"Recipes" For A Clean House

I noticed this morning that I was out of window cleaner. I make my own, and since I need to get the "recipe" out anyway, I thought I'd post a handful of formulas for homemade cleaning items.

I don't use...or buy...very many cleaning items. I make my own Windex-type window cleaner, my own laundry detergent and I came up with my own bathtub/shower/sink cleanser. I also use straight ammonia, white vinegar, bleach, Dawn dish soap for tougher cleaning projects. These items will take care of most cleaning and laundry needs. For really tough cleaning, I also use a product called Greased Lightning, and I use a steam cleaner if necessary.

The homemade products I use are less expensive than those sold in stores, they are safer (you know just what's in them), and I find they work as well or even better than their store-bought counterparts. Most of the ingredients can be easily found at the grocery or discount stores.


Homemade Window Cleaner

(1 gallon costs less than $1)

I use this for just about everything...windows, counters, laminate wood floors, daily cleaning in the bathroom, mirrors, appliances, etc. I keep spray bottles of it in the kitchen, in the bathroom and in our camping gear in the summer.

2 tablespoons ammonia
1 teaspoon Dawn dish liquid
1 pint (2 cups) rubbing alcohol
4 drops any color food coloring (optional)
a few drops of any scented or essential oil (optional)

Put all ingredients in a clean, empty gallon jug. Fill the rest of the way with hot water (fill very slowly, as it will suds up if you add the water too quickly). Pour as needed into smaller sprayer bottles. Use as you would any window or all-purpose spray cleaner.

1 batch makes 1 gallon of cleaner.


Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent

(30 load batch costs approximately $1.50)

The ingredients can be a little hard to find sometimes. I have found the Fels Naptha bar soap in the laundry sections of some Wal-Mart stores and some grocery stores. If you can't find it anywhere, you can use Zote soap (also in the laundry section and sometimes hard to find, but available in many Mexican food stores), Ivory Soap or homemade soap. As for the washing soda, it will probably be in a box in the laundry section that looks very similar to baking soda. Do not substitute baking soda, however. The Borax is also in the laundry section, and should be easy to find.

I've used a hand-grater to grate the soap, but the easiest way I've found is to use my food processor with both the grating blade in place and the chopping blade in the bottom. This results in a very fine powder. One bar of Fels Naptha soap yields just over a cup grated, so I usually just grate the entire bar.

If you have small pieces of the bar left after grating, save them. If there are stains on your clothing, just spray them with a little water and rub the slivers of soap on the stains. Most of the stains will come right out in the wash.

1 cup grated Fels-Naptha soap
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup Borax

Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight plastic container. To use, simply add 1 level tablespoon (not a typo) of detergent to your laundry as you would any other detergent. Please note that this detergent doesn't form suds like most commercial brands, but cleans as well as any, and better than some. If you have really grimy laundry, use up to 2 tablespoons of detergent. But you should never need to use more than that.

One batch takes me less than 10 minutes to make and will wash approximately 30 loads of laundry.


Homemade Tub/Shower/Sink Cleanser

(cost is minimal; you probably have the ingredients on hand already)

Dawn dishwashing liquid
Baking soda
Scrubby sponge

There's no set formula for this solution. Simply wet a scrubby sponge with water, squirt a little Dawn onto it, and sprinkle a little baking soda onto it. Use as you would any scouring powder or liquid. The Dawn cuts through any grease and oils on the tub, shower or sink and the baking soda acts as a scouring agent. Works like a charm, with no bleach, fumes or toxic chemicals.

But be very careful, especially if you get in the tub or shower to clean it like I do. This stuff is VERY slippery. Be sure to rinse it off well with water.