The Best Homemade Cleaners

Recipes To Make Your Own Cleaning Products And Save!

By Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam

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About the Authors

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the authors of the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes visit http://www.LivingOnADime.com

Tawra, her husband Mike and 4 children live in Colorado. They live on one income. In five years, they paid off $20,000 personal debt at a time when their average income was $22,000 per year. Now that the debt is out of the way and their income is higher they're rapidly paying off their house and you can too!

As a single mother of two, Jill started her own business without any capital and paid off $35,000 debt in 5 years on $1,000 a month income. Then she raised two teenagers alone on $500 a month income after becoming disabled with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

The goal of LivingOnADime.com is to give you fresh inspiration to get out of debt and cut your grocery bill!

Whether you are new to frugal living or are a money saving pro, you will find lots of easy recipes to help you cut your grocery budget and start getting out of debt!

Table of Contents

How to Save on Cleaning Supplies

Cleaning Myths

How To Use Cleaning Supplies Properly

Homemade Cleaning Recipes

Homemade Clorox Disinfecting Wipes

Homemade Cleaning Wipes Using Paper Towels

Face/Hand Wipes

Bathroom Wipes

Window Wipes

Dishwasher Soap

Dishwasher Rinse Aid

Countertop Disinfectant

Fruit and Vegetable Wash

Drain Cleaner/Opener

Window Cleaner

Streak Free Outdoor Window Washer

All Purpose Cleaner

Floor Wax Remover

Ready Mop Cleaner Refill

Daily Shower Cleaner

Homemade Bathtub Scrub Recipe

Tub And Shower Cleaner

Tile And Grout Cleaner

Homemade Stainless Steel Cleaner

Tarnish Remover

Tough Hand Cleaner

Skunk Smell Remover

Roach Killer

Mildew Killer

Wood Cleaner

Copper Cleaner

Silver Polish/Tarnish & Soot Remover

Homemade Oven Cleaner

Kitchen Pan Cleaner

Homemade Furniture Polish

Laundry Brightener

Laundry Whitening Solution (regular washer)

Laundry Whitening Solution (HE washer)

Homemade Stain Remover #1

Homemade Stain Remover #2

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Powdered Homemade Laundry Soap

Homemade Wrinkle Release Spray

Homemade Fabric Softener

Homemade Dryer Sheets

Homemade Air Freshener

Foaming Hand Soap

How to Save on Cleaning Supplies

There is one cleaning product that is the best that I know of and it's free, it can save you money and everyone has it.

I imagine you are all dying to know the name of it aren't you? It is called "elbow grease"! We know it's free and everyone has it but how does it save money? When you use it you don't have to pay to go an expensive gym or for a personal trainer. :)

Personal trainers are great and I had one for years. His name was James. He was short, fat, had stubby legs and was hairy all over. He insisted that I walk with him at least 3-4 times a day and I would spend a lot of my day running in circles trying to keep up with him. But he died and it broke my heart so I swore I would never get another dog, oops, I mean personal trainer again.

Anyway, back to boring cleaning supplies. See-- Even I, who love to clean, would choose lying on a beach in the Bahamas over talking about cleaning supplies. But I'm afraid that we live in a world where gardens need to be weeded and houses need to be cleaned and a lot of whining isn't going to change that but will only wear us out. Sitting and telling ourselves a 100 times a day "I really need to clean that," won't accomplish a thing so we may as well roll up our sleeves, literally, and get busy.

Cleaning Myths

There seems to be a lot of confusion and expense connected with cleaning supplies and I hope to clear most of those ideas and myths up today. I trained and worked with professional cleaners for a while and cleaned other peoples home for a living too but to be honest most of my knowledge comes from experience cleaning my own home.

I have lived with a husband, dogs, cats and kids for many years. I have lived most of my adult life in a home that was either being gutted to remodel or built from the ground up. I have lived in the country where I couldn't step outside without boots on because of mud and dirt and in homes that have been surrounded by dirt roads. I have lived with a pack rat in the worst sense of the word and in the middle of a factory with grease, wood and metal shavings being tracked in daily by employees, customers and family members alike, so I have had a lot of cleaning experience.

But now the moment you have been waiting for.... what works and how do I pay less? Let me answer the last question first. As in many other areas of money you can pay less and save by not buying in the first place.

More is not always better.

I only keep a few cleaning supplies on hand. As a matter of fact I haven't spent more than $5, if that much, per year on cleaning supplies. There are only about 5-6 basic supplies that you really need and they can last a couple of years if used properly.

As with so many other things, we use way too much of our cleaning products. It is like the food we eat. We don't properly measure things. We just dump a bunch of milk into our cereal bowls without paying attention to how much we need and we usually end up pouring most of it down the drain.

Myth #1- You need to “dump” the product in the bucket.

We make the same mistake with our cleaning supplies that we make with the milk. We just let them pour, glub, glub, into our buckets or on our rags. The first thing we learned in my professional cleaning class was to use less of the product! Not only does it save money but it also saves a lot of time.

Most people spend more time trying to rinse away the soap, suds and bubbles from cleaning products than anything else they do while cleaning. If you stop using so much, you can cut your cleaning time in half or more.

Don't spray or pour the product on the object you are cleaning. Put it on your rag and wipe. (I do realize on some occasions you will have to spray the cleaner on the object and not the rag but do this as little as possible.)

If you are not sure this will work, think about it for a moment. Isn't that basically what we like about those "new" cleaning wipes that are all the rage? We don't have to rinse with them. You can accomplish the same thing without the added cost by putting the product directly on the rag yourself. I learned this 50 years ago from my mom. She would always tell me to spray the Pledge on the rag and not the furniture to make cleaning easier.

Be careful when you watch advertisements. Have you ever noticed that they don't spray the cleaner on the rag? They spray it all over the piece of furniture or squirt floor cleaner everywhere. Monkey see, monkey do. We all just do what we see them do in the commercial which is what they want because they sell more product if you use more than you need.

Myth #2- New products work better.

It's important to avoid the temptation to try every new cleaning product. I sometimes find myself wanting to buy a new cleaning product I see advertised, hoping it might do everything that they say it will.

Unfortunately, I have found that 95% of the time the new product really doesn't do a better job and usually costs more than my 5 or 6 basic products do.

Myth #3- After wiping with cleaner, you're done.

There are some things that you need to know about cleaning in general no matter what you use to clean.

Always dry what you clean. That is where the sparkle and shine comes from. Most cleaners always seem to leave a slight residue and going over it with a dry rag gets rid of it.

I keep a soft dish towel by my sink. When I'm done with my dishes, I quickly dry my faucet, the top of my stove, my toaster or any place I have just wiped. I timed myself the other day and it took me 10 seconds to do this. It is a small task that has a big impact. I frequently have visitors to my house ask if I had a new faucet installed because they think only new faucets can shine like that.

Myth #4- Elbow grease doesn’t do the work. The cleaner does.

I jokingly mentioned elbow grease earlier but, seriously, elbow grease really is what is needed for most cleaning jobs and there is a reason why. For many years, I didn't know that the rubbing action we use when cleaning actually kills many, many germs so don't be too delicate when cleaning. Scrub!

Here's a list of cleaners I use, along with why and how I use them:

- Dish Detergent

- Clorox

- Dow Bathroom Cleaner

- Pledge

- Ammonia or Floor Cleaner

Kitchen basics I keep on hand to make my own cleaners:

- Tea

- Baking Soda

- Vinegar

- Lemon Juice

- Rubbing Alcohol

- Hydrogen Peroxide

Other items that are useful but I don't usually have on hand:

- Borax

- Fels Naptha

How To Use Cleaning Supplies Properly

First, I'm going to give you tips about how to use the cleaning supplies I use and explain how to save money on some of them. At the end, we will include some recipes to make your own homemade products.

You don't have to follow these tips exactly. Some of these may not won't work for your family. In some cases, you might have something that works even better. My cleaning habits and supplies are continually changing but these are a few tried and true cleaners and cleaning procedures. Some have been around for hundreds of years and still work great.

Dish Detergent

75% of house cleaning could probably be done with dish detergent and hot water. Dish detergent does kill germs. I have checked again and again with different health authorities and they have assured me that dish detergent does kill germs. You can use it to clean counters, appliances, walls, tables, chairs, knick knacks, dishes and the baby's face (of course not with the same rag). In our experience, regular “blue” Dawn works best.

I always try hot soapy water first on most things. If that doesn't get it, I move to some of my other preferred cleaners, which I will talk about in a minute. I do use different types of abrasive rags or brushes with the soapy water, depending on what I am cleaning. For example, if the counter has stuck on gook, I would let it soak. I usually wet a dish rag and lay it on the spot for a while while I do something else. If that doesn't get it, I would move on to a plastic scraper, scrub brush or something like a nylon scrub pad, depending on how stuck it is.

Usually you only need a few drops of dish detergent in a bucket or pan of water for cleaning. If I used my dish detergent just for cleaning and it cleaned 75% of my house with only a few drops added to the water, a bottle should last me about a year. See how inexpensive that is?

Dow Bathroom Cleaner

I love, love, love Dow Bathroom Cleaner! I do use it in my bathroom but a lot of people don't realize it works everywhere in the house. If I had to choose one cleaner I wouldn't want to do without and that I would consider the most versatile it would be this one.

I remember the very day that I discovered the power of this great cleaner. I was a brand new bride and we had moved into to a scaggy rental house. It had open shelves above the stove that were covered in year's worth of thick yellow gummy grease. I tried everything on it-- ammonia, comet, scrapers-- Nothing worked. In desperation I tried the Dow. In just a couple of seconds, right before my unbelieving eyes, it just lifted all the grease right off.

Ever since then, I have kept a can of Dow in my kitchen as well as in my bathroom. I spray it on the back of my stove where the knobs are and the grease just rolls right off. Once in a while I come across something a little bit stubborn but I just use a brush or scrubber on it and it comes right off.

A while back, we cleaned a house that had years and years of yellow, sticky cigarette residue on the walls, ceiling and kitchen cabinets. I got out my Dow and it just lifted the stuff away. Dow can also be used on things like patio furniture. It is especially useful for hard to reach places because the foam doesn't run like liquids and it can get into cracks and crevices and clean better. An added bonus is that it's a great disinfectant.

The Dow is the most expensive cleaning product I use and one of the few items that I would buy with a coupon.

Clorox

Please don't write to me about the nightmare horrors of Clorox and what it will do to me and the world. I don't mean to be unkind but I have personally experienced my own nightmare horrors of e-coli and what it can do to the human body and I would much rather put up with what a couple of drops of Clorox in cleaning water would do to me than have e-coli again. I know-- like my kids say, "Too much information!" but I have to tell it like it is.

I do know about all the "natural" disinfectants out there but I love my Clorox. I will lightly touch on some "natural" products for our eco friendly friends in a moment.

I don't use too much Clorox in my cleaning. Usually I put about 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of bleach into a sink full of water. Every few days, I wipe down my kitchen and soak things like my scrub brushes, dishrags, soap dishes and other similar items. Another thing I like about the Clorox is that it has a nice whiting that you can't get with all of the natural disinfectants. It also gets rid of stains and such in my sink, on my counter and in my rags.

I keep a spray bottle of water with a capful of Clorox in it to spray down my counters and sink every once in a while instead of using it in the dishwater.

Of course, if you have things like granite, marble and certain other types of sinks, you have to treat those according to their special needs. Most of the time I just use soapy water and a disinfectant that can be used on them.

I also pour about 2 tablespoons of Clorox into the toilet about once a month to soak. If I have stains on my porcelain tub or sink I will wipe them down with the bleach, too.

Clorox works great any place you have mold: on bathroom walls, patio furniture, etc. Part of the problem with Clorox is that most people use way too much of it. It only takes a little in a spray bottle of water or a teaspoon or two of Clorox in a bucket to disinfect most things. So, as with the other cleaners, you can see that I use very little in the cleaning examples I gave, so one gallon of Clorox will last a long time.

Ammonia or Floor Cleaner
(like Mr. Clean)

I sometimes use either ammonia or a floor cleaner to clean my floor. I like to use a floor cleaner mostly because it smells good but when I'm really pinching my pennies I will mop my floor with soapy water and then rinse with vinegar.

If you have hardwood floors, you may want to buy a special floor cleaner but once again you don't really have to. A rag with soapy water will work for hardwood floors, too. The important thing about cleaning wood floors is that you don't want to use too much water or let the water stand in puddles. My daughter washes her hardwood floors with a damp rag and then dries with another dry rag.

Dusting Spray - Pledge

Pledge is another product that I do use, but it isn't necessary if you're really watching your money. In a pinch, a lightly damp cloth will do just as well. I do find that on some furniture the pledge adds a nice shine but these days most furniture has a permanent shine on it so just the damp cloth and a dry one to follow does the job. No expense there.

Comet

I like Comet, although I don't use it that much. The cleaning tasks I use it for can also be accomplished with a little Clorox. Comet works great when I clean something that needs a good old abrasive to get it clean-- something that won't be hurt by abrasion. I often use it in my toilet bowl.

Window Cleaner

I have never bought window cleaner. I have used it when cleaning other peoples homes but, to be honest, I really wasn't impressed enough to ever buy any.

To clean mirrors in the bathroom, I use the same rag that I use to dry my bathroom faucets and fixtures. It is usually just damp enough by the time I am done drying the fixtures that it works well on the mirrors. Then I quickly clean any other mirrors in the house that need it while I have the rag in my hand.

If I come across an extra gooey spot, I just wet a corner of the rag more and rub the spot. Then I dry it with another corner. Very simple and cheap.

I pretty much do the same thing with windows. If they are really dirty, like outside windows often get, I will wash them first with soapy water and then rinse and dry. In the past, I have tried vinegar and ammonia and I have also tried the newspaper trick. They work, but not really any better than my damp rag.

Tea: I recently discovered that diluted unsweetened tea works really well on windows, too. Every time I make myself tea, I always have a little tea left. It isn't even usually enough for another half cup and I hate throwing it out. This is the perfect way for me to use that little bit of tea effectively. I dilute it with 3-4 parts water to tea. It doesn't seem to streak as much, which means not as much wiping. This is one of those tips that makes me think, "I wish I had known this years ago!"

Dishwasher Detergent

There aren't too many good substitutes for dishwasher detergent. We do have a dishwasher detergent recipe that you can try later in this book. I usually buy the least expensive dishwasher detergent I can find because I can't tell much difference between them. This is another place that if you can save if you are tightly pinching pennies by hand washing your dishes. I know there is a debate about whether dishwasher washing or hand washing uses more water. The way I hand wash my dishes uses only about 1/2 gallon of water or less for washing and rinsing so, for me, hand washing saves water.

Baking Soda

There is almost nothing that baking soda can't do. It works great as a mild abrasive on many surfaces to clean and remove stains. It works especially well on textured surfaces like fingerprint free refrigerators. Baking Soda does a great job absorbing odors in the fridge or when sprinkled in the bottom of a cat box and you can use it as a drain cleaner. (See the recipe later in this book.)

Every so often, my baking soda goes flat on me and I can no longer use it in baking. When that happens, I use it as my "cleaning" soda.

You can find large boxes of baking soda in the laundry aisle at the store if you use a lot of it.

Vinegar

Vinegar is a natural disinfectant but it does not disinfect as well as bleach. Vinegar is best used for cutting grease. It is great to use in rinse water for most things because it cuts grease and gets rid of any residue (like soapy residue) that is left behind. Besides using it for cleaning, you can also use vinegar in the rinse cycle of the laundry or run vinegar through appliances like coffee makers, washers or dishwashers to eliminate hard mineral build up.

Lemon Juice

Lemon juice can be used as a mild disinfectant and to cut grease. (Again, it doesn't disinfect as well as bleach.) I like to use lemon juice to clean my copper pans. I wet them with lemon juice, sprinkle with salt and rub. (There's that elbow grease again.)

Rubbing Alcohol

Rubbing Alcohol is a great disinfectant. It works well when you want to shine mirrors, chrome on faucets, and other similar things. Sometimes, I pour some alcohol on a rag to give my sink, counter and toilet a quick wipe down when they don't need a full cleaning yet or when I'm in a hurry. It disinfects, degreases and when I follow it up with a dry rag, it gives a beautiful shine.

Hydrogen Peroxide

- Clean your counters and table tops with hydrogen peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters.

- After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour peroxide on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.

- Use hydrogen peroxide as a vegetable wash or soak to kill bacteria and neutralize chemicals.

Tea Tree Oil

Tea tree oil is an essential oil. A lot of essential oils are used in cleaning products, which is fine, but if you are looking for less expensive alternatives be careful when buying these. It you have to use 2 tsp. or 2 Tbsp. of Tea Tree Oil in a recipe, the cost can start adding up fast.

Borax

Borax is a great old cleaning product that can be used many different ways, including in the laundry. If you are having problems with your laundry being a little dingy, just add a cup or so of Borax and the Borax will help brighten it. Borax is a good product to use to really eliminate odors. You can easily find it in with laundry detergents, usually on the top shelf.

Fels Naptha

Fels Naptha is a bar soap that works really well to get rid of stains on your hands and especially on your clothes. You can just wet the bar and rub it on the stain. Then wash as usual. It was also common to grate some Fels Naptha into warm water for general cleaning. Like any other soapy cleaner, you need to rinse it off. You can usually find Fels Naptha soap with the laundry detergent. Sometimes it is sold with the bar soaps.

Homemade Cleaning Recipes

Several of the following recipes call for ingredients like Fels Naptha Soap, Borax (20 Mule Team Borax) and Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer). These ingredients can all be found in the laundry section of your grocery store or discount store. Sometimes Fels Naptha Soap will be sold with the bar soaps instead of the laundry section.

Homemade Clorox Disinfecting Wipes

I have seen recipes for Homemade Clorox Wipes all over the Internet. The one problem I have with most of them is that they use vinegar and tea tree oil.  Well, vinegar and tea tree oil do not disinfect properly like you should in a bathroom.  I know people swear that these ingredients disinfect and they do disinfect to a certain degree but to say vinegar totally disinfects as well as bleach is not true at all.  (Just call your local health department if you don’t believe me.)

My recipe calls for using rubbing alcohol. Not only does it truly disinfect but rubbing alcohol shines your faucets so they look great!!

The Dawn cuts grease which is another thing the vinegar does not do. (Think of oil and vinegar salad dressing. It doesn’t mix!) So this recipe will really cut through that slime.

You can put these pre-moistened wipes in a baby wipe or plastic container if you want to have them handy and ready to go. You can also make this mixture and just put it in a spray bottle so you can spray it on and wipe it with rags or paper towels.

Homemade Clorox Wipes Recipe

1 cup of water
1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol
2 Tbsp. Dawn dish soap (only use Dawn)
2 Tbsp. ammonia (optional)
24 rags – cut into squares. I cut them to about 4×6 inches but whatever size you have available or whichever size you need will work.  I also use old washrags that have seen better days.

 Mix the ingredients and pour over the rags.* Then, when you need to clean your bathroom, use them as you would the disposable Clorox wipes. 

The best thing about these homemade wipes is that you can just throw them in the washing machine and use them again! Really! It’s that simple!

*After you make this recipe, you will need to adjust how much of the mixture you pour over your rags.  I didn’t have that many rags and they were pretty wet so I just used less of the cleaner.

Homemade Cleaning Wipes
(using paper towels)

1 round baby wipe container*
1 roll of paper towels**
2-4 cups cleaning solution (homemade is fine)

Recycle a used round baby wipe container. Cut a roll of paper towel in half, (an electric or serrated knife works best for this.) Remove the center cardboard. Place half of the paper towels in the baby wipe container. Pour cleaning solution into the container. (The amount will depend of the absorbency of your paper towels.) This can be used for window cleaner, all purpose cleaner, or disinfectant cleaner. Pull the first paper towel out of the center of the roll, through the hole in the container lid. If the paper towels dry out before they are all used, add more solution or some water.

*If you don't have a baby wipe container, you can use a round plastic container and just drill or punch a large hole in the center of the lid.

**It is best to use expensive, thick paper towels. The cheap ones won't hold up to scrubbing.

You can use this process to make other wipes, too. For the following types of homemade wipes, use these ingredients instead:

Face And Hand Wipes

2 tablespoons liquid baby bath
2 cups water

Bathroom Wipes

1/2 cup pine cleaner
2 cups water

Window Wipes

1 cup glass cleaner
1 1/2 cups water

Dishwasher Soap

1 Tbsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. Borax

Mix and use in place of dishwasher detergent. You can mix larger batches to keep on hand.

In hard water areas you may still need to use dishwasher detergent. In that case, use equal parts baking soda, borax and dishwasher detergent. Use 2 Tbsp. for each load.

Dishwasher Rinse Aid

Vinegar
Fill rinse aid dispenser with vinegar and run dishwasher as usual.

Countertop Disinfectant

2 Tbsp. ammonia
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
1/4 cup vinegar
water

Put ammonia, alcohol and vinegar in a spray bottle and fill with water. This works especially well for countertops but may also be used to clean showers, toilets and sinks. It's great for most cleaning needs.

Fruit and Vegetable Wash

You really don't need a special cleaner for your fruits and vegetables. Just wash them with a weak solution of dish detergent and a scrub brush. If you still insist on using a special wash, this is a good recipe that is the same as the "natural" stuff in the store.

1Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. baking soda
1 cup water

Put ingredients in a spray bottle. Be careful because it will foam up. Spray on vegetables and let sit 5 minutes. Then rinse with a scrub brush.

Drain Cleaner/Opener

1 cup baking soda
1 cup vinegar
4 cups boiling water

Pour baking soda into the drain and then pour vinegar on top of it. Let it sit for 30 minutes. Pour boiling water down the drain. You may need to repeat this process if your drain doesn't come unclogged the first time. This will clean out a lot of clogs so try it first before running to the store to buy a commercial drain opener.

Don't throw away the baking soda used to freshen your fridge. Use it as a cleaning scrub or pour down your drain to clear clogs.

Window Cleaner

1/2 cup ammonia
2 cups rubbing alcohol
water
1 tsp. dishwashing liquid

In a one-gallon container, mix ammonia and rubbing alcohol. Fill almost to the top with water. Add dishwashing liquid and mix. Top off with water.

This is rated by Consumer Reports Magazine to work much better (and much cheaper) than most commercial window and kitchen sprays. Alcohol is the secret ingredient - it's what commercial window washers use.

*Safe on most, but not all, household surfaces.

Streak Free Outdoor Window Washer

3 Tbsp. liquid dishwashing soap
1 Tbsp. anti-spotting agent (Jet Dry)
4 Tbsp. Rubbing Alcohol)
1/4 Cup Ammonia

Mix everything and put into a spray bottle attachment* for your garden hose. Spray upper windows and let them dry. This is for cleaning the higher windows on your house that you can't reach except with a ladder.

* If you don’t have a hose sprayer you can add 2 gallons of hot water and the soap mixture in a large bucket and use a widow washer to scrub instead of spraying it on.

All Purpose Cleaner

1 gallon water
1 cup ammonia
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup baking soda

Combine all ingredients. Put in a spray bottle to clean showers, toilets, sinks and counters. Great for most cleaning needs.

Use all-purpose cleaner to clean your floors. Just spray on and wipe off as you would counter-tops.

From: Tawna
I read your tip about refilling a Swiffer mop. I use your all purpose cleaner recipe and spray it on the floor. Then I wipe it up with my reusable mop or tie a rag to the mop head and later throw it in the washer. Works great and very cheap.

Floor Wax Remover

1/2 cup ammonia
1 gallon hot water

Mix. Get on the floor and scrub with a Scotch Brite green scouring pad or your favorite kitchen scrubbie. Rinse with 1 cup vinegar in 1 gallon of water. You only need to do this every few months.

Ready Mop Cleaner Refill

1 gallon water
1 cup ammonia
1/2 cup vinegar
water

Mix ingredients and use in your mops instead of buying commercial cleaner.

Tip: Use a piece of scrap fleece, scrap flannel or micro-fiber towels (purchased at automotive stores) to replace your Swiffer or Clorox Ready Mop disposable pads. Cut several to size and keep them on hand for when you need them. When soiled, throw in the wash and launder as usual.

Note: Don't use ammonia on wood floors. Just use vinegar and water or water and Murphy's oil soap.

Daily Shower Cleaner

1/4 cup concentrated cleaner (Lysol is a good brand)
1/2 cup isopropyl alcohol
water

Pour cleaner and alcohol into a quart spray bottle. Add enough water to fill the bottle. Thoroughly clean the shower before using. Spray on shower daily. Use daily to prevent water deposits and soap scum.

Homemade Bathtub Scrub Recipe

Here's a non toxic but effective way to clean your tub:

1 tsp. liquid soap (Dawn works)
several drops of an antibacterial essential oil (such as tea tree, eucalyptus, rosemary or peppermint)
1 cup baking soda

Add just enough water to form a paste, and use it with a sponge or brush to scour bathtub surfaces.

Tub And Shower Cleaner

12 ounces white vinegar
12 ounces blue Dawn liquid detergent
1-2 ounces isopropyl alcohol (optional, for disinfecting)

Heat vinegar in microwave until hot and pour into squirt bottle. Add the Dawn detergent. Put the lid on and gently shake to incorporate.

Spray on tubs and showers. Then scrub away the soap scum. For tough soap scum build-up, spray the mixture on and allow it to sit as long as overnight. Then, scrub and rinse.

Tile And Grout Cleaner

1/2 cup baking soda
1/3 cup household ammonia
1/4 cup white vinegar
7 cups warm water

Put water into a 1 gallon container. An old milk jug works fine. Add the rest of the ingredients into the water. Shake. Don't get it near anything with BLEACH!

To use: Fill a spray bottle. Spray onto tile/grout. Wipe with a damp cloth or sponge. Use a scrub brush if necessary.

Homemade Stainless Steel Cleaner

White vinegar

Fill a spray bottle with undiluted white vinegar. Spray on all of your stainless steel surfaces and wipe dry with a soft cleaning cloth.

Tarnish Remover

1/2 - 1 cup baking soda or Borax
aluminum pan (no substitutions)

Place aluminum pan in the sink and add your sterling or plated silver. Add enough baking soda or Borax to cover silverware. Pour boiling water to cover the utensils. When the tarnish disappears, remove silverware, and buff with a soft cotton cloth.

Tough Hand Cleaner

1/4 cup Fels Naptha*, grated
2 Tbsp. mason’s sand or pumice
1 cup water
2 cup plastic container (A 16 oz. cottage cheese container works great.)

Place soap and water in a saucepan. Place over low heat. Stir until soap is melted. After mixture cools, add mason's sand or pumice. Store in a cottage cheese container or margarine tub. Dip fingers into soap mixture and lather hands. Rinse well.

*Any grated bar of soap will work but Fels Naptha removes the stains better.

Skunk Smell Remover

1 qt. hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda
1 tsp. dish detergent

Sponge on and let dry. Safe for use on cats and dogs. Do not use on clothes.

Roach Killer

4 Tbsp. borax
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp cocoa powder

Set in short containers such as a cottage cheese lid in a hidden spot. The roaches will eat it and walk in it and take it back to the nest and kill the other roaches. This recipe is safe to use in the house around kids and pets. Still, try to put it where they will not find it.

When building a house, you can sprinkle boric acid in the walls before the drywall goes up. Boric acid is NOT safe to use around kids and pets, so don't use it in the living area of the house.

Mildew Killer

3/4 cup bleach
3 cups water

Mix and apply with a spray bottle or dampened sponge and wipe off.

Wood Cleaner

2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 Tbsp. white vinegar
1 quart warm water

Apply with a soft cloth and dry with a separate clean cloth.

Copper Cleaner

2 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. or more vinegar or lemon juice.

Mix equal parts flour and salt made into a paste with vinegar or lemon juice. Store in the refrigerator.

Silver Polish/Tarnish & Soot Remover

From: Lynne

The best silver polish I have found is right in my fireplace: ashes.

Wood Ashes
Water

Start with some ashes. Mix with a bit of water to make a paste and rub on. You'd be amazed how well it works. I'll never buy silver polish again!

This also works well for getting the water spots off of chrome fixtures like faucets.

I have glass doors on my fireplace, which accumulate soot. No problem. Make an ash paste, as described above, and wipe. The soot comes right off. I used to use ammonia for this task, but the ashes work better.

Homemade Oven Cleaner

Ammonia
Water
Dish soap (Make sure it does not contain bleach. Plain “Blue” Dawn works well.)

I prefer to scrape off any really big stuff with a razor blade before beginning.

Heat oven to 150 degrees. When oven is preheated, turn off. Boil a pot of water. Pour Ammonia into an oven proof pan or bowl. When water is boiling, pour into another oven proof pan. Put the water on the bottom oven rack and the Ammonia on the top rack and close the oven door.

Leave both in the oven at least overnight or up to 2 days.

After they have had time to sit, remove both from the oven. Add 1 tsp. of dish soap to the ammonia. Add 4 cups of water to the dish soap and ammonia. Scrub the inside of the oven with a scrubbing pad or SOS pad. Wear gloves if needed.

Kitchen Pan Cleaner

1/4 cup baking soda
2 Tbsp. hydrogen peroxide.

Mix to a paste. Then rub on dirty pans or utensils. You may need to let it sit on pans to loosen grime before scrubbing. This cleans pans that you thought were hopeless. You may need to do it 2 or 3 times if the pans are really bad.

Homemade Furniture Polish

1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup lemon juice

Pour oil and lemon juice into a spray bottle or jar. Shake or stir until mixed. To use, spray on a rag or dip a dust rag into the oil and then dust your furniture. Wipe with a clean side of the cloth to shine.

Laundry Brightener

1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide

Fill washing machine with clothes and water. Mix into laundry water and let sit for several hours. Then wash as usual.

Laundry Whitening Solution
(regular washer)

1 large pot of boiling water*
1 cup of laundry detergent
1 cup powdered dishwasher detergent
1 cup bleach
1/2 cup borax

Fill washer with laundry. Start filling the washer with hot water. Add boiling water as it’s filling to make the water very hot. Add the rest of the ingredients to the washer.

*The boiling water is what really works so use as much boiling water as you can. Now we know why our great grandmothers boiled their clothes. It disinfected them and made them white!

Laundry Whitening Solution
(HE washer)

2 Tbsp. laundry detergent
2 Tbsp. powdered dishwasher detergent
1/2 cup bleach
1/2 cup borax

Fill washer with laundry. Add laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent and borax into the washer with clothes. Put bleach in dispenser. Run washer using “sanitize” setting.

Homemade Stain Remover #1

1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup Wisk
1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup water

Mix all ingredients and store in a spray bottle. Spray on anything with grease or food spots. Wash as usual.

From Tawna: Your laundry stain prespotter is the best I have ever used. I always spray my husband's shirt collars and now there are no more collar rings. Unfortunately, he must wear dress clothes to work. Keeping them clean and new looking can be hard but they are also expensive to replace.

Homemade Stain Remover #2

2/3 cup Dawn dish soap
2/3 cups ammonia
6 Tbsp. baking soda
2 cups warm water

Mix all ingredients and store in a spray bottle. Shake well before using. Spray on anything with grease or food spots. Wash as usual.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I have discovered that people either love or hate this soap. Try this recipe and see what you think.

1/3 bar Fels Naptha Laundry Soap, grated
6 cups water
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax

Heat 6 cups water and soap in a large pan until dissolved. Stir in washing soda and Borax. Mix and heat until dissolved. Boil 15 minutes. Remove from heat. (It will have the consistency of honey.*) In a 3 or 5 gallon bucket, add 1 quart of hot water and then add the soap mixture. Mix. Add enough cold water to make a 2-gallon mixture. Mix until well blended. Let sit 24 hours. The soap will gel*. Use 1/2 cup for each load.

Makes 2 gallons. (Approximate cost: $ .40 per gallon.)

*If the detergent doesn't gel or reach honey consistency it will still work.

*Fels Naptha and washing soda can be found on the top or bottom shelves of your store’s laundry aisle.

Notes:

- Stir before each use as this laundry detergent does separate. Detergent can be stored in a liquid detergent bottle. Just shake it up each time you use it.

- This detergent will not suds up in the washer, but it still gets your clothes clean.

- If you have extra hard water the soap may not clean as well. Add 1/2 cup borax or washing soda to the load and that may help.

If you don’t like this laundry soap, you can still use the Fels Naptha bar to spot clean and to rub on stains. The borax and washing soda are great to add to your regular detergent for extra cleaning.

You can use this laundry detergent in HE washers.

Watch our "How To Make Homemade Laundry Detergent" Video Here:

Powdered Homemade Laundry Soap

From: Diana

I have been making my own laundry soap for years and always hated the time it took. Now I have found a tried and true way to remain true to the formula and have a DRY powdered soap.

2 bars Fels Naptha Laundry Soap, finely grated
3 cups washing soda
3 cups borax
2 cups baking soda (makes everything smell really clean)

Mix ingredients together thoroughly and store in an airtight container. Add 2 Tablespoons for light soil. Add 3 Tablespoons or 1/4 cup for a heavy soiled load.

This works great in those new washing machines as it produces no suds. It cleans well without the mess and eliminates the time required to mix a liquid. It’s great in cold water, too. Just fill the machine, add soap and let it mix before putting in the clothes.

Homemade Wrinkle Release Spray

1 capful fabric softener
water

Pour fabric softener into a spray bottle and fill with water almost to the top. Shake. Spray directly on wrinkles. Smooth out and allow to hang dry.

Homemade Fabric Softener

I have finally found a homemade recipe that makes fabric softener like the real thing. I know you can use vinegar and I often have but I really like the smell and the extra softness that fabric softeners like Downy give you.

This recipe is also great for those of you who have started using our homemade shampoo recipe and have a bunch of conditioner to use up.

3 cups hot water
1 1/2 cups vinegar
1 cup hair conditioner
essential oils (optional)

Pour the conditioner into the hot water.  Stir (don’t shake) and then add the vinegar. Pour into a gallon container.  Use the same amount of the fabric softener as you would use of the store bought kind or moisten a rag and throw it in the dryer. You can put it in your Downy balls too.

Notes:

- I found that the water has to be very hot to dissolve the conditioner. If it doesn’t dissolve just whisk it or warm up the water hotter in the microwave.

- If you do need to buy conditioner, something like Suave Lavender from the Dollar Tree works just fine.

- This homemade fabric softener recipe makes a half gallon and if you want to make less, you can easily half the recipe.

- Yes it does work in HE washers.

- For sensitive skin, you will just have to use plain vinegar. My son has horrible eczema and I can’t use anything with scents on his clothes, so vinegar it is!

Homemade Dryer Sheets

Fabric softener or hair conditioner

Pour a small amount of fabric softener or hair conditioner onto a rag. Then add to laundry when drying. No need to wash before using it again. Just add more fabric softener or conditioner.

Homemade Air Freshener

Vinegar

Fill a spray bottle with white vinegar, and spritz wherever a freshening is needed. Wipe off of surfaces, such as the refrigerator. The vinegar neutralizes the odor. Your home won’t smell like vinegar after it has dried.

Use on:

Refrigerators
Lunch boxes
Carpet
Shoes
Trash cans
Diaper pails

Foaming Hand Soap

1-2 Tbsp. hand soap or bubble bath
1 empty foaming hand soap bottle
water

Fill the hand soap bottle almost to the top with water, leaving about 1 inch. Add hand soap or bubble bath. Put the lid on and gently swirl or tip side to side to mix. DO NOT SHAKE!

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