Make your own cleaning products

[Coupon_Queen]

Yes we all know vinegar is a great cleaning agent but did you know you can make your own furniture polish out of oil and lemon?? Or your own dishwasher detergent??! I did not. Finish is so expensive! I have only seen 2 stock up deals in the years Ive been couponing. Eager to try these.

http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/daily-g...ning-products/

[Bear]

I use a lot of baking soda to clean in the kitchen (scour the sink, cooktop, etc).

[floridaclipper]

I'm a fan of making my own cleaning supplies. Some chemicals mostly the bathroom cleaners make me ill. So I make most of my own incl all purpose, bath and tub, drain cleaner, fabric softener, & dishwasher. I used to make my own laundry soap too. All of it is very easy to make and at a very low cost. I feel better about using them around my pets. It's not easy to keep them off a wet floor then I'd have to wash their paws. I worried about them injesting chemicals. The youngest DD has started switching over as well. DGS is getting into everything. It'sjust safer to reduce the number of chemicals in the house.

[Desert Debbi]

I have jumped on the home made cleaner bandwagon myself recently, Sheryl Cuevas, a local blogger based out of Phoenix, AZ. She has a section for frugal living on her blog, and I can confirm the following recipes WORK!


Best ever Bathroom scum remover: 1 part white vinegar to one part ORIGINAL Dawn (blue works best). HEAT but do not boil the vinegar in the microwave first, about 2 minutes. Pour into a spray bottle. Add the dawn and shake gently to incorporate. Spray liberally on your bathroom shower and let sit at least 30 minutes, or even overnight! Works like a charm to remove soap scum, lime buildup and even rust stains.. without scrubbing! This is confirmed to work on tile and fiberglass showers, and those annoying sliding glass shower doors with the fake plastic glass. If you have leftover solution, you can reheat it like they used to heat baby bottles.. in a hot bowl of water. You will not want to reheat in the micro LOL.

Awesome oven cleaner:Simply place a bowl full of Ammonia in the oven overnight & wipe with a rag the next day… You will definately want to keep pets and kids away and ventilate well. The ammonia will soften the gunk and is much less toxic than the spray on stuff. This is great for self cleaning ovens too!

DIY weed killer: This one is my hubbys favorite. 1 Gal of White Vinegar + 1 C. Table Salt + 1 Tbsp of liquid Dawn Dish Soap. Mix in Watering Can…… Stir Well & Spray on the Weeds.
You can also use the mixture without salt as well – works just as well. Or, if you have Pine Sol around your house, you can do this number: Equal amounts of Dawn Dish Soap + Pine Sol = Mixed into a spray bottle.
The latter ( Pine Sol + Dawn ) actually serves a secondary purpose – it kills the weeds and any ant hills, fleas, & bugs that might be lurking in your yard as well.

[Coupon_Queen]

FLclipper care to share your recipes for all purpose, drain cleaner, etc.?I would also be interested if anyone has any natural bug repellants I can spray on or near vegetables I plan on growing!

[dp38587]

My Yorkie gets a regular Dawn bath......before the Frontline.
Put dry baking soda down your drain, run vinegar thru the coffe maker to keep it brewing, then put the hot vinegar down the drain onto the baking soda.......keep the drain clean.
Flying insects seem to hate Pine Sol too.....spray down your deck, porch etc and your screens and around the doors. keeps flies and mosquitos away.....

Deb

[floridaclipper]

dp3857 - thats what I use for drain cleaner. Works like a charm.

Here's one for HE laundry detergent. I have a front load.


3 bars Fels Naptha (or other soap zotes,castile, ivory etc)
3 cups Borax
3 cups Arm and Hammer Washing Soda.

Grate* the soap, then put in a food processor with a chopping blade and chop until fine.
Pour into a large bowl with the Borax and Washing Soda and stir until combined.
Use 1/4 cup in a HE front loader

*An easy way to grate the soap is to cut it in chunks and use one of the restaurant type cheese graters. I put a damp towel over the processor. I'm just over cautious to prevent breathing in soap. I have an old processor that I no longer use for food.

I use vinegar for a fabric softner. To add scent to it pour in 1 oz of fragrence oil into the gallon jug of vinegar and shake. Fragrence oil is available near the candles at walmart for less than a dollar. Another way is to mix a container of inexpensive conditioner with a gallon of vinegar but I haven't tried that method. If you prefer dryer sheets soak a wash cloth in it and let it dry. FYI do not use vinegar if you are using bleach in your laundry. The combination has an unsafe chemical reaction.

[Coupon_Queen]

Do you need to mix any water with the soap, borax and soda? Could this recipe also be used for regular washers? The recipe I saw had lots of water added and rested for about 24 hours. Actually there are several old threads on homemade laundry soap, I need to look them up!

[mnm'z]

I have to add a word of caution to DD's oven cleaner suggestion. I've used ammonia for that purpose and when I opened the oven, the ammonia fumes burned my lungs. At least that's what it felt like. They hurt every time I took a breath. It definitely works, but I have to warn you to cover your mouth and nose when dealing with ammonia.

There's some really great idea's with Pine-Sol, but I think I'm allergic to it or something. I'll have an instant headache when I smell it, pine scent or not.

[floridaclipper]

Do you need to mix any water with the soap, borax and soda? Could this recipe also be used for regular washers? The recipe I saw had lots of water added and rested for about 24 hours. Actually there are several old threads on homemade laundry soap, I need to look them up!

This is a powdered recipe. There are liquid versions as well that are just as good. The liquid recipies are a bit more time consuming to make but usually yeild a much larger batch. This one will will work in a regular washer but you will probably need to use more of it. If I had to guess about 1/2 c per load. I've tried different recipies and depending where I lived the results were different due to the water and different machines. Currently I'm using well water.

For glass cleaner I put 1 part vinegar and 3 parts water in a spray bottle.
disinfecting all purpose spray - 1/2 tsp liquid soap (i prefer castile), 2c of water, 30 drops of a disinfecting essential oil (tea tree, lavender, eucalyptus, rosemary etc)
All purpose spray - 1/4cvinegar, 2 tsp borax, 3 1/2c hot water, 20 drops essential oil (I use lemon and lavender)- optional, 1/4c natural liquid soap, mix all but the soap in a 32 oz spray bottle then add the soap.
Dishwasher soap - borax and washing soda 1 to 1 ratio
mold - hydrogen peroxide 1 part to 2 parts water. Spray and let sit for about an hour before rinsing off. If I need to break out the big guns I use 2 tsp tea tree oil to 2c of water. Tea tree oil is amazing stuff and has disinfecting properties. It is expensive but a little goes a long way.

for weekly cleaning of the shower (tile) I spray with vinegar, let sit for a couple of minutes, then use a sponge with vinegar and baking soda. Scrub and rinse.
For the toilets sprinkle baking soda or borax. Let sit a few minutes. Swish and flush.