DIY Household Cleaners

For my Clean and Organize 2013 Challenge, I have put together my cleaners all in one place, easy to take from room to room when cleaning.

Here are the cleaners I use:

* 50% Vinegar, 50% Water - in a spray bottle

* Baking Soda - I put it in a shaker I found at the Dollar Store (looks like the ones used in restaurants for parmesan cheese)

* Tub/Shower Cleaner - in a spray bottle (I posted about this cleaner here)

* All-Purpose Cleaner - in spray bottle (recipe below)

* Window/Glass Cleaner - store brand

* Sponges

* Microfiber cloths and/or rags

* Small brush (mine is a grout cleaner, I believe, but you can use an old toothbrush)

* Swiffer Duster (I forgot to include this in the picture, but I do keep it in this bucket as well)

Ever since I made my own laundry detergent, I have been trying out different recipes for homemade cleaners as well (I've also, very unsuccesfully, been experimenting with homemade shampoos and body washes - someday I'll get it).

I posted about the Tub/Shower cleaner here and have continued to use it ever since. I primarily use it for the tub and shower (duh), however, it works well on greasy areas (like the oven hood). You really could use it on all of your surfaces, but it isn't necessary and it's more expensive than just vinegar and water or vinegar and baking soda. It is also soapy and foamy and takes a little more effort to rinse clean.

I use the vinegar and baking soda combo when I need a little more scrubbing action. I just sprinkle the baking soda over the area, then spray the vinegar solution, let it fizz, then scrub it off. You can use this combo on just about anything (even carpets), but baking soda is abrasive, so don't use it on surfaces that should not use abrasive cleaners (i.e. glass top stoves).

I've recently tried a new recipe for an all-purpose cleaner:

1 cup Water
1 cup Vinegar
4 Tbsp Lemon Juice
15 drops Tea Tree Oil

Tea Tree oil is a germicide, fungicide and anti-bacterial. The vinegar also kills mold, germs and viruses making this cleaner especially useful during the cold and flu season for wiping down door knobs and light switches.

You can use this cleaner the same way you would the vinegar and water solution. I kind of like the smell of the tea tree oil after cleaning, where sometimes the straight vinegar smell bothers me(although, it does dissipate quickly).

I have not yet tried out any homemade window cleaner recipes which is why I just have a store bought window cleaner in there.

All of my spray bottles are from the dollar store (similar bottles are $4-5 at Target). You may also notice that they are all less than half full. I do this because my kids are a little heavy-handed in their use of cleaners, so if the bottle isn't full, there is less for them to waste. Feel free to fill your bottles if you don't have this problem :)

Alrighty. All ready for cleaning!

Clean and Organized 2013 Challenge







Linking up here:

Cleaning the Garbage Disposal

The first cleaning task of my Clean and Organized Challenge is the garbage disposal. Check out the post from Clean and Scentsible about cleaning the "garburator" (That makes me laugh. I've never heard it called that before :) and the microwave.

Start by running the disposal quickly to clear out any food that may be in there. Then, pour some baking soda and then vinegar and let sit (and listen to the fizz :), then run the disposal with hot water to help loosen anything that may be stuck on there. Use an old toothbrush to clean the under side of the rubber guard over the disposal. Food that gets stuck under there can cause it to smell.

And that's all you need to do to clean it. Vinegar is a germ killer and a deodorizer, but if you like to use another method for deodorizing in addition to the vinegar, run some citrus rinds through there.

Here's what each of these things do for your garbage disposal:

1.Lemon/Limes/Oranges – Place a couple halves of lemons or limes in the garbage disposal and process them through. The acid from the citrus will remove the odor and leave your disposal smelling much fresher. The oils from the rinds will also freshen it up, so you don't have to use the whole fruit.

2.Baking Soda – Baking soda is well known for its odor absorbency and can be added to other items being processed through the disposal to aid in odor removal.

3.Vinegar Ice – Fill an ice cube tray with vinegar and freeze. Place a couple of ice cubes in the disposal and process with cold water. Be sure to label the remaining cubes or someone may get a surprise in their beverage!

4.Ice/Salt – Place some ice in the garbage disposal and sprinkle with rock salt or 1 cup of vinegar. Process the ice through the disposal with plenty of cold water.

I've read in several places that ice in the garbage disposal helps to keep the blades sharp, so #3 and #4 would work for that.

Today, I decided to try frozen lemon rinds.

There was a crazy sale on lemons at the Farmer's Market, so I made lemonade. I didn't want to just throw away all of those lemon rinds, so I froze them. Today, I ran them through the garbage disposal to freshen it up and sharpen the blades. I only used a handful, so I still have several in my freezer for next time it needs freshening up :)





Linking up here:

Homemade Laundry Soap

This is just way too "Little House on the Prairie" for me. But, I have seen several posts online about making your own laundry soap, so I thought I'd give it a try. I plan to also eventually make my own household cleaners and soaps and shampoos as well. We'll see how that goes. But, so far, my first crunchy, granola, tree-hugging project was easy and it works!

You will need:

1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda (different than baking soda)
1 bar soap (I used Ivory - they make bar soaps specifically for laundry as well)

I used a hand grater, but have seen others use a food processor. I found it easy enough to grate by hand, so I'd rather not soap up my food processor.

Once grated, add the cup of Borax and the cup of washing soda, mix well (it took several minutes to make sure it was all mixed to an even consistency).

Use 1-2Tbsp per load of laundry. That's it!

I am currently storing it in a yogurt container with a Tbsp inside. I think the container is ugly. So, I was thinking if I go find a cutesy container or decorate one, does that counteract the "Little House on the Prairie" effect? Yes, Yes it does! :-)

The powder does not get sudsy like regular detergent and it doesnt have a perfumy smell like detergents do. But the clothes do smell clean and they look clean. I have read that you can use 1/4 cup if you are washing a particularly soiled load. The big test for me was washing our 2 year old's little Eeyore. It's her snuggly comfort item and she takes it everywhere. It was dirty, had food and other stains and wasn't smelling so great. I washed it with 1 1/2 Tbsp in a regular load of laundry and it came out clean. No stains. And smelled good. So, I was sold!

Today, I had a lovely vomit mess to clean up. Here is the yucky pillow pet before:

And here it is after:

I washed it with 3 Tbsp of powder instead of my usual 1 1/2 Tbsp. along with the other yucky bedding. There were some faint stains, but they are barely noticeable. Good as new!

Vinegar is also a natural fabric softener and can be added to the rinse cycle. I have not yet tried this as the little cup thingy in my washing machine that holds fabric softener is broken. I plan to buy a downy ball and put vinegar in that and see how it works.

There are also recipes online using the same ingredients, but melting the soap and adding water to make a liquid laundry detergent. This seemed kind of messy to me, so I opted for the powder eventhough, I typically use liquid store bought detergent. So far, no problem switching to powder.

I have not done any kind of cost comparison on this. But other people have, so I'm taking their word for it :-) I also know it doesn't have all the chemicals that store bought detergents do, so it's better for my family and the environment. That's good enough for me.

Have I convinced you to try it, yet?