Inexpensive household cleaners

[gilby]

I am wondering what you use for inexpensive household cleaners. We use vinegar and ammonia to clean. What are you using?

 

[mnasmom3]

Same thing....ammonia and vinegar. I also make my own laundry detergent with borax, washing soda, and Fals Naptha soap. Huge money saver. Also started line drying most laundry....not a cleaner, but it is helping save money during the cleaning process.

 

[DisneyShannon]

I buy mine from the dollar store. Whatever they have with bleach in it.

 

[iheartdisney]

I switched to vinegar and lemon juice (to kill the smell) last month!

 

[fakereadhed]

I can't remember what I paid, but under $2 for Aldi equivelent to Swiffer Wet mop refills- and they ROCK! They clean better than the Swiffer ones for under half the price.

I use Mrs. Meyer Geranium all purpose cleaner for windows and counters- just add 4T to a spray bottle full of water.
http://www.mrsmeyers.com/ProductDetail.aspx?ProductId=65189bf7-0487-4961-bc27-6676c9a87bb9&CategoryId=21d3e224-4206-4468-a14d-999f00e7fdbf
I can't remember when I bought the big bottle of this stuff it's lasted so long.

Also use Huggies Cucumber and Melon wipes- great in a hurry for surfaces and carpet spills- and sticky kids!

FWIW I hate the smell of vinegar and only use it on the coffeemaker.

 

[hsmamato2]

I can't stand the smell of ammonia...and I'm always worried about mixing it with the wrong thing..... I used a mix of borax and vinegar spray once,may start again-
right now I use biokleen concentrate- it costs like 4.00 a bottle which lasts forever- mix 1tbsp w/ a bottle sprayer- use for all cleaning except glass- for floors,i spray it,then wet mop.... it smells light and is 'green'

 

[hsmamato2]

OH! could you please post you recipe for laundry soap? I want to start making some of my own.....and getting a clothesline up soon too...

 

[gilby]

Yes, please post the laundry soap.
Do you add any scents to it?
I am tired of paying high prices for cleaners.

 

[grlpwrd]

I find a lot of my recipes in the vintage books I have plus sites like mothering.com and simpleliving.net. I mostly use Dr Bronner's soaps.

Here's a recipe for countertop spray: http://livingbeautifullyfrugally.blogspot.com/2007/07/i-love-method-brand-products-countertop.html

You can pretty much use Google to find all kinds of recipes. There are a lot of them floating around online.

 

[mnasmom3]

Like the PP said....if you google for recipes, you'll find a ton for household cleaners and detergents. This is the one I used for the laundry...

laundry detergent recipe:
Use 1-2 tablespoons per load depending on how soiled the clothes are. I use 2 tablespoons since I have a super capacity washer.
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup Super Washing Soda
1/3 bar Fals Naptha


Grate the soap (I use a veggie peeler) and toss it in the blender with the borax and soda. Grind away until it's well mixed and in small particles so you don't have dissolving issues.

There is also a *liquid* version of this detergent that I can dig up a recipe for if anyone wants it, but it takes more time to make and more space to store. To me, not worth it since it cleans the same.

Some things to know:
Pretreat stains. This isn't Tide by any means, but I've never had a problem with it. I'm a stain pretreater. The only thing I accidentally let go through was a grass stain. It didn't remove it but I pretreated and washed again and the stain came out.

Get the water going in the washer and add the soap so it has a chance to get dissolving before you add the clothes. (FWIW, I've never had dissolving issues)

I don't add any scents to it. The soap you use will determine the scent. I like the scent of the Fals Naptha. Your clothes won't come out smelling like the detergent though. Especially if you dry them in the dryer. I do end up with more detergent scent on the items I line dry. They don't smell like detergent. They just smell *fresh*.

You can use any soap, really. No real magic in the Fals Naptha and it can be hard to find. (I found all 3 ingredients in the laundry aisle.) You can substitute any bar soap or even the slivers left from the shower. You need 1 cup of soap. The only thing I've heard about not using a "laundry bar" soap is that some bar soaps...especially those with moisturizers....seem to put a film on laundry leaving them less absorbant over time. Not good for towels. You could always combat this by adding vinegar to the rinse cycle, which I do anyway. And, NO....the laundry doesn't end up with a vinegar smell.

To give you an idea of cost/savings:
My box of borax was and washing soda were around $3 each, give or take. They were both around 4 pounds each...about the size of a bigger dishwasher detergent box. You only need 1/2 cup of each, so you can imagine how long those 2 boxes will last. The Fals Naptha was $1.29 and you use 1/3 of the bar. You use so little of the mix that it lasts a long while. Great savings!

 

[Fantasmic23]

I am wondering what you use for inexpensive household cleaners. We use vinegar and ammonia to clean. What are you using?

I've recently started watching "How Clean Is Your House?" on the BBC channel. In almost every episode that I saw this week, SHAVING CREAM was being used to clean (to clean tile, wallpaper, etc.). I haven't tried using shaving cream yet. Has anyone else?

 

[Jockaroo]

I've discovered baking soda and white vinegar to clean my grungy shower floor. Since we've lived in this house I've tried dozens of cleaners to get the stains off the floor and nothing worked--except to choke me and send me running from the room. Dampen the stain/dirty spot with vinegar, sprinkle baking soda heavily on the stain to make a paste--it will foam some--and let sit. Then add more vinegar and lightly scrub.

This works to clean a gunky washer fabric dispenser as well.

I wouldn't use this on metals since it could cause pitting.

 

[Dopey420]

I am wondering what you use for inexpensive household cleaners. We use vinegar and ammonia to clean. What are you using?

BEST KITCHEN CLEANER

8 oz rubbing alcohol
1 TBS ammonia
1 tsp liquid dish detergent
Fill spray bottle the rest of the way with water.

 

[bellebuzzandpooh]

It's not homemade but I use Fabuloso and I love it! It is super cheap at the store, cleans really well, and leaves a nice scent.

How do you clean your coffee maker with vinegar?

 

[Chicago526]

I use baking soda and vineager for just about everything. 1/2 vineager and 1/2 water in a spray bottle makes for a great all surface cleaner, sprinkle some baking soda on for tough stains and you're good to go!

I'm not in to making my own laundry soap yet. A giant jug of the eco-friendly laundry soap from costco will last us over a year, I use half the recomended amount and our clothes come out perfectly clean. So price wise, it's just not worth the trouble at this point. Talk to me once we have kids and our laundry doubles!

 

[Chim Chiminy]

I use vinegar for most things and oxyclean.
I bought a ton of oxyclean powder on clearance at BB and B last year and still have a ton left.

I may start adding lemon juice to the vinegar, the kids hate the smell but I find it doesn't linger very long.