Favorite Recipes for Homemade Cleaners?

[mrssavy42112]

So now that I have my own place & have to do my own cleaning { } I'm more concerned with using nasty chemicals in cleaning. Buying natural cleaners are expensive, so I was wondering if anyone else had some good recipes for homemade cleaners. There are plenty online, just wondering if any can say if it works for them.

So, any suggestions??

[mkbt]

I blogged about some I like a while back...
melissasimplelife.blogspot.com/2011/04/homemade-cleaning-supplies.html

I also like a lot of the Method products when I am too lazy to make stuff .

[mrssavy42112]

Jun 4, 2012 14:15:09 GMT -5 mkbt said:

I blogged about some I like a while back...
melissasimplelife.blogspot.com/2011/04/homemade-cleaning-supplies.html

I also like a lot of the Method products when I am too lazy to make stuff .

Oooh, nice! When we first moved in, I was super cheap & bought all $0.99 store products. I quickly realized that was a waste of money, plus they smelled horrible & my hands would burn. I have several Method and Seventh Generation cleaning products now & love them! They're just so darn expensive.

I definitely want to try making our own dishwasher detergent (we go through it like crazy!), drain cleaner & all purpose cleaner. No nasty chemicals in this house! Thanks

[Deleted]

For drain cleaning, we pour boiling water down the kitchen sink once a week. Then, once a month, I dump a scoop of baking soda into all the drains (kitchen, bath, laundry sink) and then pour a boiling water/white vinegar mixture down on top of it. I have to use a drain cleaner/snake once in a very, very blue moon, but the monthly maintenance seems to keep everything running pretty smoothly.

My current allpurpose cleaner is: 1 tsp. washing soda, 2 tsp. baking soda, 1/2 tsp. castile soap (Dr. Bronners), 10 drops essential oil (I use tea tree in my bathroom cleaner, lemon in my kitchen cleaner), and 2 c. hot water.

I use this book for recipes: www.amazon.com/GREEN-CLEAN-Environmentally-Sound-Cleaning/dp/1595910042/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1338918179&sr=1-1. It has tons of recipes and tips for cleaning everything, and it's definitely worth the $2.55 used price IMO.

[mrssavy42112]

Although my DH is skeptical that homemade cleaners will clean as well, I'm going to get that book. Thanks for the suggestion. I tried baking soda/vinegar for the drain the other day, but I don't think I used enough. Plus, who knows how the people before us treated it. I think I'll have to suck it up & use Drano for the first time & then use the natural cleaners monthly for maintenance. I need to order some of that Dr. Bronners soap. I see it mentioned everywhere!

[magdala9]

Try a 1 : 1 ratio for the drain cleaner. When we moved in I used 1 cup of baking soda with 1 cup of white vinegar in each of the drainers. After 10 minutes, pour down 2 cups of boiling hot water. Once a month, I use 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup of white vinegar in each drain followed (after 10 minutes) by a cup of boiling hot water

I also like this recipe for cleaning the bathroom.

offbeathome.com/2012/04/make-your-own-citrus-enzyme-cleaner

[mrssavy42112]

Jun 4, 2012 14:15:09 GMT -5 mkbt said:

I blogged about some I like a while back...
melissasimplelife.blogspot.com/2011/04/homemade-cleaning-supplies.html

I also like a lot of the Method products when I am too lazy to make stuff .

Hey, I made your all purpose spray last night & it works great! I felt the need to use it after I made it, so I went on a cleaning spree & cleaned everything I could find. Guess that's not a bad thing! I'm having the hardest time finding washing soda, though. I need it to make dishwashing soap. I read that you can make it by baking baking soda until it dries, but it didn't work for me after 3h at 400 degrees. I must find it!

[Deleted]

Our well-stocked ACE hardware has it around me. That's the only place I've seen it. Even the smaller ACE doesn't have it.

[slug*bug]

My favorite (favorite!!) glass cleaner of all time is homemade.

Here's the recipe:

THE BEST WINDOW CLEANER (from www.care2.com/greenliving)
Make a great all-purpose window cleaner by combining 1/4 cup vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon liquid soap or detergent, and 2 cups of water in a spray bottle. Shake to blend and spray on your windows!

It works so well that I don't see myself going back to commerical window cleaners ever: no streaking and cheap to boot. Love!

[MrsAxilla]

Jun 6, 2012 8:39:15 GMT -5 mrssavy42112 said:

Although my DH is skeptical that homemade cleaners will clean as well, I'm going to get that book.

Lol! My DH was a skeptic and I totally converted him! I'm in the middle of moving, so there's been quite a lot of cleaning going on. 409 and the like was literally making me sick, so I switched to half vinegar and half water. Works great! DH laughed at me, but then I showed him a few websites (vinegar has antibacterial properties) and he was willing to give it a try. He cleaned the garage using just vinegar and water (like on stuff that had been in the garage for years and had gotten gross) and is now converted.

Lots of recipes call for Bonner's soap, vinegar and water. But soap is a base and vinegar is an acid, so basic chemistry should tell you they neutralize each other.