Homemade cleaning products are cheap, easy to make and convenient. Made using ingredients you may already have in your pantry, these are also an environmentally friendly and nontoxic alternative to chemical cleaning products. You can clean your kitchen, bathrooms, wood furniture and windows with just a few simple recipes and some basic ingredients such as lemons, baking soda, vinegar and pure liquid soap.
Ingredients
Stock your natural and homemade cleaning basket with a few ingredients and supplies to clean nearly anything. Start with a large box of baking soda and a jug of plain white vinegar. Add a bottle of liquid castile soap and a box of kosher salt. Borax and washing soda can be useful for some harder cleaning jobs around the house. Keep a bottle of lemon juice or some fresh lemons in the refrigerator, plus oil for wood care. Keep lavender essential oil or tea tree oil, available at health food stores, on hand to add disinfectant power. A few empty spray bottles, a scrub brush or two and some sponges will complete your supplies.
Function
Homemade cleaning and home care products need to serve several functions. All- purpose cleaners or cleaning solutions for kitchens and bathrooms need to break up dirt and grease, remove soap scum and freshen. Wood care involves moisture for your fine wood furniture, while carpets and other surfaces may need odor removal. Even hard jobs, such as mold removal and oven cleaning, can be handled with homemade cleaners, says BlissTree.com.
Benefits
Making your own cleaning products requires little time or effort but can help you save a substantial amount of money. You'll reduce waste, since you're not purchasing multiple bottles of cleaning solution for your counters, tub and floors. In addition, you're not exposing yourself, your family and your pets to the chemicals found in commercially available cleaning products. There's no need to lock away your all- purpose vinegar and water solution, and you can involve the kids in your cleanup time without worry.
Recipes
Make an all-purpose cleaner for your kitchen and bathroom by combining 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup water and a few drops of castile soap in a spray bottle. Stir together, but don't shake the mixture. If you'd like to add germ-killing power to this, mix in 20 to 30 drops of lavender or tea tree oil. To make a wood polish, mix olive oil and lemon juice in equal parts. Clean your toilet with a glug of vinegar and a sprinkle of baking soda. If you do this daily, it will stay fresh without much effort at all. Use straight vinegar or a borax-and-water paste to clean up mold or mildew. A paste of baking soda and water, and a scrub brush, can handle tough oven messes.
Considerations
While homemade cleaning products work well, they can't do everything. If you need the power of chlorine bleach, homemade products may not be up to the task or may require substantially more scrubbing. Even with a bit of lavender oil, your homemade cleaners won't give your home that pine-fresh or lemon-fresh scent, even if it's clean.
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