Did you know 10 pantry staples can create 10 awesome homemade cleaners? Get the recipes for these easy, natural DIY cleaning products.
Hopefully all this de-cluttering is getting you all excited for the deep, deep cleaning that is going to happen soon! I don’t know how it is for you, but with every box of stuff I get rid of I feel like another little load has been lifted off my shoulders. We are still going to take some time in the next week for more weeding and purging, but in the meantime I thought it would be a good idea to also start gathering some of the necessary tools you’ll need to get your space spic & span.
I have always had a bad habit of thinking that more cleaning supplies would result in a cleaner house. At one point we had so many mops and brooms in our broom closet that my husband finally exploded in exasperation: “You do realize that none of them actually clean the floor for you, right?” he snapped.
The thing is, until he said that, I actually thought they might.
As hard as it was to finally accept the sad reality that there are no magic mops, I am happy to report that we are now down to one broom, one dustpan, and one mop in our broom closet, and that is just exactly enough.
A key component of The Big Spring Clean is to STOP bringing in more things, so I am going to challenge you to use the supplies you have on hand as you complete this challenge. If you–like me–have accumulated mass quantities of cleaning supplies, use those up before you run out and buy something new. Using what you already have is about as green & thrifty as you can get.
For anything you do still need, you might be surprised to discover that you probably already have the right ingredients right in your own kitchen or laundry cabinet. I have been amazed to find that a combination of just a few common household products that can tackle almost every cleaning task. In fact I’ve discovered that just 10 different products–most of which I already have on hand–can be combined in 10 different ways to make 10 different awesome, green, & super thrifty cleaners. 10x10x10….how cool is that?
Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl to make a paste; use scrub brush or sponge to apply to tub, shower walls, & sinks. (Be sure to test a small area to make sure paste does not scuff tub surface; if so, eliminate the salt from the mixture! Rinse well with water and a wet rag, then dry with a clean rag or old towel.
Turn off flow valve to toilet & flush 1 or 2 times until water is drained. Pour in baking soda, then slowly pour in vinegar, being sure to get vinegar to cover as much of the bowl surface as possible, then add essential oil. The baking soda will react with the vinegar–this is normal! Use your toilet brush to scrub surface & remove any rings or stains. Turn water back on and flush.
Dampen rag & squeeze out excess water. Dip damp rag into furniture polish, the wipe on surface of furniture. Buff off with an old dry towel. Can also be used to polish stainless steel!
Mix vinegar, water, & essential oil together in spray bottle. Spray on glass & use squeegee, crumpled newspaper (Tip: use newspapers that are at least 2 weeks old to avoid black fingers!), or a lint-free rag to get a streak-free shine. Also works well to shine chrome and countertops after you’ve disinfected them.
Whisk all ingredients together well in large bowl, then pour into spray bottle. Spray on, then wipe surface clean with a damp cloth. Can be used to clean and disinfect almost any surface!
Mix ingredients in spray bottle. Mixture will foam up; when it stops bubbling, put on cap and spray stainless steel surface, then wipe clean & dry with lint-free rag. To add extra shine, use furniture polish above.
Mix first three ingredients well & store in airtight container. To use, add 1 tablespoon to each of the 2 compartments in your dishwasher and 2 tablespoons of vinegar to your rinse compartment.
Mix vinegar & baking soda together in bucket; add hot water, Borax, washing soda, & essential oil and mix until all powder is dissolved. Use mop or sponge to wipe down floor; wipe dry with clean dry towel.
This homemade laundry detergent is so cheap and easy to make that you will kick yourself for not trying it until now. Place Ivory soap in a large microwave safe bowl. Heat in the microwave for 2 minutes, until soap turns to foam. Quickly stir foam until it becomes small soap chips, then mix well with borax and washing powder. Allow to cool completely, then store in airtight container. Use 1-2 tablespoons per load. (Tip: This detergent works best in warm or hot water; for cold water washing you may want to first dissolve in 1/4 c. of hot water.)
Add 1/4-1/2 cup vinegar with several drops of your favorite essential oil to the rinse cycle (or simply place in fabric softener compartment of your front load washer.)
So that’s it….10 ingredients mixed up 10 different ways to create 10 different cleaners. Are you psyched yet?
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I add 10-12 drops of Tea Tree essential oil, Peppermit oil and/or Lavender essential oil to the all purpose cleaning spray. All are natural disinfectants and make my house smell wonderful! Side note on these: If you have pets, keep these essential oils away from them and the areas where they sleep, eat, etc. Tea Tree oil is especially harmful to cats. I keep my use of them confined pretty much to the kitchen and bathroom areas. Thanks for all of the great recipes and tips!
I'm not a fan of chemicals -- I've had breast and skin cancer. But the reason people switched to chemicals from old-school supplies is that they work better and don't require as much elbow grease. That said, I don't use them except for very limited applications. In particular, I've found bleach is the only way to get rid of mold. White vinegar has not worked for me in this department.
Does the floor cleaner work well on hardwood? Thanks!
I've always wanted to try my own cleaning products... Now I'll ask the husband to whip up a few next week and well give them a whirl! Thanks!
Thank you for the great info. I would love to print the recipe sheet but, it is not translating when you click on the link.
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I was so excited about the diswashing detergent recipe...and then so disappointed when I used it. It left a significant white film on all the dishes. Ran them through a second time with same results. Anyone experience this and solve it?
No problem! You know the dispenser where you used to add the no spot stuff? Just fill it up with plain, white vinegar.
Super clean, sparkly, no residue dishes!
Hi Ruth, Thanks for sharing your list of cleaning recipes. I love the laundry detergent recipe, our family has been using a similar recipe for a while. We use a simple recipe for removing tea and coffee stains from mugs: http://www.diycleaningproducts.org/diy-cleaning-recipies/kitchen-diy-cleaning-recipes/clean-coffee-stains-from-mugs/
This list of green & thrifty cleaning products is super impressive...we have so many ingredients in our home with which we can make these eco-friendly products...this is so helpful of you to have shared the recipes here.
Hi!
I know this is an old post.. But I'm curious about the floor cleaner. What kinds of floors do you use this on? We have laminate (I hate it), which can't have ANY water on it and a variety of other things it can't have on it. I have to use a laminate specific cleaner and have resorted to bona because we also have granite in our house and the stuff works great, so I don't mind.
And also, what about wood floors? (i don't have them, but I might later) Would you use the furniture polish recipe?
I grew up with carpet and that weird floor that isn't even tile more like vinyl, that you can use anything on, so I vacuumed with homemade carpet powder, and we just mopped the floor with whatever.
So yea, I'm ignorant. LOL