Make Your Own Household Cleansers: Cutting Costs and Nasty Fumes Is as Easy as 1-2-3

By Susan Seliger

You know the most fun part of cleaning is spraying with that pump nozzle. So when you’re done with the old commercial cleaners, wash out the bottle and start saving money – and breathe more easily as well. No fumes, no fuss, no big bucks. It’s as easy as 1-2-3.

Recipe 1 – Grease and dirt removal

Just mix one Tablespoon of a mild dishwashing liquid per cup of water – and spray away.

Recipe 2 – Dirt and disinfection

For disinfecting and cleaning, fill one bottle with hydrogen peroxide, another bottle with white vinegar, and start spraying counters and sinks etc. They both kill bacteria as effectively as harsh cleaners.

Recipe 3 – Mild abrasive scrub

Make a paste out of Baking Soda and warm water, apply to sinks, counters, bathtubs, etc. Rub and rinse. Either finish with a spray of Recipe 1 cleaner – or save yourself a step and add a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid to the baking soda paste.

Spray Bottles: if you don’t have one you can use re-use, buy cool spray bottles from Dirtworks that you can color code or write on and label as to contents; or the Container Store or from Pawmarks Online, which has multi-colored aluminum bottles.

Photo credit: Pawmarks Online