The Big One: Making Your Own Cleaning Products (Making It: Radical Home-Ec...)
FOR BASIC CLEANING:
1 gallon distilled white vinegar (vinegar is a mild acid: disinfectant and deodorizer)
1 large box or bad baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 quart liquid castile soap, like Dr. Bronner's
FOR ADVANCED CLEANING AND LAUNDRY:
1 box laundry borax (sodium borate, also called sodium tetraborate)
1 box washing soda (sodium carbonate)
SUPPLIES:
rags - old towels, t-shirts (new for every job; wash in a "rag-load")
spray bottles
Almost Universal Spray:
Combine 1 part vinegar with 1 part water in a spray bottle. Use it to wipe down counters, tile, tables, appliances, bathroom sinks, toilet seats, and mirrors and windows.
Spray for Greasy Surfaces:
Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of liquid castile soap in a quart spray bottle and top off with water. Use soapy water on sticky refrigerator doors, grimy appliances, and stovetops. Use vinegar and water for most jobs, but use this to take care of grease. If you want to boost the cleaning power of this soap spray for extra tough jobs, add a tablespoon of borax.
Scouring Powders:
Baking soda scours without scratching. Keep it in a jar with holes punched in the lid or, if you want to get fancy, in a decorative sugar shaker. Baking soda dissolves in water, so don't try to use it in standing water. It works best when applied to a damp surface or sprinkled on a damp rag or sponge.
If you need more oomph, pull out the borax.
Soft Scrub:
Baking soda and liquid castile soap are a great team. Blend the baking soda with a small amount of the liquid castile soap to make a paste with the consistency of frosting, and use this to attack tough jobs. Try it on everything from bathtub rings to stained coffee cups.
Floor Cleaners:
One-half cup white vinegar mixed in a bucket of hot water will clean ordinary dirt from the kitchen or bathroom floor and requires no rinsing. Vinegar is safe to use on tile. vinyl flooring, and linoleum. A strong solution of vinegar might damage stone, so if you have stone floors, check with the product manufacturer. Damp mopping with water alone is usually sufficient to clean wood floors, but you can add a splash of vinegar to the water if they are particularly dirty.
Toilet Bowl Cleaners:
Most of the time, white vinegar is all you need to clean your whole toilet. Use the 50/50 vinegar spray to wipe down the tank, seat, and lid. To clean the bowl, pour a bucket of water in the bowl to force the water level to drop, then pour a generous amount of vinegar all around the edges of the bowl, letting it collect at the bottom. Scrub with a toilet brush.
Dusting Aids:
All you need for dusting is a rag and a spray bottle of water. Scent the water with essential oils, if you want. Mist the rag so it will grab and hold dust, use the damp rag on all surfaces. Fold the rag over and over, re misting as you do, so that you are always wiping with a clean portion.
Wood Cleaners:
If the wood is actually dirty, clean it with a mix of 5 parts vinegar or lemon juice to 1 part olive oil. You only need to make a few spoonfuls of this "salad dressing" at a time because it goes a long way. Combine the ingredients in a bottle and shake well. Rub on with a soft cloth to clean, then buff to a shine with a fresh cloth.
Deodorizer:
Baking soda is your go-to deodorizer. Sprinkle it generously on your carpet, go to bed, and vacuum the next morning. Do the same with car upholstery and carpets. If you can't wait overnight, wait at least 15 minutes. Wash stinky hampers and garbage cans with baking soda and hot water. Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of the kitchen garbage can to reduce odors, and change the powder every week. If plastic containers pick up food smells, soak them in warm water and baking soda. Wash the inside of your refrigerator with baking soda dissolved in water.
Mildew Removers:
To attack mold and mildew in the bathroom, combine 1 tablespoon tea tree oil with 1 cup water in a spray bottle. Shake well before each use. Tea tree oil is a powerful natural fungicide. It's sold in health food stores, near the essential oils. While it's pricey, a little goes a long way.
To remove musty smells from a room, wipe the walls with 1/2 cup borax diluted in a bucket of water.
It possible set items out in the sun after wiping down with vinegar spray or borax spray.
1 gallon distilled white vinegar (vinegar is a mild acid: disinfectant and deodorizer)
1 large box or bad baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 quart liquid castile soap, like Dr. Bronner's
FOR ADVANCED CLEANING AND LAUNDRY:
1 box laundry borax (sodium borate, also called sodium tetraborate)
1 box washing soda (sodium carbonate)
SUPPLIES:
rags - old towels, t-shirts (new for every job; wash in a "rag-load")
spray bottles
Almost Universal Spray:
Combine 1 part vinegar with 1 part water in a spray bottle. Use it to wipe down counters, tile, tables, appliances, bathroom sinks, toilet seats, and mirrors and windows.
Spray for Greasy Surfaces:
Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of liquid castile soap in a quart spray bottle and top off with water. Use soapy water on sticky refrigerator doors, grimy appliances, and stovetops. Use vinegar and water for most jobs, but use this to take care of grease. If you want to boost the cleaning power of this soap spray for extra tough jobs, add a tablespoon of borax.
Scouring Powders:
Baking soda scours without scratching. Keep it in a jar with holes punched in the lid or, if you want to get fancy, in a decorative sugar shaker. Baking soda dissolves in water, so don't try to use it in standing water. It works best when applied to a damp surface or sprinkled on a damp rag or sponge.
If you need more oomph, pull out the borax.
Soft Scrub:
Baking soda and liquid castile soap are a great team. Blend the baking soda with a small amount of the liquid castile soap to make a paste with the consistency of frosting, and use this to attack tough jobs. Try it on everything from bathtub rings to stained coffee cups.
Floor Cleaners:
One-half cup white vinegar mixed in a bucket of hot water will clean ordinary dirt from the kitchen or bathroom floor and requires no rinsing. Vinegar is safe to use on tile. vinyl flooring, and linoleum. A strong solution of vinegar might damage stone, so if you have stone floors, check with the product manufacturer. Damp mopping with water alone is usually sufficient to clean wood floors, but you can add a splash of vinegar to the water if they are particularly dirty.
Toilet Bowl Cleaners:
Most of the time, white vinegar is all you need to clean your whole toilet. Use the 50/50 vinegar spray to wipe down the tank, seat, and lid. To clean the bowl, pour a bucket of water in the bowl to force the water level to drop, then pour a generous amount of vinegar all around the edges of the bowl, letting it collect at the bottom. Scrub with a toilet brush.
Dusting Aids:
All you need for dusting is a rag and a spray bottle of water. Scent the water with essential oils, if you want. Mist the rag so it will grab and hold dust, use the damp rag on all surfaces. Fold the rag over and over, re misting as you do, so that you are always wiping with a clean portion.
Wood Cleaners:
If the wood is actually dirty, clean it with a mix of 5 parts vinegar or lemon juice to 1 part olive oil. You only need to make a few spoonfuls of this "salad dressing" at a time because it goes a long way. Combine the ingredients in a bottle and shake well. Rub on with a soft cloth to clean, then buff to a shine with a fresh cloth.
Deodorizer:
Baking soda is your go-to deodorizer. Sprinkle it generously on your carpet, go to bed, and vacuum the next morning. Do the same with car upholstery and carpets. If you can't wait overnight, wait at least 15 minutes. Wash stinky hampers and garbage cans with baking soda and hot water. Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of the kitchen garbage can to reduce odors, and change the powder every week. If plastic containers pick up food smells, soak them in warm water and baking soda. Wash the inside of your refrigerator with baking soda dissolved in water.
Mildew Removers:
To attack mold and mildew in the bathroom, combine 1 tablespoon tea tree oil with 1 cup water in a spray bottle. Shake well before each use. Tea tree oil is a powerful natural fungicide. It's sold in health food stores, near the essential oils. While it's pricey, a little goes a long way.
To remove musty smells from a room, wipe the walls with 1/2 cup borax diluted in a bucket of water.
It possible set items out in the sun after wiping down with vinegar spray or borax spray.
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