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Household products can be used to make cheap homemade cleaning supplies
By making your own cleaning products, you can not only save dollars, but also know that you are using safe, non-toxic cleaners that will make your home (and the environment) greener.
For starters, think of keeping it simple. Although big company marketing would have us believe that we need a different product for every spot in our homes, you really only need a few:
For a great recipe for an All-purpose cleaner, check out Let's Go Green Together.
There are dozens of Glass cleaner recipes that use different proportions of white distilled vinegar and water. Some call for adding a teaspoon of castile soap or dishwashing liquid to the mix. Try putting a cup of vinegar into a spray bottle and fill it up the rest of the way with water to start with, and adjust it to your liking. If the smell of the vinegar turns you off, adding 15 to 20 drops of lavendar, or another essential oil, helps.
Wood cleaner and polisher can be made easily by mixing 1 cup of olive oil (this is not the time to use that great imported extra-virgin--go for the cheap store brand) with 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Put it into a jar and shake it well, then dip a cleaning cloth into it and rub the mixture into your wood. A little of this goes a long way. Store it in the fridge.
Many of the homemade recipes for scouring powders are a bit labor intensive, although sprinkling baking powder on a sponge is good for light-duty scrubbing. A great Tile and porcelain cleaner is Bon Ami. This is a non-toxic, non-abrasive scouring powder that's been around forever. The best part is that it is usually only around 89 cents a container and almost all grocery stores carry it. You can also sprinkle this into the toilet bowl, scrub, and let it sit for several minutes before flushing.
Buy the products you need to make these cleaners, such as the white vinegar, in large sizes to save even more money.
By using these homemade cleaners you can cut your cleaning products expenses by up to three quarters!
For more ideas on homemade cleaners and to get hardcore information on how soap works and how it affects the environment read How to find environmentally safe cleaning products by the Portland DIY Environmentalism Examiner, Radhika Reddy.
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