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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These are cleaners I started using about 6 months ago & to be honest, I can not tell the difference between commercial cleaners & the ones I made...except of course in my wallet.
The cleaners I made are about 1/10 the cost compared to commercial cleaners.
They're super easy to make too!
I'm not a survivalist per se, but I do this to save money & it's way better for the environment. I encourage everyone to make their own cleaners.
I have a High Effiency (HE) washing machine. Have any of you tried the homemade laundry detergent in an HE machine? These machines have a low-suds detergent requirement, because too many suds will damage the machine. It looks perfect for hand washables, though. I am looking forward to trying these out, and not having to quickly vacate my bathrooms due to the chemical smells!
Melissa, I have an HE washing machine as well. I've been making and using the homemade detergent since last September without any problems whatsoever. The recipe that I use is the same as the one from above. I just happened to have found the recipe on another site first. It has saved us quite a bit. I've only had to buy more bars of soap so far. I'm still using the boxes of borax and washing powders that I purchased last year. :) I hope this helps.
Oh boy just too creative. What a great way to make braeafkst - on a ironing board. You creativity was working overtime on this one! Thanks for sharing you creative inspiration at Sunday's Best.
I do agree with all the concepts you've offered on your post. They are really convincing and can certainly work. Still, the posts are too brief for novices. May you please extend them a little from next time? Thank you for the post.
hey! i loved reading your quick morning cleaning routine post and wandered over to this one next. i'm a mother of four who uses natural cleaning products in our home as well, but i noticed your cleaning formulas don't make sense! for example, mixing equal parts baking soda and vinegar for your toilet bowl cleaner plus essential oil is pretty much like cleaning with water and oil since the baking soda and vinegar neutralize each other. if you're interested, you can read more here: http://www.crunchybetty.com/diy-101-baking-soda-vinegar-not-so-much. the two products alone will be much more effective for you.
again, thanks for sharing your cleaning tips! have a happy day! (:
Hey Laura, thanks so much for your comment! You are absolutely right that the vinegar will neutralize the baking soda....eventually! For this particular cleaning method, it is that neutralization process that is so effective in cleaning the toilet! You drain the water, add the baking soda and vinegar, and then let the reaction do its thing. You can't pre-mix it ahead of time, since the reaction is what is doing the heavy cleaning action! :-) Hope that helps clarify!
I read this on Wikipedia:
Borax was added to the Substance of Very High Concern (SVHC) candidate list on 16 December 2010. The SVHC candidate list is part of the EU Regulations on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals 2006 (REACH), and the addition was based on the revised classification of Borax as toxic for reproduction category 1B under the CLP Regulations. Substances and mixtures imported into the EU which contain Borax are now required to be labelled with the warnings "May damage fertility" and "May damage the unborn child".[22]
I'd like to try and find some home cleaning solutions that don't include Borax! In Germany they do not sell Borax - it is considered an unsafe chemical.
Hi Catriona,
There are definitely varying viewpoints on the use of Borax! I personally have read several articles about the controversy, and I feel perfectly safe using it in my home as a cleaning product, particularly when it is compared with other chemical laden products. Borax is a naturally occurring substance that doesn't get absorbed by the body and does not harm the environment. Furthermore, the EU study you are referring to was regarding Boran being sprayed on crops. I am definitely not suggesting we use Borax in our food! :-) Crunchy Betty has written a fantastic article on the subject: http://www.crunchybetty.com/getting-to-the-bottom-of-borax-is-it-safe-or-not.
Thanks for the recipes. I am heading to the grocery store today.
Thanks for the great post and recipes! I featured you today on Creative Green Living
Planning to clean our gigantic stainless steel barb-b-q this weekend. This will come in handy!
Great recipes...I was looking for a homemade dishwasher soap...thanks so much :)
There is certainly a lot to know about this topic.
I like all the points you have made.