August 07, 2019
How to Make Your Own Cleaning Supplies
Look In Your Pantry for These 4 DIY House Cleaners
No matter how vigilant you are, every home has a tough mess that just won’t quit. It can get pretty expensive to buy cleaning products, and most of the time, they don’t work as well as they promise to.
Luckily, cleaning your home is as easy as taking a look in your pantry. Many of us have effective cleaning solutions sitting around our house, but never take advantage of them. Not only are they cheaper, they often work better.
Here are 4 DIY cleaning solutions that will keep your home smelling fresh and looking clean.
Safety Tips
Before creating any DIY cleaning products, you should know that there are a few ingredients that should never mix, either because they cancel each other out or because they can create fumes dangerous to your health.
Avoid mixing vinegar with:
- Baking soda
- Castile soap
- Hydrogen peroxide
Hydrogen peroxide, when mixed with vinegar, creates harmful fumes that can irritate the lungs, eyes, and skin.
Never mix bleach with:
- Vinegar
- Rubbing Alcohol
- Ammonia
These mixtures create fumes such as chlorine gas, chloroform, and chloramine, which are dangerous to your health and can create future health problems when used in high enough concentrations.
Lastly, you should assign a specific type of cleaner to each bottle. For example, once you use rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle, you shouldn’t make a mixture with bleach in that same bottle.
Clearly label the ingredients you’ve used on the outside of the spray bottles so you can keep track.
Now that you know what not to use, here’s what you should mix for a cleaner home.
- All-Purpose Cleaner
We all need a cleaning product that covers just about every mess imaginable. A go-to cleaner that we can grab without a second’s thought. And bonus points if it smells great.
This one covers all of the bases. It’s excellent at cleaning, cheap and easy to make, and will make your house smell amazing.
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One part water
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One part white vinegar
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Citrus rinds (we recommend lemons or oranges, but any citrus will work)
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Rosemary sprigs
Mix them all together in a spray bottle and let this mixture sit for at least a week. This allows the vinegar to soak up the scent of the rind and turns your mixture into a sweet-smelling cleaning agent.
Pull this out for all-purpose cleaning and turn your home into a citrus-scented oasis.
- Window Cleaner
The most frustrating thing about glass cleaner is the streaks it always leaves behind. Even the ones that say streak-free!
Well, this homemade mixture may very well be the answer to your prayers.
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2 cups of water
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¼ cup rubbing alcohol
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½ cup white vinegar
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1-3 drops essential oil of your choice (optional)
Mix these ingredients in a spray bottle and get cleaning! To avoid streaks, clean your windows on a day that’s not too sunny or hot. Distilled water can also help.
Remember to clean your window dressings while you’re at it!
- Kitchen Cleaner
Your kitchen is a hotspot for messes, so isn’t it lucky that it’s also one of the easiest rooms to clean? Use this cleaner to beat the grime.
- baking soda
- warm water
Just pour the baking soda on a sponge or on the surface you want to clean and scrub with a sponge.
Use warm water to wipe it away.
- Grease Cleaner
Yet another simple mixture to add to your list. Get ready to scrub with this grease cleaner. It makes a huge difference.
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½ cup sudsy ammonia
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water
Use a sponge to clean your oven racks, grill, and stovetops. You can also soak your oven racks in this solution if you have a big enough container.
With these simple, homemade solutions, you’ll have your house as good as new in no time.
Want more tips on how to keep your house clean and beautiful? Give us a call and let us help you out!
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