- Baking soda (if you've ever made cookies, you probably have a box of this). Cleans, deodorizes, and scours.
- Vinegar (if you don't already have this, you can buy a gallon at your local grocery store for around $1). Cuts grease, disinfects, removes mildew, odors, and also some stains.
- Water (most people have this; it comes out of the faucet). Use to dilute your homemade concoctions.
Deodorizer: sprinkle some baking soda in a small container and place it in a stinky spot (i.e., bathroom, refrigerator, closets). Somehow, the soda sucks up the smell. You can also sprinkle baking soda directly onto carpets and vacuum it up. This also works for shoes: sprinkle about one teaspoon of baking soda directly into shoes, let sit for about ten minutes, and then tap it out. You may have some left in there, but that's OK. You'll just have powdery feet for a day.
Drain cleaner: drop about one tablespoon of baking soda down the drain, and follow with a half-cup of vinegar. It will fizz as it works its magic. Chase it down with about two cups of boiling water. Repeat if necessary.
Toilet bowl cleaner: pour about 1/4 cup baking soda and one cup vinegar into the toilet bowl, and let sit for a few minutes. Then, scrub as normal with your toilet brush.
Tub cleaner: put a layer of baking soda on a damp sponge and scrub away. For mildew-laden tubs, first spray directly with vinegar, and then scrub with baking soda.
These home-made household cleaners are good for everybody: the animals (no animal testing involved!), the environment (no harsh chemicals going down the drain!), and your wallet (cheap, cheap, cheap!).
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This is good info, because organic cleaners you can buy in the grocery store tend to be very expensive and thus not practical for many people. Vinegar and baking soda, however, come very cheaply!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great post. I think it's funny that people act as if this stuff needs to be purchased-- though I kind of like the Sun and Earth brand of cleaners. They're made with coconut oil!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info- I have been using some of the better environmental products like the Nature's Source line, but I think I will give your recipes a try.
ReplyDeleteI'll try some of these cleaners when I run out of the zillions of different store bought and earth unfriendly products!
ReplyDeleteAnd where do you get your vinegar? Mine is over $3.00 a gallon! Is it available at a dollar store? I'll have to take a look.
Great natural cleaner advice!
ReplyDelete1/2 hydrogen peroxide and 1/2 vinegar also disinfects as it cleans.
Jenn, thanks! I'm glad you found it helpful and I hope you'll try using some of these homemade concoctions. They really work just as well.
ReplyDeleteRob, thank you! I know exactly what you mean. What did people do before there were commercial household cleaners? I am glad, however, that more environmentally friendly ones (like Sun and Earth) are becoming widely available.
Kemuel, you're welcome. I think once you give them a try, you'll be very impressed!
Mom, I bought my vinegar at the grocery store down the street... It was around $1 (maybe $2?). I'm sure you can get it cheap at Xpect Discounts!
Rob D, thanks for putting your two cents in about hydrogen peroxide. I love the tip!
Thanks for the recipes. I've been using some of these off and on for years, but never remember the proportions.
ReplyDeleteTrina, you're welcome! I don't follow the proportions to a T, either, but they still seem to work.
ReplyDeleteThanks it has been a great help, now to make our own household cleaners is simple by using your recommendation. Thank you
ReplyDeleteYou might comment on the order system of the blog. You should chat it's splendid. Your blog audit would swell up your visitors. I was very pleased to find this site.I wanted to thank you for this great read!! how many cups in one gallon
ReplyDelete