Homekeeping – A Natural Shine To Cleaning (Recipes)
Here’s a tip list of over a dozen natural cleaning recipes I compiled from an article published in the first issue of Martha Stewart’s magazine (Martha Stewart Living, Winter 1990).
I went through a slight obsession years ago to own each and every Martha Stewart Living magazine, this picture is a scan of my copy of Martha’s premiere issue (you can see the top of the title is a bit faded)–I consider Martha as the original “DIYer”!
I also referenced a few recipes that were previously published on Tipnut for more cleaning recipe options. Lots of handy recipes here!
Homekeeping – A Natural Shine To Cleaning
To Disinfect: These two recipes work well on bathroom and kitchen surfaces
- 1/2 cup of borax dissolved in one gallon of hot water
- 2 cups of boiling water poured over 2 cups of fresh thyme (an antiseptic herb); steep for ten minutes; strain & cool. Store in plastic spray bottles.
See also Homemade Herbal Cleaner Recipes.
All Purpose Scouring Powder:
- Grind dried petals or fragrant herbs and mix with baking soda.
Also check out this Homemade Softscrub Cleaner Recipe.
Metal Cleaners:
- Silver: Use toothpaste
- Brass: Use equal parts salt and flour, add a touch of vinegar to make paste. Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, and ketchup also work. Let sit before wiping dry.
- Copper: Use a paste of lemon juice and salt.
Floor Cleaning Recipes:
- All Purpose Floor Cleaner: 1 cup of vinegar in a pail of water
- For greasy floors: 1/4 cup washing soda and 1 TBS vegetable oil based soap to every two gallons of hot water
- Polish linoleum floors with club soda
- Clean & Deodorize Carpets: Mix two parts cornmeal with one part borax. Sprinkle generously over carpet, allow to sit for one hour then vacuum
More Carpet Cleaners & Tips: Homemade Herbal Carpet Freshener Recipe and Tips For Floor Cleaners, Spots & Scuffs.
Windows & Mirrors: Store these solutions in spray bottles.
- One part vinegar added to four parts water
- One cup cold strong black tea with 3 TBS of vinegar
Here are More Homemade Window Cleaner Recipes To Try.
Oven Cleaner:
- A paste of baking soda and hot water or sprinkle the soda on a damp sponge and wipe.
Water Spots On Furniture (Removal Tips): Also see this handy trick as well as more table stain removers here.
- Massage white toothpaste on the spot, let dry, and buff with a clean cloth.
- Scratch or Stains: Rub the meat of a walnut into the scratch.
You might like this Homemade Citrus Vinegar Cleaner too.
Don't Miss These Tips:
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- Homemade Oven Cleaner Recipes
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Thank you! I just discovered this morning that my dog had jumped up on my husband’s grandmother’s antique table and scratched the surface badly. I saw and tried the walnut tip and it literally erased the scratches! Didn’t work quite as well on a scratch on a new, medium-stained table, but made a big improvement. This is why I read this site. Thanks! -SW
Glad it helped sarahsw
, thanks for the feedback!
Good tips here. I especially like the idea to use herbs in the all purpose scouring powder.