With the popularity of homemade personal care products and easy do-it-yourself crafts increasing, it was only a matter of time before homemade house cleaning products caught on. There is a deep satisfaction in making something useful and effective from ingredients lying around in the house. Also, there is always the added benefit of knowing that homemade products are more environmentally friendly and cost-effective than store-bought items.
If you are a hands-on homeowner or a homemaker who likes to potter around the kitchen and create your own products, this article has some fabulous recipes for cleaning products that will not only save you money and leave your home shining and spotless, but will also greatly reduce the toxic residue and artificial chemical build-up in your home!
Here are some items and ingredients that you can use to make your own homemade cleaning products. Most of these are multi-purpose and you will be astonished with just how many amazing uses they can be put to-
- Baking soda
- Lemons
- Vinegar
- Club soda
- Oils (essential oils, olive oil, coconut oil etc. all come in handy)
- Vodka (yes, you read that right!)
- Hydrogen peroxide
- Empty bottles and jars to store products in
- Wipes, clean rags, cloth pieces, scrubs and sponges
Let us begin with the most interesting item on the list, shall we? Vodka! Yes, if you ever find yourself at your wits’ end with what to do with all that leftover vodka (unrealistic, but possible!) you would be amazed to hear that it is one of the best multi-purpose cleaning agents and disinfectants you can use around the house! Add some vodka along with eucalyptus oil to a spray bottle and shake well. Spray onto any area you want to clean or disinfect. Alcohol has noteworthy antiseptic properties and will decontaminate your home and free it of most infections. You can mix essential oils on the basis of their individual properties.
Baking soda is another cleaning superstar that is so affordable and so much more effective than most fancy cleaning products. Baking soda works very well in the bathroom, especially when it comes to cleaning soapy residue and scum that builds up in the bathtub. Just mix a little bit of water into a cup of baking soda to get a thick paste and then dab it onto the affected areas. Let it dry before you wipe it off. You can also use it directly by sprinkling it in place. Baking soda can also be used for grime and stains and residue build-up around the kitchen (next time you clean your oven, ditch the expensive cleaner and use baking soda instead!).
Hydrogen peroxide is a fantastic solution to stubborn scummy stains and shower moulds that refuse to budge.
Vinegar is another regular household item that can be used in so many different homemade cleaning products. Most people who spend a lot of time in the kitchen know that combining equal parts of vinegar and lemon juice is a great way to get stains out of most surfaces (avoid limestone and marble surfaces as the high acidic content will spoil the luster of these natural stones).
Mix vinegar and water in equal proportions in a spray bottle, shake well and use it to clean almost every kind of stain or dirt around the house. If you don’t like the tangy smell of vinegar, leave the windows open for a few minutes and let the sprayed area dry up. The smell usually evaporates within minutes.
Use vinegar as a substitute to store-bought toilet cleaner. Depending on how much cleaning you need, you don’t really need to dilute the vinegar with water. Use a toilet brush and a cup of full-strength vinegar and baking soda to have your lavatory sparkling in a few minutes!
