Cleaning products are too frigging expensive. I'm tired of spending the money. Plus, okay, I just happened to be watching a random episode of that show “Downsized” last week, and the family was busy making their owncleaning products. I can do that! So I went on a quest to discover 9 amazing DIY cleaning products that cost way, way less than the name brand options.
Do you know how expensive Febreeze products are? It's crazy – and you don't need them! Making your own air freshener is as easy as squeezing lemon juice into a bowl filled up halfway with baking soda. Then you just let it sit, uncovered. Lemon can also eliminate mold, so there's a bonus.
I have pets. They do not like the carpet and the carpet does not like them. You can imagine how much money I have spent on carpet cleaners. No longer, since all you need to remove pesky spots is a mixture of equal parts water and white vinegar. Put it into a spray bottle, spray the mixture right on a stain, let it soak in, and then sponge it up using soapy water. Or, if you have a more serious stain, mix in a quarter cup of borax, vinegar, and salt. This results in a paste you can rub into your carpet. Let it stay there for a couple of hours, then vacuum it up and, again, rinse it up with warm, soapy water.
If you need a little something for everything, all you need is a little water and vinegar. This time its one part vinegar to nine parts water in your spray bottle. However, if you need to clean a counter top after working with raw chicken, straight vinegar followed by a little bit of peroxide will knock the germs for a loop.
How about floor cleaners and floor polish? I have several options for you hear. If you want to damp mop a wood floor, all you need is equal parts of water and distilled white vinegar. If you want, you can add in about 10-15 drops of peppermint oil for a fresh scent. For wood, you can also use a mixture of equal parts vinegar and vegetable oil, and rub the mixture into the floor in a thin coat. For linoleum or vinyl, a cup of vinegar, a couple drops of baby oil, and a gallon of lukewarm water will work. If the job is really tough, include a quarter cup of borax. If your wood is painted, all you need is a teaspoon of washing soda and a gallon of water – make it hot! Finally, for stone tiles or brick flooring, one cup of vinegar and one gallon of water followed by a clean water rinse does the trick.
You can also make your own furniture polish. If the wood is varnished, get half a cup of lukewarm water and mix in a couple drops worth of lemon oil. Mix it up, spray it onto a damp, soft cloth, and wipe away, then use another, dry cloth to get the residue. If your furniture is unvarnished wood, use two teaspoons of both lemon juice and olive oil, place the mix on a soft cloth, and wipe down the wood with wide strokes.
Toilets can be awful to clean, and they tend to smell awful. Instead, try a quarter cup of baking soda mixed with a cup of vinegar. Pour the mix into your toilet bowl and give it a couple of minutes. Then scrub with your brush and flush!
Bathrooms in general are hard to clean, especially the tub. Double that if you have tiles. The cleaners used can be harsh, abrasive, and generally bad for you. You can instead make your own. If you want an air freshener, try 5-10 drops of either rosemary, lavender, or tea tree oil – essential oils of course. Otherwise, just a bowl, pour in a half cup of baking soda, then slowly add liquid soap of your choice, stirring the whole while. When it starts to look like frosting, you're done. Add in your oil if you like, scoop some of the mixture onto a sponge, and start scrubbing – or use half a lemon as your sponge.
To clean your oven, you need two cups of fairly hot water, plus a tablespoon of your choice of dish washing liquid (try to make it natural, though), and a teaspoon of borax. This goes into a spray bottle, which you can then spray over the stove mess. It should sit there for about 20 minutes; then you can use a cloth to wipe it up.
Finally, if you need to get rid of spots and scuffs on your walls, all you need is baking soda on a dampened sponge. Honestly, that should be all it takes!
There are tons of other DIY cleaning products you can make. Doesn't it look easy? Do you have any homemade products you'd like to share?
Top Photo Credit: makingchickensalad