While commercial cleaning products can seemingly make life easier, there are a ton of great alternatives out there that can save you money, keep toxic chemicals out of your home, and are just as effective.
Zero Waste Cartel (@zerowastecartel) recently shared a great alternative for Goo Gone, so you can get pesky stickers off anything safely and easily.
The scoop
Zero Waste Cartel shared a super easy compound made out of two ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen that you can use instead of Goo Gone or similar products. And there's a good reason you'll want to make the switch.
"Did you know cleaners like Goo be Gone contain toxic ingredients like petroleum distillates?" the video begins. "Luckily we have an eco-friendly alternative with just two ingredients: baking soda and vegetable oil."
With a three-to-two ratio of baking soda to vegetable oil, you can have your own effective adhesive remover at home. Zero Waste Cartel suggests that measuring out tablespoons of the above ratio creates enough to use and even have some for next time.
To use it, all you need to do is spread it on the surface you want to clean, let it sit for about a minute, and wipe it off. It's truly that simple.
"The best part is that neither of these ingredients are really perishable if sealed properly, so it's easy to always have some on hand," Zero Waste Cartel explains.
How it's helping
Goo Gone is an incredibly common adhesive remover used for getting rid of things like labels, decals, tape residue, or even chewing gum. But like a lot of commercial cleaning products, it contains toxic chemicals.
Petroleum Distillates, like Zero Waste Cartel mentions in the video, are any mixture of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that are produced by condensing the vapors or petroleum through distillation.
They can cause headaches, dizziness, nausea, loss of balance, and irritation to skin, eyes, nose, throat, and lungs. They can even affect your liver and kidneys when exposed to enough or for a prolonged period of time. Why would we want something like that in our homes?
Aside from the obvious dangers, this DIY hack can save you some money. You probably have everything you need already at home, and if you don't, both baking soda and vegetable oil can cost less than $3 each. A bottle of Goo Gone runs about $11.76. In fact, one helpful commenter even pointed out it's a great way to use up expired oil.
What everyone's saying
Commenters were happy to report that this natural solution is very effective.
"I read about this a couple of weeks ago and I'm so impressed with how easily it works," one person commented. "Love it!!! 👍🏼"
"Yeah. I wish I had seen this 3 days ago when I used the other stuff," another said. "I am saving this post."
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