Your pantry or supply closet probably already has most of the ingredients you need to make your own green cleaners. Do not mix high concentrations of vinegar and peroxide in the same container. It is generally considered safe to mix any other combination of the following:
Cleaning Agent
Purpose
Cautions
Vinegar
All-purpose cleaner, disinfectant, grease cutter, glass cleaner, mold killer
- Potent smell
- Do not mix w/ concentrated peroxide
Baking soda
Deodorizer, scourer, drain opener, polish
N/A
Hydrogen Peroxide
Bleach, disinfectant, stain remover
- Breaks down in sunlight; keep in opaque bottle
- Do not ingest in high concentrations
- Corrosive to metals
Borax
Bleach, disinfectant, deodorizer, stain remover
- Do not ingest in high concentrations
- Keep separate from food areas
Lemon juice
Disinfectant, grease cutter, bleach, fragrance
N/A
Washing soda
Stain remover, mold killer, foaming agent, deodorizer, grease cutter
- Irritates skin; wear gloves
- Removes wax off floors
Salt
Scourer, drain opener
N/A
Natural
oils and extracts Foaming agent, polish, fragrance
N/A
You can be creative and make up your own green cleaning recipes, or you can try some of the following:
Function
Solution
Bleach
• Soak ¼-½ c borax in 1 gal water for 5 min
• Spot clean with 3% hydrogen peroxide
Scouring powder
• Apply borax and salt on sponge
• Dip ½ of lemon in borax and use as scouring pad
• Scrub w/ paste of baking soda and water
Drain opener
Use boiling water w/ equal parts vinegar and baking soda
Oven cleaner
Sprinkle salt on spill or stain and scour with baking soda
Tile cleaner
Mix ¼-½ c vinegar and 1 gal water
Toilet bowl cleaner
Fill bowl w/ vinegar. Apply baking soda to rim and scrub
General disinfectant
Produce wash
Cutting board wash
Spray w/ equal parts peroxide (3%) and water. Wipe clean
Furniture polish
Apply 3 parts oil and 1 part vinegar w/ a fine cloth. Wipe dry
Glass cleaner
Chrome polish
Spray w/ vinegar and wipe w/ newspaper
Stainless steel polish
Rub w/ paste of baking soda and water
Silver polish
Cover container in aluminum foil and soak silver using:
• Boiling water, baking soda and salt
• Boiling water and washing soda
Brass polish
Mix equal parts salt and flour w/ a little vinegar. Rub
Copper polish
Rub with salt and lemon juice
FoodServiceWarehouse.com was founded in June 2006 to provide businesses with a wide selection of high-quality foodservice equipment and supplies from the world's best-known brands. They have since become the
restaurant supply leader, empowering customers to make their own businesses more successful. The site offers a wide range of articles, research materials and products for the conscientious foodservice operator.