When we got back from Tahoe, I took the day to recoup. Well I intended to. Then I remembered a project I had been meaning to complete for quite some time. I had always wanted to make my own house cleaners, but after we moved into our house, we found that we had about five different bottles of cleaners. We weren’t exactly needing any more. So I held off. But this day, we had just run out of our last bottle. I did a little dance and then marched myself over to Walmart (gag, yes it was the worst trip ever, and I’m not sure the five bucks I saved was worth the headache I left with).
I ended up using two different sources to figure out what things I need to buy at the store and how I was going to put the cleaners together. I figured I’d share my methods for any of you who want to save a buck on your cleaners.
To Buy at the Store:
- White Vinegar
- Distilled Water
- Lemon Juice
- Ammonia
- Borax
- Baking Soda
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Hydrogen Peroxide
- Optional: Liquid Castile Soap. I could not find this when I went the first time, but recently saw it in Target next to all their bath products near the makeup aisle
- Optional: Essential oils to fragrance the cleaners. I passed on this just because I was exhausted and did not have a clue where I could find some
- Funnel
- Labels
- Spray Bottle: I reused empty Method Shower Spray bottles. The labels are easy to take off and the rubbing alcohol takes off any of the sticky stuff left on.
A lot of these products are basic and many of you may already have them around your house. I didn’t, and did not know that white vinegar would be in the food aisles. So there you go, you now know how completely inept I am around the house.
Here are some uses for your new household products:
- General Cleaning:
Just mix half and half cheap white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. I added some lemon juice thinking it would make it smell like lemon, not so much because I don’t think I put in enough, but if you add 7/8 drops of your choice of essential oils I’m sure you could make it smell really yummy. - Glass Cleaner:
Mix half rubbing alcohol and half distilled water with a couple teaspoons of white vinegar in a spray bottle. - Bathroom Cleaning:
Okay to be honest, I haven’t done this yet because we still have two half bottles of bathroom cleaners, and I just hate wasting things like that. But apparently you use baking soda and for stubborn grime, pile together baking soda and water, and put a little white vinegar on top for some bubbly scrubbing power. - Laundry: I use a concentrated laundry detergent, but I’d always had issues with getting our sheets clean clean. So I washed them in hot water (normally I wash everything in cold water) with a 1/2 cup of Borax. They came out so fresh and non-sweat stained!
It was all so easy and I just love having my own bottles of cleaners. It’s like I have some secret potion. The following are the sites I used and between the two there are formulas to clean pretty much any surface in your house. The Green Guide and Green Home. Do you have any household cleaning tricks you can share?
Tags: Cue the Crazy Obsessive Cleaning, Going Green (not with envy, the other one), Home
You are so handy to have around the house! My mom uses the vinegar/baking soda concoction and says it’s the only thing that will get her kitchen sink REALLY clean. I need to do this!
Hmmm borax, interesting, never even seen that! I wan to make my own stuff dangit!
I tried using baking soda and vinegar to unclog a drain…didn’t work so well.
fantastic! We’ve switched to all eco-friendly cleaners but this is the final step. job well done!
Wowzers! Go Eco Cleaning Superwoman! Thanks for sharing the secret potion with us!
To clean my kitchen sink I plug it up, fill it with really hot water and then pour in 1 cup of bleach. I let it sit for up to half an hour then drain, rinse and sometime a little scrubbing. It sparkles when it is done.
Wow I think I’m going to try this when we run out of our cleaning products. This is a great idea and I bet they work wonders. I’m pretty excited about the Borax too. I can’t believe I just said those things. About 10 years ago I wouldn’t have thought I would be excited about cleaning.
wow, I am totally going to try this. I hate using the super fancy and super icky smelling products.
How cool is that!!!! =D
I love concocting things! I do the same thing only I make oatmeal face scrubs and avocado masks!!! hehe.
This is genius, I would love to make my own cleaners. I will definitely have to try this.
Thanks so much for the tips…and excellent timing, I already had plans to scrub my bathroom floors today! Baking soda, here I come!
Hi, I read your blog updates thanks to Morgan, she’s great at having good things to read. Anyway I love the “green cleaners” and use Seventh Generation for dish soap and glass/surface cleaner and laundry detergent, and borax also. I know for floors like vinyl or linoleum you can use borax with lemon juice for a scrub to get out scuffs or black marks when mopping. I have also heard when you do laundry you should try adding black pepper to get whites whiter or colors brighter. Haven’t tried it yet, but want too.
Ashlei, I think I’d trade those for the vinegar concoctions
I’ve always read about home made face masks, etc. but never tried them. Do they work?
Hi Jennifer!
Thanks for the comment, I need to make sure I subscribe to your blog.. I think I’ve clicked through Morgan’s a few times to check it but always forget to subscribe. Yes I do know that it was your blog where I watched the “melon juice” breastmilking video… ohhh the nightmares
I’ll have to try that black pepper.. never heard of that before!
Wooohoo for cheap and environmentally friendly cleaning products!
I use baking soda & vinegar for EVERYHING besides dishes and laundry. (And I actually use vinegar instead of fabric softener!)
I like to make volcanos in my toilet and then take a scrub brush to it.
um, I have no cleaning tips for you, because I don’t clean anymore. I think I may have forgotten how…
this post totally made me want to go make my house sparkly and fresh. Great tips. I have some little books about the uses of salt, baking soda, and vinegar that I will have to look through again and see what else I can find! Thanks for sharing with us.
just kidding! (sort of)
Oh, also, in case it helps, Trader Joe’s sells a bottle of Castile Soap for what I thought was pretty cheap, about $3-4 if I remember right (I thought the Target ones were kind of expensive…). It’s in the cleaning/body products section. I bought some and it’s fantastic even on it’s own.
making your own household cleaning products is such a great idea. its so much safer and a much healthier alternative because atleast you know the exact ingredients that goes into the cleaners instead of purchasing cleaners that are loaded with a bunch of chemicals. i often use baking soda and white vinegar as my multi-purpose cleaner.
Hi Steph! I’ve been reading your blog off and on for a while but have never scrounged up the courage to leave a comment until now. (My shy personality comes through even online I guess!) I love all of your tips for cleaning with natural ingredients. I like to sprinkle baking soda in my kitchen sink and then squirt lemon juice (bottled stuff is fine) over it and watch it bubble and fizz, then scrub it. It smells SO good and makes my 50 year old sink look good. I’ve also done what Lisa mentioned with the bleach many times.
Hi Sunny! Thanks for commenting! I need to try that on our sink. I try not to use bleach too much, but with how old our house is (i think around fifty years old as well) the sink and the shower grout just needs bleaching to get clean. But I may try the baking soda and lemon juice for the sink. I don’t mind having to scrub the sink, but I draw the line at the shower. That thing is just too much to scrub for one person.
I am sooooooooo trying your secret potion! Thanks for sharing!
This seems odd, but it REALLY works. I no longer use ANY cleaner on my mirrors. Just clean with a wet cloth and dry. Your mirrors will shine!
Julie,
Thanks for the tip! I will have to try that. I guess that should just do the trick, especially if your mirrors aren’t all greasy dirty. Not that mine are…….
I have a bottle of half vinegar half water in a spray bottle in the kitchen. I use it for wiping down the stove (vinegar will cut the grease), counters, fridge (inside as well as outside). Vinegar is also good for wooden cutting boards. I also use it as a fruit rinse, just spray my produce, and rub it in, than rinse in some clean water. Also, should the house smell a bit, I just spray once into the air. The vinegar smell goes away, as well as the smell.
Great post, I ve been thinking of that too!
I wanted to thank you so I just stumbled it