In my research, I came across this site that is way better than anything I could put together. I'm going to just write my recipe for favorite all time cleaning tricks. I'm a bare minimum type of girl, because why use more ingredients than absolutely necessary, right?
Taylor's Favorite Homemade Cleaner
1/4 c. vinegar ($.05)
4 c. water ($.00)
30 drops of any essential oil you'd like (lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree...) (optional) ($.23)
Mix this all together and pour it into a recycled (or new) spray bottle. Vinegar is a great disinfectant and deodorizer. The vinegar smell goes away so quickly, even if you don't use essential oils. Personally, I don't even use the essential oils, because I'm trying to keep the cleaners superscrimpy. But, I know that you can get bottles of lavendar essential oil pretty inexpensively on amazon.com. I think I'm going to invest in some so that I can experiment a little more, and make some really nice home cleaners. You should, too! I buy a gallon of vinegar for, like $3 at stop and shop, which makes these cleaners $.05/windex bottle (32oz) without essential oils.
OK, so that link above for amazon, ok here it is again, is for 4 oz. of tea tree oil for $18.40 (with . shipping). That would mean that every 30 drops are $.23. So, an entire thing of this cleaner would cost you $.28 and would be all natural and safe for your family.
Total for a windex sized spray bottle full is $.28. I use it for:
- Countertops
- Stove Top (just spray, let it sit, and come back to it, spray again, and wipe)
- Dylan's high chair tray
- Bathroom
- Sink
- Floors
- Um, everything
Another great idea from treehuggingfamily.com that I had never thought of is boiling citrus peels with some essential oils or spices or fresh lavender or romemary on the stovetop!
I also like the method of simmering fresh rosemary, thyme, or sage and straining. This makes a disinfectant water. Adding a few drops of castile soap or other natural soap will help cut grease.
Anyways, as you can see, there are a ton of options, but above is the easiest, cheapsest, most multipurpose cleaner I know of. Make a batch and let me know what you think!
Making your own cleaners is a great way to keep crap out of the air and your environment. I love knowing that my family is not exposed to any chemicals.
Oh, and PS. Baking soda. Yes, baking soda. So cheap, and is a great non-abrasive yet so abrasive scouring agent. It won't scratch things and is amazing for getting ANYTHING off of ANYTHING. Once I realized this, I went crazy on some pans that I thought were past the point of no return, and guess what? They weren't. Baking soda beat their asses. Try it.
White vinegar is a pretty wicked product.
ReplyDeleteI used the solution you described (minus the smelly stuff ;)) to spray plants that get attacked by these little bugs... It gets rid of most of them.
And I also tried it to remove mold stains on clothes... With mixed results. It helped some, but the stains didn't disappear completely.
Taking note of the baking soda though... I haven't really experienced with it.
Cool tips! :)
Thank you! I love that you're reading, I was reading your blog today...I try to comment but when I write things it's not as funny as what you write so I get discouraged :(. The baking soda is crazy. It's great at getting baked on things off of cookie sheets. Not like the *bad* cookie sheets that need foil over them, but you know, if you clean as you get things on them, it works like a charm ;).
ReplyDeleteNice post! Thought you and your blog followers might be interested to know that others are also trying to help promote affordable, safer, healthier options...www.safespray.com
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