Share Your Homemade Green Household Cleaning Recipes Here!
, Friday, May 29 2009, 06:22 PM
RECIPE FOR AN EFFECTIVE, AFFORDABLE MULTI-PURPOSE HOUSEHOLD CLEANER:
I've been making a multi-purpose household cleaner for a while now using just a few simple ingredients, and I think that it works so well that I wanted to spread the word.
It costs next to nothing to make and it works far better than any commercial cleaners I've purchased from the store.
This is all your "significant other" needs to get your house spic-n-span:
- A reusable spray bottle
- Water
- Vinegar
- Rubbing alcohol
- A splash of lemon juice
Just have him pour equal parts water, white vinegar, and rubbing alcohol in a reusable spray bottle, add a splash of lemon juice, swish it all around and tell him that he's good to go!
The vinegar and water provide the cleaning power and the alcohol aids in evaporation, so the cleaning solution will evaporate on whatever surface he tackles rather fast.
This solution works really well on laminate or wood floors, kitchen surfaces such as stove tops and counters, dining tables and other surfaces, and it's even excellent for neutralizing cat odors.
Finally, a homemade cleaning solution that's strong enough for a woman but made for a man!!
Molly Hydes
said on May 29, 2009
Soap Scum Remover
1 T Baking Soda
1 t Salt
2 Drops Essential Oil (of your choice)
Vinegar
Serious Stain Remover
1/4 C Borax
1/4 C Baking Soda
8 Drops Essential oil (tea tree or eucalyptus)
3/4 C Vinegar (keep seperate)
Combine Borax, Baking Soda, & Oil into a container and shake to blend. Let sit on tough stains, scrub with sponge, and rinse with vinegar.
I got these from Christie Beckley www.abetterchoicecleaning.com
Bob Kurz
said on May 29, 2009
Collect a lot of citrus peels throughout the weeks and store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you don't eat a bunch of citrus, just chop up whatever peels you do have and put them in a small glass jar (or even spray bottle)...then cover them with vinegar.
The normal way she prepares this cleaner is to fill up a large, wide mouth jar with citrus peels (such as lemons, oranges, limes, grapefruits). She then covers the peels with white household vinegar and lets the whole thing sit for four weeks, shaking the jar occasionally (just to mix it up a bit).
Strain the liquid out into a spray bottle (discard the peels) and you have a turbo-strength cleaner that works on all sorts of household surfaces. Wifey also wants me to tell everyone that it smells phenomenal. It does -- I'm her cleaning puppy, so I should know.
Meena Kapur
said on May 29, 2009
Cindy Wall
said on May 31, 2009
Liquid Laundry Detergent:
3 Pints Water
1/3 bar Fels Naptha Soap, grated
1/2 cup Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer, NOT baking soda though!!)
1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
2 Gallon bucket to mix it in
Additional Hot Water
Mix Fels Naptha soap in a saucepan with 3 pints hot water and heat on low until dissolved. Stir in Washing Soda and Borax. Stir until thickened, and remove from heat. Add 1 Quart Hot Water to 2 gallon Bucket. Add soap mixture, and mix well. Fill bucket to the two gallon line with additional hot water, and mix well. Set aside for 24 hours, or until mixture thickens. You may add additional HOT water if the mixture becomes too thick. Mix Well before each use. Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load. Makes 64 loads. Cost per load .03.
This detergent won't make suds so its great for the front loading HE washers.
If you want a scent you can add any essential oil just before you add it to your containers. I like to use the heavy plastic bottles the window washer for your car comes in, or empty gallon vinegar bottles
Linda Lucille
said on June 23, 2009
This oven cleaner has been working really well for me -- I've tried it out a few times already and think it's up to snuff for Greenwala members :)
Sprinkle dry baking soda all over the interior of your oven -- sometimes I go through half a box doing this but you can usually buy a 1 pound box for 50 cents at the dollar store. Then, spray white vinegar on the baking soda, which will trigger a chemical (but completely harmless) reaction. Some people wipe the gunk off just a few minutes later but I allow everything to sit over night and the baked on stuff comes right off. When there are particularly stubborn areas, using a pure salt scrub (table salt and water mixed into a paste) also does the trick.
Bob Kurz
said on June 29, 2009
1 cup borax
1 cup baking soda
1/4 cup powdered citric acid (purchase in bulk at a natural food store)
A few drops of essential oil (such as tea tree, rosemary, orange, etc.)
Using a mortar and pestle or a food processor, blend all ingredients together until they are ground into a fine powder.
For each load of dishes that you do, place just one tablespoon of the homemade dishwasher detergent in your machine along with some white vinegar as a rinse agent. The vinegar will prevent any white film from marring the appearance of your glasses.
laura campanelli
said on August 15, 2009