR LIME REMOVER: For calcium or lime deposits on a chrome
faucet, soak a towel in vinegar and wrap it around the faucet. Let it sit for
a couple of hours or overnight.
MOLD OR MILDEW REMOVER: Mix 1/2 cup borax and 1/2 cup vinegar to
make a paste. Scrub with a brush or sponge and rinse with water. For
tough mold, let it sit for an hour before rinsing with water.
Additional Tips:
• Where to find ingredients at the grocery store: baking soda – baking
section, borax – laundry section, castile and vegetable oil-based soaps –
cleaner section, vinegar – salad dressing section; essential oils – health
food stores, kosher salt – spice section.
• Add a few drops of essential oil for fragrance and/or cleaning power.
Eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, tea tree, and thyme are among the essential
oils considered to be antiseptic and antibacterial.
• Using a label or permanent marker, write recipes directly on jars and
bottles for future reference.
KITCHEN
Ingredients
Vinegar
Baking Soda
Lemon
Essential Oil (optional)
Water
Dish soap
Equipment or Tools
Spray bottle
Bowl
Sponge
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Scrub brush
Measuring spoons
Instructions
All-Purpose Cleaner Using funnel, put 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2
teaspoon dish soap, and 2 tablespoons vinegar into your spray bottle. Give
it a stir/shake. Let it sit for a minute, now fill bottle with warm water and
shake it up. Give it a few more minutes to calm down, and add a few drops
of essential oil if desired.
Garbage Disposal Freshener Take the pulp from a lemon (preferably one
you've squeezed to use for something else) and toss it in the garbage
disposal, along with a few thin strips of the peel. Run water and turn on
disposal.
Sink or Stovetop Cleaner Put a 1/3 cup baking soda in a bowl. Mix in
enough warm water so that you get a nice moist paste. Put paste on
sponge or brush and scrub away. Make it as you need it.
Burnt Pan
1. Fill the bottom of the pan with a layer of water.
2. Add the vinegar.
3. Bring the pan to the boil. It should be looking a bit cleaner already.
4. Remove the pan from the heat and add the baking soda. Expect fizz!
5. Empty the pan and scour as normal, if necessary add an extra bit of dry
baking soda.
6. If there are any super stubborn marks that don't come off with scouring,
make a paste of baking soda and a couple of drops of water. Leave the
paste on the marks for a while and return to clean as normal.
Microwave Cleaner
1. Put one or two cups of water in a large, heat-proof glass or ceramic
bowl. and add one tablespoon of white vinegar.
2. Microwave until about half the water has evaporated.
3. Wait about 10 minutes and don’t open the door. This lets the water
cool off a bit and the steam penetrate any baked-on crud in the oven.
4. Remove the bowl carefully; the water will still be hot enough to burn,
so wear hot mitts.
5. Scrub the walls of the microwave with a sponge sprinkled with a bit of
baking soda; baked on stains should come off with relative ease.
6. Wipe down the microwave with a reusable cloth dampened in clean
water and the oven will be sparkling clean and free of odors.
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LIVING ROOM
Couch- First, it's good to vacuum off cushions, or use a brush, every week,
so dirt doesn't get ground in. When a spot happens, here are several green
cleaners you can use (test in an inconspicuous place before getting to
work):
 For red wine spills, hydrogen peroxide is amazing. Blot up as much as
you can with a paper towel, and then mix a teaspoon of eco-friendly
dish soap with a cup of hydrogen peroxide. Blot it on the stain, with a
dry towel behind the fabric to soak things up. This works on carpet,
clothing, and other fabric, too. We've seen a glass of red wine literally
disappear from snowy white carpet. Hydrogen peroxide can also
remove ink stains.
 For coffee stains, Ecocycle recommends mixing an egg yolk with lukewarm water and rubbing that on the spot.
 For any type of stain, whipped detergent works well. Fill a container
with half dish detergent, half water, and use a hand mixer to whip it
up. Use a rag to rub the froth into the spot, and then rinse with water.
 Shampoo mixed with water is also a good general stain remover.
Furniture polish- Mix 1 tablespoon each of olive oil and water and an
optional squirt of lemon juice without the pulp and seeds. Wipe furniture
with cloth.
Marble- General maintenance: Arm yourself with two soft cloths and spray
down the surface with warm water (preferably distilled or filtered). Use one
cloth to spread the water, using it like a cleanser, the other to quickly dry it.
If you need to go a little deeper, you can add a few drops of a very mild dish
soap to the water. Hydrogen peroxide mixed with water is another choice
for light marble. Use acetone for dark marble.
 Stains: Acids (lemon juice, wine, tomatoes, soft drinks) will etch your
marble so it's important to clean them up as quickly as possible. Start
by blotting the stain. Then, using baking soda and mixing it with
rubbing alcohol (for water based stains), hydrogen peroxide (for oil
based stains on light marble) or acetone (for oil based stains on dark
marble), make a soft paste, spread it on the stain, cover it with plastic
(to keep it moist) and let it sit overnight.
 Prevent stains by using coasters: Yes, even for water, which can leave
rings.
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

Make it shine: Mix a few tablespoons of baking soda into a quart of
water, wash your marble with it and let it air dry. Now, dip a clean rag
into crushed chalk, wipe down your marble, then rinse and dry with
the two cloth method outlined above.
Scratches: slight scratches can be buffed out with fine sandpaper or
steel wool (0000)
LAUNDRY
Fabric SoftenersBaking Soda: Add a 1/2 cup of baking soda to the water in your washer
and let it dissolve. Add your clothes.
Vinegar: Add 3/4 - 1 cup of vinegar to either the wash or the rinse cycle.
You can also, according to one reader, do a combination 1/2 cup of vinegar
with 1/2 cup of baking soda and then 1/2 the amount of your regular
detergent. This combination apparently not only cleans well, but softens
and cuts down on cling.
Borax: Add a 1/4 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax to the rinse cycle.
Tennis Balls: We've known people who swear this works, but we're not a
huge fan of this method because we find the tennis balls can leave a smell.
But it might be worth a try.
Separate Your Synthetics: Keep synthetic fabrics out of the dryer since
they're the biggest culprits when it comes to static. Natural fibers like
cotton, bamboo, hemp, and linen are best dried on their own.
Herb-Scented Fabric Softener
Materials:
1+ cups Distilled White Vinegar
Essential Oils or Fresh Herbs
Plastic or Glass Container
Strainer (optional)
Instructions
1. Add White Vinegar To Container: This "recipe" for scented vinegar rinse
can be made in any amount imaginable. We suggest purchasing the largest
container possible (as you'll most likely use it every wash load you have). If
you have a cabinet to tuck away the bottle, feel free to use a few cups
from it (perhaps cleaning your humidifier) and utilize the same bottle it
comes in. If you're laundry area is out on display, a refillable glass bottle
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with pour spout is a great option (we use a bottle from a brew house in
Laramie, Wy!).
2. Add Smelly Things: Like the laundry booster before this, you may use
either essential oils or fresh herbs for this mix. To the large gallon size jug
of vinegar, you'll want to add 24-40 drops of oil. Before adding to your
wash load, make sure to shake your bottle gently to re-mix your solution. If
you'd like to use fresh herbs (like we do) then simply bruise or chop a full
bunch of herbs. If you use a full plant, it will stay in the bottle as you use
the vinegar up, if you chop them, make sure to strain it out and add it back
to the bottle (no one wants to find basil in their socks when all is said and
done). Try things like lavender, mint, basil, chamomile, thyme — or
whatever your favorite smell happens to be!
3. Add To Wash: We use 1/4 cup of white vinegar for every wash load we
do. Simply pour it into the fabric softener spot, or add it to a Downy ball
for release in older washers (or laundromat use). For strongest smells,
allow to sit for at least 24-48 hours, then launder as normal.
OTHER HOME CLEANING TIPS
Air freshener
 1 oz gin, vodka, or rubbing alcohol
 6 oz filtered water
 20 – 40 drops of essential oil, a few suggested oils are: peppermint,
jasmine, citrus oils
This combination works well, and it’s strong enough to work without being
too strong. Use gin as your alcohol and jasmine as your essential oil, but
you should experiment to find a mix that you like. Simply mix in a spray
bottle and spray around for instant freshness. This mix will keep well for at
least a month.
Removing Rust
1. Salt + Lime: Sprinkle a little bit of salt on the rust, then squeeze the lime
over the salt until it is soaking. Let the mixture sit for 2-3 hours and then
remove the rust with the lime rind. This can also be done with a lemon.
We like the salt and lime a little more because they double as margarita
ingredients as well.
2. White Vinegar + Aluminum Foil: One smart reader dipped aluminum
foil in white vinegar and scrubbed away the rust.
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3. Baking Soda + Water: Put baking soda directly onto the rust, and then
with a toothbrush apply water and scrub. This Re-Nest reader suggests
going with the grain depending on what you are cleaning.
4. Vinegar Soak: This smart reader places smaller rusty items in an
overnight vinegar soak, like rusty tools, and hasn't needed to scrub any of
them!
5. Potato + Dish Soap: cut a potato in half, and then dipping the cut end in
dish soap or baking soda. Then apply the soaked end to the rusted area
and rub. To keep going, just cut the potato's top layer and re-apply the
soap.
PERSONAL HYGIENE
Shampoo- fill a container 2/3 full with water and approximately 1/10 part
baking soda. Shake vigorously before using like modern shampoo
Hair Conditioner- Via apple-cider-vinegar-benefits.com
1. Mix 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of apple cider vinegar into 1 cup (250 ml) of
warm filtered tap water.
2. Apply the vinegar rinse after shampooing and then rinse it all out, or for
extra conditioning, you can leave the rinse on your hair. This natural hair
care product can be used once or twice a week or more often as needed.
Armpit Deodorant
Via scochmaroo at instructables.com
Step 1: Materials
To make your own deodorant, gather up:
 Corn starch
 Baking soda
 Coconut oil
 Essential oils (opt. - adds smellpretty!)
 Vitamin E (opt. adds ooohskinsoft!)
 An empty container to be filled with your new deodorant
Some great essential oils for deodorant also act as antimicrobials (since
bacteria is what causes the smell, using something to wipe them out is
even better!) While the
oils of bay, cinnamon, clove and thyme are the most inhibitory, they can
also lead to major sensitivity in the pit-ular area.
Tea tree, sandalwood, lavender, lemon, and neem oils are all good
alternatives. Use one, none, or create your own blend!
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Step 2: Mix it up
Combine 1/4 cup (60mL) cornstarch with 1/4 cup baking soda.
Add essential oils - I used 8 drops of lavender with 3 drops of sandalwood.
Add 2 Tablespoons coconut oil and a few drops of vitamin E oil (opt).
Though the coconut oil I got for this project had a low melting point, the
stuff I have at home has a
higher one, which I would recommend. That kind I bought in my grocery
store near the Crisco and other baking needs.
Mush the ingredients together until they start to form a silky mass. Add
more of the coconut oil or dry ingredients to adjust. Then you're ready to
start packing it in to your
container.
Step 3: The Genius Part
If it's ever bothered you that you don't know when your deodorant is
going to run out until suddenly the whole thing has dropped out onto your
bathroom floor rendering it scuzzy and no longer useful (though you pick
out the gross and use it anyway) I suggest cutting out a piece of colored
tissue paper to use as a flag.
Fill your container with about and inch or so of deodorant, insert your flag,
and fill the rest of your container!
Step 4: Finis!
Clean up the container and make your own clever label for it (like you
won't remember what it is. . . )
Let it set up for a day or two.
Baby Wipes
Via weebabystuff.com
Materials
 A Roll Of Paper Towel, cut in half with the cardboard tube removed.
 A re-sealable box, the kind that regular wipes come in is good.
 A moistening solution
 There are a bunch of different recipes for the solution, the one that I
like the look of is:
 1 cup distilled water (warmed up)
 2 tablespoons baby lotion
 1 tablespoons vinegar
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Step 1:
Cut your roll of paper towel in half, straight down the middle. I used a
bread knife but if you're got an electric knife so much the better.
Step 2:
Pop the cardboard tube out OR
You could skip both those steps if you are using paper towel that comes in
those half sheet sizes. If you are then you spend some time ripping sheets
off and folding them into a concertina stlye pile, (so one lifts another out
of the box like traditional wipes)
Step 3:
Mix up your solution. The recipe above is what I liked best. I just mixed the
vinegar and water first then added the lotion and whisked it with a fork.
Some recipes call for baby shampoo or wash but I didn't love the idea of
putting super-drying soap on Ted's skin when it isn't going to be washed
off.
Step 4:
Pour the solution over the paper towels, a bit of trial and error and I found
that pouring down the tube like this is the best way to get even coverage.
Give the roll a squeeze then toss any solution that's pooled in the bottom
of the box. You want the wipes to be moist, not drippy.
Step 5: Pop the lid on the box and use them like you use normal
DISCLAIMER: You are the only one to blame for trying any of this crazy
stuff. Do your research first. Not my bad. I hope this gets you
experimenting.
HAZLO YA!!!
fernando Arroyo
flavors.me/lfarroyo
(325) 555-0125
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