Alright everyone, today I’m going to talk about keeping your house clean if you make your own cleaning products. No one wants to do it, but unfortunately we don’t all have magic unicorns that will make our homes sparkle when we are off at work, so we need to do it ourselves. Unfortunately, many of the widely distributed cleaning products are expensive and harmful to the environment. Hire a professional to do the job is another option.
The chemicals used in our cleaning agents are harmful if swallowed and can cause illnesses years later, not to mention what would happen if some got into the water supply (on a large or small scale). I won’t go into all the ways that these products can harm the environment, but I will point out one quickly: Phosphates. They are typically used in laundry detergents and some cleaning agents, but experts believe that they are the reason for algal blooms (can be seen at the Mississippi River Delta), which can cover the surface of the water and choke off the oxygen to the fish and other creatures underneath the surface. Now that we know how these are bad, we can figure out how to cut them from our lives and save quite a few dollars in the process. I’ll talk about how we can make our own All Purpose Cleaner, Glass Cleaner, and a Drain Unclogging Agent. The best part about making these is that they are made from common household products – you probably won’t have to pick anything up you don’t already have
How To Make Your Own Cleaning Products
All Purpose Cleaner
First, the All Purpose Cleaner. I’ve been using this around my home for a few months, and it works rather well. It takes about 45 seconds to make, and all you need is a spray bottle – I even used the one from my old cleaning agent. Here’s how to make it:
- 1 part Water
- 1 part Vinegar
You can scale it as high or low as you like, but simply mix the water and vinegar into a spray bottle, shake and you’re ready to go.
Glass Cleaner
This one is just as easy as the all purpose cleaner, and it works just as good as your $2 dollar a bottle glass cleaner. You can make your own cleaning products just as quick, and you’ll need a spray bottle for this as well. Here’s what to do:
- 1 part Rubbing Alcohol
- 1 part Water
- 1/16th part vinegar
Mix it up in a spray bottle, and you’re ready to go!
Drain Opener
I had a chance to give this one a try a few days before I wrote this article. The sink in my bathroom was draining rather slowly, and I needed to take care of it. Normally, I would just buy drain-o or other drain cleaning product (this actually was the plan, but I forgot to pick some up when I was at the store). When I got home, I remembered that I needed to pick this up, and decided to give something that I’d read about a try. It worked well, and I’m happy to share the recipe with you all. You’ll need:
- 1/2 cup Salt
- 1/2 cup Baking Soda
- 1/2 cup Vinegar
- Hot water – I boiled mine before hand, and used quite about 6 quarts
First, you’ll want to pour the salt and the baking soda down the drain (order doesn’t matter, though I put the baking soda in first). Once that’s in, pour in your vinegar. Everything should bubble for a while, and after it looked like it had stopped bubbling, I had my assistant pour my hot water down the drain – slowly. My drain now empties quick as ever!
I awlays knew that vinegar can be used in a lot of ways. In fact, I pour some in our dishwasher. Does miracles to the dishes. We still use dishwasher soap. Our water is really hard here, so vinegar helps.
Interesting – how does vinegar help with hard water?
Thanks for the post. We are on the rampage to start making all of our own products, cleaning and personal so these recipes will come in handy. Vinegar and baking soda work great for cleaning toilet bowls if you want to try it.
I like to add some essential oils to these recipes – like tea tree to get extra antiseptic power or orange essense.
Steve – great call. Sometimes I add some Dr Brommers Peppermint soap to the all purpose cleaner so the house doesn’t smell like vinegar.
Miss T – Thanks for the tip with the toilet. I’ve sprayed some of the all purpose cleaner in the toilet and scrubbed and it worked ok.
Aloysa – that’s a great tip. I knew vinegar can soften water but I’ve never tried it in the dishwasher. It will have to wait for me as well, as I dont have one currently.
Thanks for sharing this information. This is all stuff I plan on doing once I move out!
I love the look and feel of this blog! My husband owns a small cleaning business. I’m working on making our company more green friendly. Thanks for all these cleaners, I’m searching now for these items to clean my two toilets!