Best Homemade Cleaner

This is just the best homemade cleaner ever! For use on bench tops, stainless steel appliances, oven cleaning; in the bathroom for vanities, shower doors, tapware* (not plastic), toilets, paintwork, skirting boards (baseboards to our American friends), spot stains on rugs and carpets, windows and mirrors.

About the only things I don't clean with this mixture are wooden furniture or wooden floors (makes them dull). It also kills ants!

Mix together:

• 1 Litre of water
• 200 ml white vinegar
• 40 ml dish washing detergent
• 40 ml Eucalyptus oil
• 2 dessert spoons of washing soda crystals

Use 60 ml of this mixture in a bucket of warm water to wash tiled and linoleum floors. I use a microfibre cloth when cleaning and this makes it easier as well.

When cleaning windows and mirrors, spray on and wipe off with a microfibre cloth immediately and there should be no streaks. I sprayed this mix on the glass shower doors and used a plastic scourer to lightly scrub it in, then rinsed off with water. All the soap scum was gone!

Very economical and not as toxic as store bought products. Washing soda (sodium carbonate) is usually available in the cleaning aisle from supermarkets, or from a hardware store. All the other ingredients are usually at hand or readily available.

Source: From an Aussie site, "Simple Savings" which I subscribe to.

By Anne from Victoria, Australia

* plumbing fixture

Answers:

Best Homemade Cleaner

My mom was looking over your recipe and she needs an American equivalent to "washing soda crystals". The only thing I could think of was a powder (bath, tub and tile cleaner). Can anyone help with this? (12/11/2009)

By Suntydt

Editor's Note: Washing Soda is usually found in the laundry aisle and is made by the same companies as baking soda.