Baking Soda Paste for StainsThis works great! Make a paste of soda and a little water and apply to stains on clothing. Let sit for a while and launder as usual. Not good for all stains, but apply while the stain is fresh and it disappears like magic!
Use Saline Solution to Clean Contact LensI love the all in one solutions that clean and remove deposits on my contact lenses, but boy are they expensive! To save money I use plain saline solution to rinse my lenses after storing in the all-in-one solution.
Keep a Spray Bottle of Vinegar and Water HandyI keep a spray bottle filled with vinegar and water. I use it after I take a shower by spraying the shower down. I also use it to clean up throughout the house. Sometimes on walls or baseboards, on counters, sinks, and bathroom sinks as well.
Homemade Marble Stain RemoverThis will work on many stains.
Make Your Own Laundry Soap With Dish SoapI use Ajax, Dawn or Joy dish soap to wash my clothes. It's cheaper than Tide. Mix it 7 to 1 (Water to dish soap) in your empty laundry detergent bottle.
Commercial Detergent AlternativesEnvironmentally friendly cleaning alternatives.
Homemade Tile and Grout CleanersHere are two cleaners that you can make yourself and use to clean your tiles and grout.
Wood Cabinet PolishThis solution will clean and polish. If your cabinets are pretty dirty, you will probably want to use the Wood Cabinet Cleaner first.
Making Febreze Type Fabric Freshener & Wrinkle ReleaserI love the smell of Febreze, but can't stand the price so I searched for an online equivalent which I can not take credit for but will gladly share. Go to any local store and take the caps off the liquid fabric softener, sniff away till you find one you like. Purchase the softener and a spray bottle.
Homemade Laundry Soap with Ivory SoapHere's a recipe to make your own laundry soap!
Citrus Vinegar Cleaning RecipesFill a glass quart jar with the peelings (remove any of the white pulp) of any citrus fruit-grapefruit, orange, lemon, lime, etc. Cover the peelings with white vinegar, cover and allow it to sit for about 2 weeks, occasionally shaking the jar.
Lemon Air FreshenerFreshen your air for pennies and in a more natural way!
Alcohol - A Wonder for CleaningRubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl alcohol) is very inexpensive to use. In our market you get two 16 ounce bottles for $.99. I use rubbing alcohol to clean up in the kitchen.
Homemade "Clorox Clean Ups"Tired of spending money on Clorox wipes? Here's a recipe for something that works as well.
5 Vinegar Cleaning Tips1. Clean your dentures with Heinz white vinegar by soaking them overnight and rinsing in the morning.
Used Dryer Sheet Anti-Static Spray and Ironing AidI save my used dryer sheets and use them for various things. The other day I came up with a new idea - I placed about 3 of them in an empty 'Febreeze' spray bottle and filled it up with fresh water.
Cleaning With AlcoholInstead of spending money on high priced cleaners, to clean stainless steel appliances. Use plan old alcohol.
For Dried Coffee Stains on Carpet and UpholsteryBeat into a lather or put in a foam-producing bottle. Spray on, leave a couple minutes and rub off. Because so little ammonia is being used in such a large quantity of water, it does not leave a strong ammonia smell.
Spice Scent Recipe for a ClosetMix ingredients gently in a large glass jar. Cover with lid and store for six weeks until salt is well seasoned.
Homemade Fireplace CleanerWith spring in full swing, here is a recipe to help you clean out your fireplace. This solution is good if you have a brick or stone fireplace.
Homemade SoapSlowly add lye to cold water, stir to dissolve. Melt fat and let it cool. Pour into lye and use a wooden spoon to stir until it gets too stiff to stir.
Cold Soap RecipeThis is a recipe that my grandmother used to make (as did her mother) and she always said it's good for an all purpose type soap, meaning laundry, housecleaning, etc.
Freshening the AirIf you want to freshen the air, just simmer a dozen or so sticks of cinnamon or some cloves in 2 cups of water in an uncovered saucepan on your stove!
Polident As a Jewelry CleanerUse polident tablets for cleaning, it works great and no ammonia or other harsh chemicals.
Homemade General CleanerI don't know where I got this recipe but it works great on almost anything.
Another Laundry Stain Remover RecipeMix well and pour in a spray bottle for all kinds of laundry stains.
Formica Cleaner RecipeMix above ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well. Spray on and wipe surfaces. Rinse well.
Disinfectant CleanerMake your own disinfectant general cleaner. Here's the recipe.
Simple and Easy Cleaning Wipes RecipesFor quick clean-ups I make these cleaner containers. They're fun, no mess, and older kids (notice I stressed older because these cleaners are toxic if ingested) love to use them, too!
Simple Bleach Recipes - Instead of Buying Bleach CleanersAfter buying bleach cleaners at the dollar store and still feeling I was spending too much I went to the Clorox web site and found this. It is much cheaper too.
Cleaning With Isopropyl AlcoholIsopropyl Alcohol, also known as rubbing alcohol, is effective in many cleaning projects. Put it in a small spray bottle and it works well for cleaning and shining chrome faucets. It also can be helpful when trying to remove ink stains from fabric and upholstery.
Cleaning With SaltSalt makes a wonderful and ecological friendly cleaner. A paste of salt and vinegar help clean tarnished brass or copper. If you spill wine or grape juice on your carpet you can cover the stain with salt to absorb much of the stain.
Homemade Dust RepellentMix together and put in spray bottle, Spray onto a cloth and dust away! I have tried this and really does work.
Lavender Dryer SheetsWhile shopping in California at Trader Joe's I found the most wonderful lavender dryer sheets. Upon returning to Florida I found no Trader Joe's and I went on a desperate search on the Internet. Following is what I found. I am soooo excited and hope you will be too!
I'll Never Buy Commercial Fabric Softener Again!I save an old fabric softener or detergent bottled (rinsed well). Using a funnel I carefully pour the following into the bottle:
In Praise of AmmoniaAmmonia is wonderful for cleaning and cutting grease and is very inexpensive to use. Mix half and half with water in a spray bottle, spray, then watch the ammonia do the work, it's amazing how well it cuts grease so quickly.
Disposable Toilet Bowl ScrubbersI knew I was becoming thrifty when I began making my own laundry detergent, fabric softener, and now disposable toilet bowl scrubbers!
Make Your Own Air-wickMake Your Own Air-wick. I made a colorful deodorizing air-wick from A Mitchum Deodorant stick case. . .
Make Your Own Disinfectant WipesMake Your Own Disinfectant Wipes. I love the disinfectant wipes you can buy (Clorox Wipes, Lysol Wipes), but they are expensive and not environmentally friendly! So, when I am making my own baby wipes and house cleaners, I take the time to make my own disinfectant wipes. . .
Spray PotpourriSpray Potpourri. Buy a big bottle of liquid potpourri from the $1.00 store and buy a spray bottle. Use the spray top of the empty bottle. . .
Dish Soap as General CleanerHere is a really simple but handy tip. When your dish detergent is empty fill it halfway with water and put in a tsp. of bleach. . .
Non-Toxic Homemade SubstitutionsNon-Toxic Homemade Substitutions. There are many inexpensive, easy-to-use natural alternatives which can safely be used in place of commercial household products. Here is a list of nine ordinary, environmentally safe products which can be used alone or in combination for a wealth of household applications.
Sawdust Floor Sweeping CompoundUse this recipe to help keep dust down when sweeping your basement garage or workshop. Mix 6 cups sawdust, 2 cups rock salt, and 1 1/2 cups mineral oil and put it in a jar with a lid for storage. To use, sprinkle it on your floor before sweeping.
Baking Soda And Vinegar For Tile GroutBaking Soda And Vinegar For Tile Grout
Laundry Stain Remover RecipeMix all together and fill spray bottle for all types of laundry stains.
Lemon for Cleaning CopperTo clean a copper pot, just wet the pot sprinkle on some salt then cut a lemon in half, rub the pot and, walla, shines very good.
All Purpose Cleaning Solution With Sudsy AmmoniaMix quart rubbing alcohol, one teaspoon dish washing liquid, a 21 oz spray bottle (like a cleaned out 409 bottle) and one cup of sudsy ammonia. Pour ingredients into a one-gallon container that is empty (do not use an empty bleach container) and fill the rest of the way with water.
Cleaning With Club SodaClub soda is the best stain and odor remover I've found when my dog has a potty accident on the carpet. The key is to get to it as soon as possible. First use a paper towel to tab up as much of the urine as possible, then pour about 1/2 a small bottle of club soda directly on the area.
Homemade Swiffer Wet Pads and SolutionUsing a wet Swiffer mop can get expensive with the wet replacement towels that cost about $4.00 for a dozen. It adds up really fast! To combat that, I decided to try using some old thin bath towels cut to size.
Cleaning Tips With Household SuppliesSour milk of any kind, cow or goat, cleans brass. Rinse well after using for no leftover sour milk smell.
Homemade Varnish RemoverIf you need quantities of varnish remover to refinish portions of a wood floor and the woodwork, try this recipe for varnish remover. It's inexpensive and less dangerous than commercial products when small children are around.
Furniture Polish - Olive Oil and Lemon JuiceHere is a great tip on saving money on furniture polish. Combine the olive oil and lemon juice in the spray bottle. Shake well before using.
Homemade All Purpose Skin WipesFor inexpensive all purpose skin wipes, I fill plastic reusable baby wipe containers or (other plastic containers with lids) with a mixture of distilled water and a few drops of baby body wash.
Homemade Cleaner for Wood CabinetsThis cleaner is used for wood cabinets: 2 Tbsp. of olive oil, 4 Tbsp. of vinegar to 1 qt. of warm water (I use a nice empty windex bottle). It really shined up my cabinets nice and I even used it for my stove tops and other kitchen appliances. What a beautiful shine it left.
Frugal Air Freshener You Can Make At HomeHeat 1 cup of water with 1/2 cup of liquid potpourri add 2 packages of gelatin. Heat until boil stirring constantly. Take away from heat and add the other 1/2 cup of potpourri.
Homemade Hand Dish DetergentAfter looking on many sites to find homemade hand dish detergent, I finally decided to make my own.
Tea Tree Oil For MoldI like to use tea tree oil to clean mold in the bathroom. In a 1 quart spray bottle, fill almost 3/4 full and add 30 to 40 drops of tee tree oil and about 1 to 2 tablespoons of liquid dish detergent.
Homemade Deck CleanerHere is a homemade recipe for cleaning your deck. This works as well as the store-bought cleaners and is far more thrifty.
Cleaning Limescale Off Faucets and ShowerheadsWe have dreadfully hard water here in West Michigan. That leads to the dreaded lime scale build-up and unusable shower heads. Cleaners like CLR and KABOOM! require using rubber gloves because the product is so strong. Forget that! First, make sure the shower head is completely dry. Water will deactivate the reaction you want.
Emergency Dishwasher SoapFound out we had run out of dishwasher soap, even the samples I had gotten, and I went to the internet to find out a homemade substitute.
Inexpensive Vinegar Glass CleanerHere is a great inexpensive and ozone friendly tip for cleaning windows and mirrors. Alcohol vinegar is found in almost every household and is a very good cleaning agent.
Homemade Green Laundry DetergentPour hot water in a empty milk bottle or a detergent bottle. Then add all ingredients and shake to mix. 1/2 cup for small load, 1 cup for large load.
Frugal Wrinkle ReleaserInstead of buying pricey wrinkle releaser, when the fabric softener bottle is almost empty fill it half way with clear water, shake and pour into a spray bottle. It works exactly the same was as the $4.00+ per bottle stuff in the stores.
Clean Drains With Baking SodaBaking soda and lemon juice works like baking soda and vinegar to do your drains. It's the same chemical reaction and it smells good. I discovered out of curiosity and a tree full of lemons.
Homemade Clorox CleanupShe ran out of Clorox Cleanup so she put 1/4 cup of Clorox in a spray bottle with 1 tablespoon of liquid laundry detergent, she then filled the bottle with water.
Cheap Jewelry CleanerI was shopping for jewelry cleaner one day and a lady saw me and said "don't waste your money on that cleaner". She told me to use ammonia straight out of the bottle.
Homemade Stain Remover for ClothingI recently had gotten cherry stains on a off-white cotton top. I tried many things and the stains did not come out. I finally found this recipe and soaked the shirt for 30 minutes and all the stains were removed.
Cleaning With Baking SodaI have started keeping a clean glass Parmesan cheese dispenser by my bathroom and kitchen sink filled with baking soda. Great for a quick scrub for the sink, etc. I also sprinkle it on my toothpaste and sprinkle into my facial cleanser before I apply it.
Homemade DegreaserA natural and inexpensive degreaser is to keep white vinegar, water, and perhaps a drop of dish detergent in a spray bottle. This is handy to keep in the kitchen, but can be used in any room.
Mold and Mildew RemoverI have noticed several requests for getting rid of mold. My mother found some things in a book that may help.
Homemade Automatic Dish Washing DetergentHere is the recipe for automatic dish washing detergent.
Homemade Pet Clean Up SprayThere are products on the market to clean up after pet accidents. They can be expensive and don't always work. This recipe works very well, is very inexpensive and removes all traces of the accident.
Dishsoap Instead of Stain RemoverSmall squeeze bottles of dish-washing liquid are wonderful substitutes for the high priced stain removers when prepping your shirt or blouse collars for laundering.
Best Homemade CleanerI take a dollop of bleach and add it to an empty spray bottle. I then add a dollop of Dawn liquid detergent (this one seems to work the best because it's a grease cutter) Finally I fill the bottle with water.
Formula for Mechanic's Hand CleanerI'm posting a simple, economical, and very effective formula for mechanic's hand cleaner.
Cleaning With Hydrogen PeroxideMy best cleaning tip is hydrogen peroxide. I put it in a spray bottle and clean everything in my bathroom from sinks to toilets, chrome, and mirrors. It also sanitizes and kills germs.
Homemade Glass CleanerIn a gallon jar, mix all 3 ingredients. Fill jar rest of way up with water. Use in spray container.
Homemade Fabric Freshener (Febreze)I find that Febreze will freshen but the smell only lasts a few hours and with our very humid environment, Febreze does not dry. So I came up with this great home-made Febreze. It really works.
Homemade Carpet FreshenerWhen your carpets needs refreshing, mix half baking soda and half dry laundry detergent. Sprinkle it all over, let it sit, and vacuum.
Homemade Wrinkle ReleaserI was buying a bottle of wrinkle releaser every week so I decided to experiment with cost costing methods. At first I simply added water to make the bottle last longer. Then I decided that was still too expensive.
Cleaning with Rubbing AlcoholI bought a large mirror at the Goodwill several months ago. No matter what I tried to clean it with, it still had streaks and spots that would not come off. Several family members tried to clean it for me, but nothing worked.
Hydrogen Peroxide Stain RemoverFor several years now, I have been buying hydrogen peroxide by the bottle. When I get a stain on clothing, I lay the clothing on the counter, pour peroxide on the stain, rub in, and after a few hours wash as usual.
Homemade Stain SprayTo make a pre-wash stain remover, mix 1/3 part non-sudsing ammonia, 1/3 part dish soap and 1/3 part water. Pour into clearly labeled spray bottle. Apply to stains and allow to sit only 5 minutes, then wash ASAP.
Dryer Sheet Air FreshenerUse a scented dryer sheet in your A/C intake to spread a nice scent all over the house. Just place one sheet on top of your filter. The air will pass through and distribute the scent through the duct work.
Soft Scrub RecipeFor homemade soft scrub cleaner, mix 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup dish soap, and 1/8 - 1/4 cup vinegar. Adjust amounts of baking soda or vinegar until it's the consistency you prefer.
Hard Water Spots on WindowsI have had very hard water spots on my windows from the irrigation system for a year. I just tried Colgate Toothpaste as suggested by Chris on ThriftyFun. My windows are now perfectly clear and it was so easy!
Use Leftover Soap To Make Homemade Laundry SoapUsing dish soap for laundry soap is cheaper, but making your own from Ivory soap bars, washing soda (not baking soda), and borax, is extremely cheap and very easy to make.
Frugal All Purpose CleanerFor a good all purpose cleaner, you need water and Ivory liquid dish soap. Fill a 32 ounce spray bottle nearly full with water. Add a squirt or two of Ivory Liquid Dish soap. Put the sprayer back on and gently shake the bottle until the soap has been evenly distributed.
All-Purpose CleanerFor a good all-purpose liquid cleanser, combine 1 teaspoon borax, 2 tablespoons white vinegar or lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon washing soda, 1/2 teaspoon vegetable-based detergent and 2 cups very hot water.
Household Uses for VodkaFor fresher linens, try this recipe: vodka, 20 oz. distilled water, and 1 tsp. lavender essential oil. Find a large container with a lid. Mix the vodka and water, then add the essential oil.
Make Your Own Disinfectant SolutionI never buy any anti-bacterial or bleach spray for my bathroom or kitchen anymore. I mix my own. I buy a bottle of bleach every so often and put a little in a container, then add water. I keep a bottle to clean and keep down germs in the bathrooms and in the kitchen.
Homemade Stain RemoverMake a spray for the stubborn stains that your kids or your better half like to leave on their clothes.
Bleach For Stained CountersI dyed a shirt a different color and placed the newly dyed shirt on my bathroom counter top. What a mistake! I tried using every day kitchen/bathroom cleaner. Nothing worked until I scrubbed the dyed area with plain household bleach.
Bleach to Clean Hard SurfacesA 22 oz. bottle of Clorox Spray Cleaner for hard surfaces costs about $3.00 per bottle. If you check the ingredients list, it will indicate 1% sodium hypochlorite (aka bleach) and 99% H20 (aka water).
Use Sanitizing Bleach SprayThe one tip I can't live without on a daily basis is I keep a 48 ounce bottle of a mixture of 1/4 chlorine bleach and the rest water. I find myself using this bottle several times/day.
Homemade Disinfectant Spray CleanerFor just pennies, yes pennies, you can have a disinfectant spray cleaner that is not only green, but frugal as well.
Make Your Own Disinfectant WipesNever buy disposable cleaning wipes again. Layer inexpensive coffee filters in a resealable container and pour in just enough multi-surface cleaner to dampen each one.
Homemade Pre-Wash SprayPut these ingredients into a clean spray bottle and shake to mix. Be sure to clearly label the bottle, to use this pre-wash just spray on the stained area of clothing and wash immediately.
Carpet Cleaning SolutionWhenever my carpet is looking a little dingy from dirt spots and/or those darkened paths that go from room to room, I use a solution of 1/2 cup household ammonia, 2 cups rubbing alcohol, and 1 teaspoon liquid Dawn.
Homemade Laundry DetergentThis is a super simple way to save a ton of money that goes down the drain for everyone. This also reduces some of the chemical toxicity in the water. For a little work, you can make 20 gallons for less than $5!
Make Your Own Disinfectant WipesI learned to make my own disinfecting wipes when my kids where in diapers and the disinfecting wipes had just come out and were/are expensive.
Peroxide and Ammonia CleanerThis cleaner is cheap and works wonders. The recipe was given to me by my daughter years ago.
