Make your own disinfectant wipes
Both Bounty and Viva paper towels work great for this. Cut the roll in half or in thirds, depending on the size of wipes you would like, and remove the cardboard roll tube from inside. You also need a plastic container. An empty baby wipes container works great for this.
In a bucket, combine 1 1/2 cups water with 1/2 cup anti-bacterial cleaner. Mix and pour half of the mixture (1 cup) into baby wipes container. Place paper towels slowly into the solution, and pour the other half of the cleaning solution over top slowly, so it soaks in. Close the lid and allow it to sit and soak for about a day, then it is ready to use.
Homemade bathtub Cleaner
1/4 cup baking soda
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp liquid dish detergent
Adjust the amount of vinegar to get the Softscrub consistency you want. Combine ingredients and place in a clean, empty squeeze bottle. Use as you would normal SoftScrub cleaner.
Make your own lemon dishwasher detergent
This dishwasher detergent is for your dishwasher, not for using for hand washing dishes.
1 1/2 cup borax
The juice of one lemon
and a little bit of lemon dish soap
Combine and store in a sealable plastic container in the refrigerator. Use 1 Tbs./load and vinegar on the other side. Also, put vinegar in the rinse cycle.
Homemade laundry soap
4 cups water
2 cups bar soap (such as Fels Naptha or Ivory)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda (Arm & Hammer is most common)
In a large stock pot, bring 4 cups of water to a boil. While waiting for the water to boil, finely grate the two bars of soap using your grater. Once water is boiling, add the grated soap, reduce heat to medium-low, and stir until grated soap is completely melted. Pour into a large bucket (if your stock pot isn't large enough) then add borax and washing soda, stirring until they are both dissolved into the mixture. Add another 8 cups (2 quarts) of water, stirring again. Allow to cool to room temperature if needed, then give it another good stir to fully combine. Then pour into cleaned recycled liquid laundry detergent containers (will make a bit over 12 cups of detergent).To use: Give the container a good shaking, then use 1/4 cup of detergent for each load of laundry. You can mark the inside of the laundry cap with a black sharpie to show where the 1/4 cup mark is, if it isn't already marked.
Make your own deodorizer
In a 32 ounce clean spray bottle, place 4 tablespoons of good quality fabric softener . Then fill the spray bottle with water, leaving about an inch from the top. Gently shake, then use just as you would use to freshin up carpet, bed linens or curtains.
As with all cleaners, spot test before spraying on any fabric or furniture.
Scrubby Oven Cleaner Recipe
Make a paste of baking soda and water.
To use, first use a scouring brush to scratch off any burnt food/water spots. Then apply the paste and scrub.
Antibacterial Bathroom Cleaner Recipe
Great for disinfecting the bathroom when your family has the flu!
1 cup baking soda
2 tbsp liquid soap
1 tbsp white vinegar (optional)
In a bowl, add baking soda then liquid soap. Mix well until the baking soda forms a paste. If it is still too crumbly, add slightly more liquid soap until it forms a paste, as some liquid soaps are more "liquidy" than others. Next, add essential oils if you'd like. Mix well, then add vinegar. To use, put a small amount on your bathroom sponge to scrub down your toilet seat, shower, bathtub, sink and counter. Rinse out your sponge, and go over it again with clean water.
Make your own daily shower spray
1 cup water
1/3 cup rubbing alcohol
Combine and pour into a spray bottle. Simply spray the shower when you get out, no rinsing is required when you use this daily shower spray.
Sparkle Spray Window Cleaner Recipe
In a clean, empty spray bottle, add 1/3 cup of vinegar for every 4 cups of water. Use just like you would any commercial spray window cleaner.
All-Purpose Cleaner
2 T vinegar 1/8 C of liquid dish soap.
1t Borax
Fill the 24 oz spray bottle with hot water and shake, then add the liquid dish soap.
