homemade household cleaner

here is another recipe to share - a multipurpose household cleaner which is gentle enough for the little helpers to practise doing household chores.



i have been using some of my lunch hours to check out ingredients of most "organic" or, if you would put it, the more costly household cleaners on the shelves of the supermarkets, and found that the main differences between these and the "regular" ones lie in in the active foaming agent or more otherwise known as "surfactant". for this cleaner, i used cocamide betaine (or cocamidopropyl betaine), a coconut oil derived surfactant which can be found in some soapmaking suppliers. it is mild to the skin and is said to reduce irritation that purely ionic surfactant may cause. it is also biodegradable which means it is environmentally friendly when it goes down the drain into the ocean.

to make about 500ml of this cleaner:

- distilled water 50ml
- baking soda 1tbsp

- distilled water 360ml
- cocamide betaine 90ml
- essential oils (peppermint, bergamot, lemon)
- vitamin E oil

warm up slightly the 50ml of distilled water in the microwave or on stovetop, enough to get the baking soda dissolved. the baking soda is meant to enhance cleaning properties as well as to deodorise. cool down the mixture and mix it with the rest of the distilled water and surfactant. put in a few drops each of the essential oils and the viatmin E oil and shake well. the essential oils have disinfection properties and the vitamin E benefits the skin.

when use, shake slightly and spray onto surfaces you wish to clean. scrub with sponge and rinse clean with water.





thank you, my boy, for helping me out with cleaning the sink!