My grandmother recently emailed me some homemade recipes for cleaning products that she clipped from the paper. I was surprised to find that I already have all of the ingredients to make them, and since I have 2 young boys I clean up A LOT of messes. I thought I’d pass them a long to you so you can try them out, and save a little money.
Furniture Polish: Combine 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/4 cup of distilled vinegar, and 2 tsp. lemon juice and shake well. Dip a clean and dry cloth into polish and rub wood in the direction of the grain. Refrigerate any remaining polish.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Sprinkle bowl with baking soda and drizzle with white vinegar. Let soak 30 minutes, and scrub with toilet brush. For tough stains, let soak overnight.
All Purpose Cleaner: Combine 2 cups of white distilled vinegar and 2 cups of water. Use on counter tops, kitchen floors, windows, mirrors, and any other hard surfaces. For tough jobs, warm the cleaner in the microwave.
Let me know how these work for you!
Author Patricia Wooster is the founder of the Project Organic Eating blog, where healthy eating meets affordability!
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Well, I konw the “all purpose cleaner” recipe works. My mom has several cats. She has to be careful what the get on their paws because they lick them to clean themselves. Vinegar and water is the only safe cleaning product she has found.
Thanks for the recipes. I can’t wait to try out the other two.
Smiles,
Milissa
I also read on some other website at some point that if you don’t like the smell of the vinegar, you can add a few drops of tea tree oil or lavender oil and that masks the vinegar smell.
I use vinegar and baking soda to do all my cleaning! Including the toilet bowl cleaner and the all purpose cleaner, I don’t really polish my furniture (shhh don’t tell mom) but I’ve heard that recipe works great.
[…] Mom Finds shares some family heirlooms: Grandma’s homemade cleaner recipes. I definitely need to try the furniture […]
I use ice cubes, baking soda, and a few squirts of lemon juice to clean the garbage disposal. This helps to get rid of food stuck on the blades and stinky food odors.
The notes above are right–these are very sustainable, green ways to clean. However, if you’re not into concocting your own cleaning products there are a few companies out there that research and test green cleaning products for consumers and then sell them in bundles for convenience.
GreenCupboards.com is a great example of a company that really takes this to heart. They gather, test, and certify the best of the products on the market for bathroom, kitchen, and laundry room cleaning. They don’t make their own products, and they are independently owned and operated–so you know their testing is legit.
I have been using the all purpose cleaner for years, and I haven’t found anything better for carpet stains. It’s great! I use it in every room. I spray my microwave really good, close the door and cook for a couple of seconds and then the food comes off so easy.