One way to live frugally and be eco-friendly at the same time is to make your own household cleaners. There are several brands available that are eco-friendly, but did you know you can make great cleaners right at home? It is super-easy and really quick to throw together.
I have found several “recipes” for making your own cleaners. I got the following from an issue of Real Simple magazine. The best party is, you probably already have these ingredients in your pantry!
What you will need:
- Baking soda
- Distilled white vinegar
- Lemon
- Olive Oil
All-Purpose Cleaner
- Mix a solution of 1 part vinegar and 1 part water in a spray bottle.
- Works great on glass, countertops, and toilets. (It is not for use on marble.)
Laundry – Clothes softener
- Adding 1/2 cup of vinegar during the rinse cycle will soften clothes and cut down on odors. This is GREAT for making clothes soft when line-drying your laundry!
Bathroom Cleaner
- Mix water and baking soda to form a pste to scrub fixtures and tile.
- Sprinkle baking soda into toilet bowl, add vinegar, and clean with a toilet brush.
Wood Furniture Cleaner
- Combine 2 parts lemon juice and 1 part olive oil.
- Pour a small amount onto a rag and use to polish finished wood surfaces.
Kitchen Cleaner (my own recipe)
- 1 part lemon juice to 2 parts vinegar.
- Add to spray bottle. It cleans the stove top, outside of the oven, sink, countertops, and refrigerator.
You can add each of these cleaners to a different spray bottle (that you can pick up at any Dollar store, Wal-Mart, Target, etc) and stick a label on the front.
And, in keeping with the eco-friendly and frugal theme, use old wash rags or T-shirts as your cleaning “rags,” instead of paper towels!
Other articles I like are:
- Making your own wet wipes by Jenn @ Frugal Upstate
- Household cleaners from diynetwork
- How to clean things by Taylor @ Household Management 101
More frugal living tips from me…
Do you make your own cleaners? Do you have a recipe to share? Add your recipe or a link to your post in the comments section.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post! I clean almost everything with a vinegar & water spray bottle! Works great and I don’t have to worry about the kids getting into it!
Thank you for the well wishes!
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Amy – love the website!!! I had no idea we do/love so many of the same things, websites, etc. etc. Good luck with the new site!
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I had no idea making your own cleaners was so simple and involved so few ingredients. I just assumed you had to have a degree in chemistry to make household cleaners. LOL! This I must try!
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Hi, interesting post. I have been thinking about this issue,so thanks for posting. I will definitely be subscribing to your posts.
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