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Monday, November 26, 2012

DIY Household Cleaners

Happy Monday, everyone! Here are some of my favorite DIY home cleaners that I have gathered together. I love that I am using natural products, and that I am saving money at the same time. Win, win! 

First Up, Floor Cleaner. Some sick and twisted human being decided that white grouting sounded good for a kitchen floor... Huh? And it wasn't off white, it was ultra pure white. It will never be that white again, regardless of my Saturdays channeling Cinderella. 
Try not to judge too harshly....I have a 5 year old; 3 year old, 2 year old, 2 dogs, 1 cat, and oh, yes, a Husband. Ha!


Floor Cleaner
Ingredients:

1/4 cup washing soda
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 TBSP  blue dawn dish soap
2 gallons HOT water
(optional, few drops of lavender essential oil)

Directions:
Mix ingredients in the sink for mopping the kitchen floor, or pour mixture from sink into a spray bottle and use for laminate wood flooring or linoleum in bathrooms etc.


Laundry Detergent




Ingredients: All ingredients can be found at your local supermarket. I buy mine at Wal-Mart.

2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda
1 cup Fels-Naptha
(optional, few drops of lavender essential oil)


Directions:

Mix together ingredients in a large tub. Add 1/4 cup to your laundry. If I am washing towels or linens I usually add 5-6 drops of lavender for a nice scent. 

Dish Detergent



Ingredients:

1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda

Directions: Mix ingredients together, I make mine in a Tupperware container. Use 2TBSP in your dishwasher.


Counter Spray



Ingredients:

1 cup Vinegar
1 cup water

Directions: Mix ingredients together into a spray bottle. You may want to add 10-12 drops of an essential oil. like lemon, if you aren't crazy about the smell of vinegar.


Stain Remover


***Disclaimer*** Make at your own risk, I went around my house like a happy little elf cleaning all the wonderful art my sweet children have left all over my walls. You will throw away your oxi clean, and never buy Mr. Cleans magic erasers again.


Ingredients:

2 cups Hydrogen Peroxide
1/2 cup Blue Dawn Dish soap.

Directions: Mix together in a spray bottle, and Christmas has come early! I am seriously in love!


I hope you find this post of home cleaners as useful as we do! It's great knowing the full ingredients to clean with and not exposing your family to harsh chemicals. Please comment and let us know how well they worked for you. If you have any tried and true recipes of your own, please share! We'd love to hear from you!





33 comments:

  1. Thank you for these tips. I will try each one and get back to you, starting with my scary grout!

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    1. Thank you so much! I just recently started making my own laundry deterrent and I love the things you've shared! I've used Dawn, vinegars, lemons etc. for years to clean with but we had a water leak several years ago and didn't know it until we got a water bill for $1100.00!!! Now we're ripping out parts of our kitchen and soon our bathroom DO you have a "recipe" or suggestion for what I can use under the house in the crawl space to kill of seal the moisture and mold that we CAN'T get out? I have teens and a pregnant granddaughter that live with us & I am scared to death for them!!! We can't move.....😪
      Thanks again!!
      Kim

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  2. Thanks for these solutions! I too have the white grout problem in my kitchen. Did you use a separate grout cleaner, or the above recipe? Your picture shows such a great improvement.

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  3. Hi, Yes I only used the above recipe, and some elbow grease :)

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  4. Do you use the stain remover on clothes, too? Also, do you have to use the blue Dawn dish soap? Thanks!

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  5. When you say elbow grease, on your hands and knees scrubbing. Ugh.if I must, I will. Thank you for the recipe!

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  6. Peroxide + Dawn DO NOT USE ON WALLS!!!!!! What a mess :(

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    Replies
    1. What happened? I was looking forward to trying this..

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    2. Paint wipes off

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  7. What is the problem, I do not believe that these DYI cleaners ar killing bacteria, for that reason I do not trust in them :) For that reason I buy also friendly for environment, but professional cleaners like these ones- Skysti skalbikliai Fine :) What do you think about them? Thank you in advance for your answers

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    Replies
    1. Vinegar is a natural bacteria killer.

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    2. As is Hydrogen Peroxide

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    3. I work in a hospital and they have switched over to vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. If it works there, I am pretty sure it will work in your home.

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  8. When you say to use one cup fels naptha are you grating it? Mine came in a bar like the one you pictured

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  9. There is a reason peroxide is in a dark container. Looses it's power being exposed to light. Find a spray attachment to put on peroxide bottle and mix Dawn into it reducing amounts.

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  10. Can I use your laundry detergent mix in my high-efficiency (HE) washing machine? Would love to try it!

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  11. Hi! I just want to tell you'all that it WORKS!!!!!! I just finished both bathrooms with it and I am so amazed :) It's the only thing that I've been able to get my 1950 porcelain tub clean with. I've used everything believe me. I mixed it up and sprayed it on the tub, went up stairs and sprayed the shower and waited about 10 mins. and the scum and hard water stains just wiped away!! And it's so cheap to make :) Christmas did come early for me :)

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    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you loved it! thank you!

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    2. Which one did you use in your bathroom? The grout cleaner or the wall cleaner?

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  12. Hi-I'm from New Zealand- what is Dawn ?

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    Replies
    1. Its just an anti-bacterial soap you would use to wash dishes with in the sink.

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  13. I have brand new vinyl flooring. I would love to use home made cleaners but I don't want to ruin the finish. Please advise? I also have an HE washer. Can your laundry soap be used in it? Thanks!

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  14. Hello, would the stain remover be OK to use as an additive for my laundry? I already use homemade detergent but I am looking for something to replace the "oxi clean laundry detergent" (liquid) I am also using. Thanks!

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  15. Hello, would the stain remover be OK to use as an additive for my laundry? I already use homemade detergent but I am looking for something to replace the "oxi clean laundry detergent" (liquid) I am also using. Thanks!

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  16. My question is this: if you don't mind using the Dawn for all these things, why not just use it to wash your dishes, instead of the borax stuff?

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  17. You may want to reconsider quesioning someone else's common sense considering you just asked why they didn't use dawn instead of the borax stuff as thou you felt you were enlightening everyone...I'm feeling very nice today so I will help you comprehend what the recipe is for...it's intended to replace dish detergent for a DISHWASHER..I'm assuming you just didn't understand because suggesting it would be common sense to use Dawn in a dishwasher would be ridiculous...lol

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  18. The dawn and peroxide melted the dirt off of my baseboards!! I have not been able to get them clean with anything else! Yay!!

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  19. This all sounds terrific. Is there a way I can print out this info. without all the comments having to be printed out as well?

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  20. We are currently purchasing my father in laws house. I was looking for an easy DIY cleaner to clean 15+ years of nicotine on the walls. Omg I am so glad I found this recipe. Took the nicotine yellow right off the walls and didn't damage any of the paint. Thank you for posting this.

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  21. Thank you Lurlyn! I have been Spring Cleaning (walls and baseboards) and the only thing I found that worked was Clorox wipes and I have gone through a ton. I read a lot of your reviews for Stain Removal and had the ingredients on hand.
    AMAZING!! This has made my cleaning so much easier and will also save me so so much money. BEST STAIN REMOVER for me BEST WALL/BASEBOARD CLEANER EVER!! Do not hesitate to try this as you to will be amazed. Thank you again.
    P.S. I used my Peroxide bottle as it is dark color and you do need a light blocking spray bottle.

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  22. I didn’t have washing soda, so I substituted borax in the floor cleaner. I worked also, no residues.

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