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Cleaning products always seem to cause my grocery bill to skyrocket. You can make your own homemade cleaning products with just a few inexpensive ingredients. Plus you can use essential oils to give them a lovely scent. Essential oils can be purchased from the from a health food store or if your grocery store has an extensive health food section you may be able to find them there. The fruity scents such as orange, lemon and lime are fairly inexpensive and one small bottle will last a long time. You can also add food coloring to most of the mixtures to help distinguish them. Though be careful not to make them colors that children might mistake for drink products.
Before you make you own product keep these safety rules in mind. Do not mix chlorine bleach with toilet-bowl cleaner or ammonia because the combination will produce dangerous noxious fumes. Also do not mix bleach with vinegar as this combination will strengthen the bleach and it could do damage to some of your household surfaces.
Always add the water to the bucket or spray bottle first, and then carefully pour in the detergent, ammonia, bleach, or other items to avoid splashing. Also, always wear gloves and eye protection when blending cleaners. As a general rule you should work in a well ventilated area.
All purpose household cleaner - Mix 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 cup ammonia, 1/4 baking soda and 1 gallon water.
Glass and window cleaner - Mix 7 pints (108 ounces) of cold water with 1/2 cup soapy ammonia and 1 pint rubbing alcohol. Alcohol will keep the product from freezing in the winter.
Automatic dishwasher detergent - Mix 1 cup borax and 1/2 cup baking soda with 3 cups cheap automatic dishwasher detergent. Borax is found in the laundry detergent aisle.
Laundry pre-stain - You can use a spray bottle for this one. Mix 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup ammonia, 1/2 cup of a store bought liquid laundry soap and 1/2 cup water. Spray stain; rub in mixture, let garment sit for a bit, then wash.
Stain remover for fabric - Mix 1/2 cup dishwashing liquid, 1/2 cup baking soda, to 1 gallon boiling water. Let your clothes soak in this overnight then wash as you usually would.
Car wash mixture - Mix 1/2 cup liquid detergent, 1/3 cup baking soda and 1 gallon of water. It only takes a cup of this solution in a bucket of warm water to wash a car.
.Rust Stain and Hard Water Deposit Remover - Apply full-strength vinegar or lemon juice and let stand until spot disappears, then rinse. Repeat if necessary.
Homemade "soft scrub" - Blend baking soda and liquid dish detergent to make a smooth paste and use just like the store bought product.
Wall cleaner - Mix 3 quarts water with 1 quart chlorine bleach and 1/8 cup TSP (trisodium phosphate) Apply to wall with a sponge and rinse with a cloth dampened with clean, warm water. Find TSP at the hardware store in the paint section.
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