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.
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.
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.
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 Hand Dish DetergentAfter looking on many sites to find homemade hand dish detergent, I finally decided to make my own.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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 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 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.
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.
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.
Laundry Stain Remover RecipeMix all together and fill spray bottle for all types of laundry stains.
Baking Soda And Vinegar For Tile GroutBaking Soda And Vinegar For Tile Grout
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.
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.
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. . .
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. . .
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. . .
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!
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.
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:
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!
Homemade Dust RepellentMix together and put in spray bottle, Spray onto a cloth and dust away! I have tried this and really does work.
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.
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.
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!
Disinfectant CleanerMake your own disinfectant general cleaner. Here's the recipe.
Formica Cleaner RecipeMix above ingredients in a spray bottle and shake well. Spray on and wipe surfaces. Rinse well.
Another Laundry Stain Remover RecipeMix well and pour in a spray bottle for all kinds of laundry stains.
Homemade General CleanerI don't know where I got this recipe but it works great on almost anything.
Polident As a Jewelry CleanerUse polident tablets for cleaning, it works great and no ammonia or other harsh chemicals.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Cleaning With AlcoholInstead of spending money on high priced cleaners, to clean stainless steel appliances. Use plan old alcohol.
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.
5 Vinegar Cleaning Tips1. Clean your dentures with Heinz white vinegar by soaking them overnight and rinsing in the morning.
Homemade "Clorox Clean Ups"Tired of spending money on Clorox wipes? Here's a recipe for something that works as well.
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.
Lemon Air FreshenerFreshen your air for pennies and in a more natural way!
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.
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!
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.
Homemade Marble Stain RemoverThis will work on many stains.
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.
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.
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!
