Make your own carpet freshener and save money

Do your New Year's resolutions include saving more money, using less stuff and being kinder to the environment? If they do, or even if they don't, making your own cleaning products can help you achieve this goal.

One of the easiest and least expensive things to make is your own carpet freshener. Using simple household items that you probably already have or can pick up inexpensively, you can make a environmentally friendly carpet freshener.

Borax, one of the main ingredients in this recipe, can be purchased for about $5 for an eight pound box. You use borax in many, many different ways, but it is most commonly used as a laundry booster. It's the best $5 you'll invest in your household cleaning arsenal.

Baking soda, another main ingredient, can be purchased for about 40cents per box if purchased generically. Baking soda can be used in a variety of homemade cleaning products and home remedies, so stock up if you find it on sale.

The other ingredients in this recipe (ground spices, cornstarch, talcum powder, etc.) can also be purchased generically or at stores such as The Dollar Tree, Aldi's, Save-A-Lot and Pricerite for $1 or less each. Since you only use a little bit of these ingredients, they can last a long time and cost pennies to add.

Carpet Freshener #1
1 cup borax (found in the laundry products aisle)
1 cup baking soda
1 to 2 tsp. spices such as ground cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves or use finely ground lemon, lime or orange peel***
OR
1 to 2 tsp. extracts such as vanilla, orange, lemon or anise
Directions:
Mix liquid ingredients into dry ingredients slowly and give them time to dry, mixing often to ensure drying. The borax will also help keep away bugs such as ticks and fleas. Be sure to check and make sure any added ingredients are safe for animals and children. Combine different scents to make your own combinations.

To use: Sprinkle on dry carpet and let stand for 5 to 15 minutes. Vacuum completely.

Rachael's Notes:
Using ground spices you find in your cupboards is a great way to use up last years spices you bought for holiday baking. Don't throw them out, make up batches of carpet freshener, label tight sealing zip locking bags and use as needed.
***Whenever I use a lime, lemon, orange, tangerine or grapefruit  I finely grind the peel in my food processor or a coffee grinder. Then I put them in a zip locking freezer bag and label them to use later in recipes.If you're going to use a coffee grinder, use a SEPARATE coffee grinder from the one you use to grind your daily coffee beans.
If you prefer floral scents, you may need to purchase some essential oils or if you have dried flower petals available, you can grind those up in the food processor and use them.

Carpet Freshener #2 - a simpler recipe, but works just as well.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup baking soda
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup perfumed or non-perfumed talcum or baby powder
Directions:
Sprinkle on dry carpet, let stand 5 to 15 minutes, then vacuum.

Be aware these fresheners may clog your vacuum, especially if humidity is high and you have a bagless vacuum.
To help with the clogging factor, make sure to change your vacuum bag immediately after using the homemade carpet freshener. If you have a bagless vacuum, empty the container and clean out the tubes. Allow to dry completely before using again.

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If you have any questions or comments about this, or any other article I have published, feel free to contact me at Buffalo Frugal Living Examiner.