Recipes for Making Household Products

By

Loleini

Things you'll need:
Baking soda
Vinegar (white distilled)
Borax or washing soda
Liquid soap
Lemon juice
Tea tree oil
Essential oils
Olive oil
Spray bottles
Glass jars (with lids)

All Purpose Cleaner: You'll need a large spray bottle, a half cup of baking soda, and enough water to dissolve. To this, slowly add a cup of vinegar (it will fizz like mad for a bit), then top off with more water. Let this mixture sit overnight, and then flip end over end to mix. Be prepared for more fizzing. When fizzing ends, it's ready to use.
All Purpose Cleaner that Cuts Grease: Use the same recipe as above, but add a teaspoon of dish detergent. Organic detergent was my one splurge. After all, you are spraying this into the air.
Window Cleaner: Mix warm water, one cup of vinegar, and two capfuls of ammonia. Be careful and try not to inhale too much. This mixture should be kept away from children.
Toilet Cleaner: Pour two cups of baking soda into toilet bowl, scrub the inside, and flush. Now, pour two cups of vinegar into the toilet bowl, swish around the inside, and flush. Do not do this if you have a clog, as you will quickly have a reenactment of Old Faithful in the toilet. However, regular application will keep your drains sparklingly clean.
Carpet Cleaner and Deodorizer: Sprinkle baking soda over carpet and let it sit. You'll get better results if you let it sit for an extended period of time. It's okay to walk on it and grind it into the carpet. Then vacuum thoroughly.
Stainless Steel and Fixtures: To clean, use vinegar and cheesecloth.
Furniture Polish: In a small bottle, preferably foaming variety, add two parts lemon juice to one part olive oil (plain). To scent your furniture, add some essential oils to this. Keep the mixture in the refrigerator and discard in under a month. This does not last long.
Tile Cleaner: Mix equal parts baking soda and warm water, scrub into tiles, and then clean with all purpose solution.
For drain cleaner, pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain. Follow the baking soda with 1 cup of vinegar. The mixture will bubble and fizz. Wait 5 minutes. Flush the drain with a teapot full of boiling water, with 1 tbsp. of salt mixed in. If the drain remains clogged, repeat the procedure.
For disinfectant, combine one squirt of liquid soap, 2 cups of water, 20 drops of tea tree oil and 10 drops of the essential oil of your choice in a spray bottle. Shake to mix. Spray it on surfaces to disinfect.

By

mom of towers

My favorite bathroom cleaner is to make a paste of Dawn and baking soda, put a little on a wet cloth, rub all over the area, rinse well, and watch the shower/tub sparkle! Also, use Dawn for clogged toilets! Heard recently to use vodka for weed killer. Haven't tried it, yet!

By

islandsage

White vinegar diluted with 1/3 water, and two or three (no more) drops of dish detergent. Cleans counter tops, windows (use newspaper, with black ink only, to clean windows)and mirrors. Use full strength vinegar for kitchen and bath counter tops and sink & tub, including walls. Vinegar, full strength is an anti-bacterial and really works. When it dries, no more vinegar smell. Be sure to either run your sponges in the dishwasher, or microwave for 1 minute to kill all other kinds of bacteria. I buy it by the gallon.

By

Thenicholas3

In addition to what everyone here already posted. I use Borax (find it in the laundry aisle) for the toilets, just follow the directions on the box. We don't use any commercial cleaners and I own my own housekeeping business. There is no reason to spend your hard earned money on chemicals that hurt us and the environment and cost so much. One note on Borax though, keep it away from animals and kids, just because it's natural doesn't mean it can't hurt you if you eat it.

By

TXBetty

Wet and ring out a microfiber cloth and it will clean your mirrors without any cleaning product. They will also take off grease.I use vinegar and water on my tile floors and use it in my carpet shampoo machine. I use baking soda to clean my sinks. I use vinegar in the rinse cycle to soften clothes and prevent static electricity. I do use a product in my toilets called The Works. I get it at the dollar store but Walmart sells it to for a few cents more. That's the only cleaning product I use other than the vinegar and baking soda. I don't want a lot of chemicals in my house.

By

Deeli

Scroll down on this page and you'll find oodles of ideas and recipes in the Archives. I only use distilled vinegar and/or baking soda anymore and both are really inexpensive and especially if you buy in bulk. :-)

By

IDanceInRain76

Try Mrs Myers cleaning products. They're natural and work great. But here is something else to think of Vinegar (white) is also a all purpose cleaner and yes you can clean windows with it!

By

KansasCindy

Hi Jaci. In addition to what others have suggest, do some google or bing searches on "home uses for vinegar" and "home uses for baking soda" or some variation of these words, just to start. You will be amazed at how many ideas are out there! Good luck

By

lah34a

Hi Jaci,

Minnesota Extension offers a great (and huge!) list of homemade cleaners, laundry products, pest control, etc.

http://www.msue.msu.edu/objects/con ... 99694/workspace_id.-4/01500631.html/

By

MCW

Use the Find link at the top of this website and find out what others have posted on this site.

I need to know how to make more house hold products. I am trying to save money and I am old fashion.