One

Photo Credit: Chemistry Land

The price of regular household cleaners are skyrocketing, why not take a little bit of time and make your own! Most of the ingredients used in household cleaners are already located in your kitchen and all it would take is a little bit of know how to save yourself some money. I buy any items that you need in bulk and make all my cleaners during the first of the month.

Grocery List

vinegar
Borax
dish detergent
essential oils (optional)
baking soda
washing soda
lemon
olive oil

The most common cleaners are:

All purpose cleaner - (mix right in a spray bottle)

2 tbls vinegar
1 tsp Borax
Hot water
few drops of a mild dish detergent
10 drops of essential oil (optional)

In a spray bottle add vinegar, borax and hot water, swish around until the borax dissolves - Add the dish detergent and essential oils like lavendar, orange or lemon.

Glass Cleaner

1/2 tsp dish detergent
3 tbls vinegar
2 cups water

Put all ingredients together into a spray bottle and shake

Carpet Freshner

1 cup baking soda
1/2 cup lavendar flowers (Crush to release their scent)

Mix flowers with baking soda and sprinkle on carpet - let sit for 30 minutes before vacuumming.

Hard Scrubbing cleanser (like Comet)

Very simple - just use baking soda and dampen a little bit - scrub with a soft cloth

Soft Scrubbing Cleanser

Add baking soda in a bowl with liquid dish detergent until you have a smooth paste.

Furniture Polish

1 lemon (juiced)
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp water

Mix the lemon with oil and water - apply a thin coat on your wood surface and let sit for five minutes - use a soft cloth to buff to a shine!

Floor Cleaner

1 Cup vinegar
1/4 cup washing soda (not to be confused with baking soda or washing powder)
1 tbls dish detergent
2 gallons hot water

Combine all ingredients and stir well to dissolve washing soda - mop as usual

Laundry Detergent

1/3 to 1/2 bar of Fels Naptha or ivory soap, grated (this is a laundry bar that can be found in the laundry soap section of the grocery store)
1/2 cup Borax
1/2 cup Washing Soda
4 quarts water

This can take a little bit of extra time but makes 3 gallons of laundry detergent. Use an old pot ( that holds about 6 quarts and use this pot for laundry making only! A wooden spoon, an old cheese grater, a funnel and some plastic containers - I use three plastic gallon milk jugs - washed out. Place 6 cups of hot water in your pot and turn the heat on medium - grate your bar of Naptha or Ivory Soap into the water. Stir until the soap is dissolved. Add Borax and Washing soda. Stir until it is thickened. Add more warm water until it is almost to the top of the pot stir a little longer and turn off the heat. When the mixture has cooled, pour even amounts into each of your three milk jugs (this is where the funnel comes in handy!). Mix well and let sit for a few hours until cool. This will get thick, so continue to add water as needed until it is a nice liquid consistency. It may tend to separate, so keep stirring as needed. Use 1/2 cup per laundry detergent per load. Add a few drops of essential oil if you like. Since this laundry soap is low sudsing, you can use cold water for most of your laundry and cut your utility bill drastically.

With a little extra time and a change of habits you can cut your cleaning supplies bill and have a ‘clean green home’!

~Wind

Trackback URI | Comments RSS