This post comes to us courtesy of Dede at Better On A Budget. She has been saving money (and saving her family from unnecessary chemicals) by making her own household cleaners.
This is her list of “must haves” for making your own cleaners and all the different things you can do with them!
MUST HAVES for making your own cleanersOkay, let me explain the Parmesan container. This is a must have for the CONTAINER ONLY. It’s a perfect holder for baking soda-type cleaners. You could use a baby powder container instead. And the Windex container does not actually contain Windex. It is my homemade glass cleaner. I saved it from my former evil chemical cleaning life.
Included in my essential cleaning supply is:
- BAKING SODA
- SALT
- LEMON JUICE
- VINEGAR
- EMPTY SPRAY BOTTLES AND OTHER CONTAINERS
- BORAX (NOT PICTURED)
- ESSENTIAL OILS
- RUBBING ALCOHOL (NOT PICTURED)
Here’s a quick overview of cleaning you can do with these items:
BAKING SODA
– unclog a drain: pour 1/2 cup down a clogged drain, and follow with vinegar. Let it bubble for awhile and then flush with boiling hot water.
– tub and sink cleaner: use it like comet or ajax. I like to add a few drops of essential oil simply for the lovely scent! (the parmesan container comes in handy for this)
– clean off car battery corrosion: make a paste of baking soda and vinegar and scrub. It’ll work wonders.
SALT
– Pour into a pan filled with grease after cooking and it’ll soak the grease right up.
LEMON JUICE
– Use as a window cleaner.
– Use with salt as a lemony scrub for stuck on grease and other kitchen residue.
VINEGAR
– wash windows: mix 1 part vinegar with 2-3 parts water and use as window cleaner
– wash doorknobs and handles: vinegar is a mild disinfectant, and is perfect for wiping down handles and other things that tend to harbor germs.
– unclogging drains: pour a bunch of baking soda down a drain and follow it with some vinegar.
BORAX POWDER
– Pour a little into your laundry with your regular detergent to give it an added boost.
– Deodorize your garbage pails by sprinkling a little into the bottom.
ESSENTIAL OILS
– Perfect for adding to almost any cleaner simply to add a nice scent, if you want it. These aren’t crucial, but they are fun. I buy mine from ebay to get them extra cheap :-)
RUBBING ALCOHOL
– Add a tablespoon of this to your vinegar/water cleaner to provide a streak-free window cleaning.
– Use with a Q-tip to clean crayon markings off your TV (yes, I’ve had to do this many times, it’s tested and true, unfortunately!)
Follow Me!