Archive Category: 'Homemade Cleaners'

• Homemade Varnish Remover: Ingredients Part 1: 1 cup cornstarch 1/2 cup water (cold) Part 2: 4 cups water (hot) 3/4 cup baking soda 1/2 cup household ammonia 1 TBS vinegar Notes: Mix recipe in a pail or container that is heat resistant since you’ll be using it to hold the hot water. First bring water to a boil, remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes [...]
• Homemade Shower Spray Recipes: Daily Shower Spray 1/3 cup rubbing alcohol 1 cup water Mix in a spray bottle and shake. Spray on, no rinsing required. Tile and Grout Cleaner 1/2 cup of baking soda 1/3 cup of ammonia 1/4 cup of white vinegar 7 cups of water Combine all the ingredients in a labeled spray bottle and shake well to mix. Spray on then wipe [...]
• Homemade Herbal Carpet Freshener Recipe: This makes a big batch of carpet freshener that will last quite awhile. You can cut the amounts down if you like until you find your favorite blend. To give yourself a small variety to choose from, you could split the recipe in three then add three different herbal fragrance choices to each container/mix. Homemade Herbal [...]
• Homemade Beeswax Furniture Polish Recipes: Tips: Use wide mouth jars or containers for storage so you can get your hand in easily. Apply finished furniture wax with a coarse cloth and buff. While melting the wax, do not leave stove unattended. The solvents are flammable, do not add them while wax is heating on the stove. Look for odorless turpentine or mineral spirits if the [...]
• Homemade Citrus Vinegar Cleaner: Found this great recipe in a file download from West Michigan Environmental Action Council *(removed pdf link, it’s no longer available). I tried it and loved it–here’s what I did: Homemade Citrus Household Cleaner Fill a large, wide mouth jar with citrus peels (such as lemons, oranges, limes, grapefruits). Cover the peels with white household vinegar. Let [...]
• How To Get Rid of Cockroaches – Roach Ball Recipe: Here are a few tips for how to get rid of cockroaches, if you have a surefire method of your own–feel free to share it with everyone and add it below. Roach Ball Recipe White Flour Boric Acid Confectioners Sugar or Brown Sugar Water Mix 50/50 flour and boric acid. Sprinkle in some confectioners sugar (about 1/4 of the amount of [...]
• Vintage Linens: Soaks & Cleaning Recipes: For old vintage linens that are yellowed with age and need more than spot cleaning, here are some recipes for soaking the entire piece. Notes: Check a spot to make sure the recipe won’t damage the fabric or colors before soaking the entire item. When drying linens in the sun, lay them directly on the grass instead of [...]
• Sour Milk Silver Soak: If you have a carton of milk that has expired, don’t toss it out because sour milk is a great silver cleaner. Sour Milk Silver Soak For every cup of of milk, stir in one tablespoon lemon juice or one tablespoon vinegar and leave for five minutes so it sours. If the milk is sour already, you [...]
• Homemade Fly Paper Recipe: Items Needed: 1/4 cup maple syrup 1 TBS Brown Sugar 1 TBS White Sugar Directions: Mix well then dip strips of brown paper bag into the mixture. Coat the strips well and lay them on plastic overnight to set and dry a bit. The next day poke a hole in the paper strip about an inch from the edge and loop [...]
• Homemade Air Freshener Sprays: Lemon Air Freshener Spray Ingredients 2 cups hot water 1/8 cup baking soda 1/2 cup lemon juice Directions First dissolve the baking soda in hot water then add the lemon juice. You can use ReaLemon for this (expired is fine). Quick Tip: Easy Homemade Deodorizer Sprays: You can also whip up some good, fresh smelling spray with just two ingredients: water or vinegar [...]
• Homemade Softscrub Cleaner Recipe: Here’s a quick and easy recipe for a great soap scum buster on the tub surround or a great cleaner for around the kitchen and bathroom. Homemade Softscrub 1/2 cup baking soda 1/2 cup liquid dish detergent 1/8 cup – 1/4 cup vinegar Mix the baking soda and dish detergent first, then add the vinegar. Adjust the baking soda or [...]
• Kitchen Cabinet Degreaser Recipe: Ingredients: 1 gallon hot water 1 cup household ammonia 1/2 cup vinegar 1/4 cup baking soda Directions: Mix ingredients well in a large bucket, make sure to dissolve the baking soda completely. Soak a sponge in the cleaner and then apply to surface of cabinet. For hard to remove grease spots, hold sponge firmly on spot for several seconds and then [...]
• Mold & Mildew Surface Cleaner Recipe: Test area first to ensure paint, aluminum, vinyl or material isn’t damaged by cleaner. Ingredients: 3 cups water 1 cup bleach 2/3 cups TSP (Trisodium Phosphate) 1/3 cup Tide (or other laundry detergent–nothing with ammonia) Directions: Make sure to keep skin covered when using this (rubber gloves for sure). If you’re reaching up to clean, wear goggles. Also keep nose and mouth [...]
• How To Get Rid of Moths With Natural Repellents: Mothballs are made from paradichlorobenzene and can cause all kinds of health problems including damage to liver and kidneys. They’re especially hazardous to children if swallowed–and they don’t smell all that good either. Natural Moth Repellents Dried lavender Cloves (see How To Make A Clove Apple) Rosemary Mint Thyme Cinnamon sticks Eucalyptus Peppercorns Dried lemon peel Cedar (chips, balls, planks or essential oil–cedar lined closets, drawers [...]
• Homemade Jewelry Cleaner: There are some gems that should never be cleaned with anything containing ammonia, chemicals or harsh solvents as the gem can become discolored, pitted or damaged. If in doubt, simply clean the jewelry piece by wiping it down well with a clean cloth. Homemade Jewelry Cleaner Recipe 1 cup warm water 1 TBS ammonia small squirt of Ivory dish [...]
• 4 Homemade Febreeze Recipes: Basically the ingredients to make homemade Febreeze are a mix of water and fabric softener. Directions: Unless otherwise noted, place ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well to mix. Test a small unnoticeable area first before using to make sure no discoloration or damage occurs. Use as needed, shaking well each time before use. Homemade Febreeze Recipes Recipe [...]
• Frugral Fabric Softener Recipes & Dryer Sheet Tips: Here are several quick tips that you can try as frugal fabric softeners, each point is a separate tip. Next you’ll find a Homemade Fabric Softener Recipe and instructions for Reusable Homemade Dryer Sheets. Quick Tips: Frugal Fabric Softeners Using 1/4 cup vinegar in your laundry’s rinse cycle keeps clothes soft. You can set aside a vinegar [...]
• 10 Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipes: Here is a nice stack of different homemade laundry detergent recipes I’ve collected over the years. Do they work? Yes, I’ve had good luck with them. t the time I was using homemade detergent, we had a relative who was in trade school living with us. Every day he was mechanic grease from head to toe–the [...]
• Homemade Herbal Cleaner Recipes: Thyme Cleaner – Disinfectant 2 1/2 cups water 1 handful thyme (fresh or dried) Vinegar Liquid castille soap (squirt) Boil water, add thyme. Simmer for several hours over medium-low heat, covered. Cool, then strain. Pour the water into a spray bottle, top with white vinegar and squirt of soap. Use as needed. Herb Disinfectant Cleaner This spray cleaner disinfects surfaces, kills mold, [...]
• Rid Your Pet of Skunk Spray Smell: Caution: This recipe cannot be sealed or stored in a container or spray bottle as it can explode. Mix in an open, plastic pail and use immediately. Wear latex gloves when applying. Krebaum’s Formula to De-Skunk Pets Items Needed: 1 quart of fresh (not old or out-dated) 3% hydrogen peroxide (from a pharmacy) – store bought is only [...]
• Household Degreaser & Cleaner Recipe: Kickin household degreaser, make sure to wear rubber gloves and not inhale this stuff, the ammonia is pretty strong. Homemade Degreaser Recipe Lemon scented ammonia Hot water Dawn dishwashing liquid Fill an empty liquid dish detergent bottle half full with the ammonia, then top with hot water. Add a few squirts of dawn. Put cap back on and shake to [...]
• DIY: Pretreated Dusters or Dusting Rags: Frugal Tip: Instead of buying pretreated dusting cloths, here’s how you can make your own. Purpose: Pretreated dusting cloths are antistatic and hold onto dust better rather than just pushing it around. Small Batch Recipe 1 cup hot water 2 TBS lemon oil Large Batch Recipe 1 pint hot water 1/4 cup lemon oil Directions: Mix the water and lemon oil. Take clean squares [...]
• Homemade Dishwasher Detergent Recipes: *Update: There are several comments from readers reporting both success and problems (namely that the homemade detergents below cause issues including a cloudy residue left on dishes). I don’t know why there’s a discrepancy, but it may have something to do with water temperature (not hot enough) or water quality (too hard, etc.). My dishwasher [...]
• Lavender Vinegar Recipes: Lavender is a wonderfully fragrant herb that can be used in cooking. When combined with vinegar, it can also be used for cleaning. Looks pretty and smells nice! See tips below for preparation and uses of lavender vinegar. Lavender Vinegar Recipe Handful of Lavender flowers 1 Pint White Vinegar Combine lavender and vinegar, seal and let sit for 6 weeks [...]
• Homemade Wall Cleaner Recipe: Materials Needed: 2 ounces borax I tsp ammonia 2 quarts water Simply mix and dissolve the ammonia and borax with the water in a cleaning bucket. Wall Cleaning Tips Scrub dirty walls from the bottom up. This helps prevent hard to remove water streaks that happen as the water runs down the dirty walls when you clean from the top [...]