Has anyone made their own household cleaners? I just read an article about some stuff that seems easy and cheap. For example: vinegar and water for glass cleaner, baking soda and something else for a scouring powder. I think I will try this out for two reasons. I don't like breathing in the fumes from cleaners and the stuff I use is not that heavy smelling, but unnatural. The cost is much better. Also the cleaners won't be polluting the water and air we breathe.
There's a thread on here somewhere about homemade cleaners. My favorite is vodka. It's as good a disinfectant as bleach without all the nasty chemical smells. And it dries almost instantly without discoloring surfaces, so you can use it on toys, furniture, anything.
I think I'll skip the vodka. There is a person who should not be around strong alcohol here, but that is interesting.
For serious cleaning jobs, I use Melaleuca products. I make my own laundry detergent, though. I've considered vodka as I am allergic to bleach. Does it whiten, too?
No. It's just a strong disinfectant. It kills the bacteria, mold, whatever. It does loosen some grime. I've heard, though I haven't tried it, that it works on soap scum (like those shower sprays you spray after each shower).
ROFL! I think I've told this story on here, but here it goes again.... The first time I bought the vodka for cleaning (suggested by a friend to deal with a moldy spot on my van's red carpet; worked like magic, btw) I bought a gallon of McCormik, which is the super cheap nasty stuff, and an empty spray bottle. That's all I got. The kid in the check out line thought he was being snarky and said, "You gonna put the vodka in the spray bottle? *har, har, har*." I said, with a perfectly straight face, "yes." You should have seen his expression as he tried to figure out if I was kidding or not. :lol:
LOL! Vinegar is an excellent disinfectant as well, so don't feel like you need the Vodka Melalueca is definitely an effective cleaner, but I question how safe and "natural" it really is. That stuff has a very strong scent, and burns my eyes. I use it only when I want a super duper deep clean with little effort. Mostly I use Shaklee's Basic H. It has no scent, is super concentrated, and totally safe. It's really effective too.
That reminds me... Melaleuca works because it's primary active ingredient is Melaleuca oil (aka Tea Tree Oil). You could make your own cleaner from a tincture made from the oil.
The only one of the melaleuca products I'm married to is Tub and Tile for the bathroom cleaner. If anyone has a recipe for something like that with tea tree oil, lay it on me!
The tea tree oil is just a disinfectant though, not a scrubber, hard water cleaner. And Tub & Tile is definitely a hard water cleaner. Who knows what else is in it
I have yet to find anything that cleans my tub and shower other than a chemical cleaner. When my tub is not too dirty, I can clean it easy enough with a scrubber and vinegar mixed with water and borax. USUALLY I need something stronger because Handsome brings home a fine dust that sticks to everything in the shower. When mixed with water, it is almost like a thin layer of sludge. It only smears if I do not use something strong. I clean my tub and shower a couple times a week to keep the buildup away. I still need something strong. You name it, I have tried it; from natural products to harsh products. I wish he could shower at work. lol Other than the tub, I am able to go with homemade products for everyday cleaning.
Actually, not sure why I didn't mention this earlier, but have any of you heard of Norwex? They have this bathroom scrub mitt that works awesome in the tub.
I never heard of Norwex. I looked it up and I am really interested in trying it. I am hesitant because I am wondering how well it comes clean when washed. The goop I remove from the tub sticks to the rags if I do not use a chemical cleaner. It is a mix of silt like concrete dust mixed with chalk. If the buildup sticks to the tub, I wonder if it would also stick to the mitt. I would hate to spend that amount of money for something I couldn't use numerous of times. There are times that Handsome soaks his work clothes in a gas like solvent to break down some of the build up in his clothes. I will not let him run them in the machine if they are really dirty. It takes a lot of bleach, wiping, and sometimes gas to remove the slim. Thankfully the machine is metal. This makes it MUCH easier to clean than the tub that has many fine grooves that hold onto the slim.
I read in one thread here or on The Homeschool Lounge to use dampened dryer sheets to remove soap scum and/or hard water stains from showers/bathtubs. I tried it and, much to my surprise, it worked!
These guys are pretty eco-friendly cleaners! I know these kids (homeschooled) and they've found a unique way to have fun cleaning: (paste this after youtube dotcom) /watch?v=T7nsZA95nao It seems to me that the spirit of homeschooling is somewhere in that line of thinking. Fun and work leads to loving to learn. Just a thought.
I buy cleaner from an Essential Oil company called Young Living, it's safe, natural, and effective on everything. When I clean the shower I sometimes add baking soda to the cleaner to give me some scrubbing power. The cleaner is a concentrate and one bottle last a good while!
Hmm! This sounds interesting. Although I never use them, I just added dryer sheets to my grocery list. It is worth a try. Thanks. Being that they are disposable, I do not have to worry about them getting ruined.
