I love making cleaners of vinegar, baking soda, blue dawn. I also use peroxide and alcohol. I use spray bottles with different color tops to tell which is which..
If you believe the ad hype, you can't keep a clean house without loading your shopping cart with a different cleaner for each surface, floor and sink in the house. Added plus: these natural products are more environmentally friendly than commercial alternatives.
Stock your cleaning tool tote with these homemade cleaning sprays and solutions to make short work of household grime--without harsh chemicals or irritating fumes. Try these easy recipes to clean your organized home faster, better and cheaper.
Mildly acidic white vinegar dissolves dirt, soap scum, and hard water deposits from smooth surfaces, yet is gentle enough to use in solution to clean hardwood flooring.
White vinegar is a natural deodorizer, absorbing odors instead of covering them up. (And no, your bathroom won't smell like a salad! Any vinegar aroma disappears when dry.) With no coloring agents, white vinegar won't stain grout on tiled surfaces. Because it cuts detergent residue, white vinegar makes a great fabric softener substitute for families with sensitive skin.
- Baking Soda
Baking soda's mild abrasive action and natural deodorizing properties make it a powerful replacement for harsh commercial scouring powders. Put baking soda to work in your organized home.
For tougher grime, make a paste of baking soda and water, apply to the tub or sink, and allow to stand for 10 to 20 minutes.Sprinkle baking soda onto a damp sponge to tackle grimy bathtub rings, scour vanities, or remove food deposits from the kitchen sink.
Dirt, soap scum and deposits soften and are easier to remove.
Slow-running drains? Keep bathroom drains running freely by pouring 1/2 to 3/4 cup baking soda into the drain, and dribbling just enough hot water to wash the solution down.
Let stand for 2 hours to overnight, then flush thoroughly with hot water. The deodorizing effect is an added bonus! [Do not use this method on blocked drains.
Rubbing Alcohol
Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol provides the base for an evaporating cleaner to rival commercial window and glass cleaning solutions. Find it at drugstores or in the pharmacy department at the supermarket.
Homemade Spray Cleaner Recipe
Mix in a sprayer bottle:
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup Water
- just a couple of drops blue dawn per spray bottle (you don't want it to get sudsy)
Spray to clean counter tops, lightly soiled range surfaces and back-splash areas. In the bathroom, use vinegar spray cleaner to clean counter tops, floors, and exterior surfaces of the toilet.
For really tough bathroom surfaces such as shower walls, pump up the cleaning power by removing the sprayer element and heating the solution in the microwave for 90 seconds.
Spray shower walls with the warmed generously, allow to stand for 10 to 15 minutes, then scrub and rinse. The heat helps soften stubborn soap scum and loosens hard water deposits.
For even Tougher soap scum Heat the Vinegar for 90 seconds add the blue dawn then the baking soda to prevent a science experiment .
SOAP SCUM BUSTER
For even Tougher soap scum Heat the Vinegar for 90 seconds add the blue dawn then the baking soda to prevent a science experiment .
SOAP SCUM BUSTER
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1/2 a cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup blue dawn
Use paste to clean stubborn soap scum by spreading on area needing to be cleaned and then let sit anywhere from 15 min to 2 hours depending on stubbornness of stain.
Homemade Glass Cleaner Recipe
Mix in a sprayer bottle:
- 1 cup rubbing alcohol
- 1 cup water
- 4 tablespoon white vinegar
Use this glass cleaning spray recipe for windows, mirrors, chrome fixtures and for a shiny finish on hard-surface ceramic tiles:
Strong Glass Cleaner Recipe I use this for polishing my Granite Counter tops also.
Mix in a sprayer bottle:
- 1 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
- 1 cup water
Furniture Polish
Most of us no longer use hard-to-apply furniture wax, but rely on oil-based polish to keep furniture protected and shiny.
Silicone oil can penetrate tiny cracks in furniture finish and enter the wood, causing problems in the event refinishing is needed.This "salad dressing" recipe for furniture polish avoids the danger of silicone oil, found in most commercial polishes and sprays.
Lemon juice dissolves dirt and smudges, while coconut oil shines and protects the wood.
Furniture Polish Recipe
Mix in a sprayer bottle:
- 1 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
Shake well and apply a small amount to a soft cleaning cloth. Spread evenly over furniture surface. Turn cloth to a dry side and polish dry.
