Make It Yourself Monday- Household Cleaning Recipes

A few weeks ago I posted some spray recipes for household cleaners . Since it is Spring, and that time of year when we usually try to clean out the winter cob-webs, I thought I'd offer a few more cleaning type recipes. These will save you money, but more importantly, they will also give you control over what you bring into your home, use in your home, and expose your family and yourself to. You don't have to be "green" to make and use these, they will benefit you and your pocketbook no matter what color you are! Lol





Scouring Powder:


Just put some baking soda onto a damp sponge and scrub away. Baking soda all by itself is effective on most surfaces, and is readily available. If you want, you can add any essential oil you like for fragrance. For some antibacterial properties, try adding tee tree EO. (5 drops to 2 ounces of powder). It is best to either whisk the powder until the fragrance is blended, or run it through a sifter until it is infused. You can also use a firm bristle brush and scrub with a bit of pure soap and the baking soda. Salt will also work in place of the baking soda.

Baking soda also works great on carpets. To clean and deodorize them, vacuum first, then sprinkle baking soda all over, then vacuum again. Again, if you'd like, add your favorite EO to the baking soda before sprinkling. Make sure you get it mixed in by sifting or whisking. 

If you have a tough carpet stain, try blotting with vinegar and soapy water.

To clean mirrors, windows and other glass:


Wash with soap and water then rinse with a 1 part vinegar 4 parts water solution. [A pure soap is best for any cleaning job.]


For a Furniture Polish, I have accumulated several recipes. So pick your favorite! 

1. One cup of vegetable oil mixed with 1 tsp of lemon EO. You can also use 5 drops of lemon extract if you don't have the essential oil. 
2.  One cup of olive oil with 1/2 cup of lemon juice. pour into a spray bottle.
3. Two ounces of beeswax mixed with five ounces of turpentine. 
4. One cup of olive oil mixed with 1/4 cup of white vinegar. Pour this into a spray bottle.
5. Equal parts white vinegar and lemon juice. 
6. Equal parts vegetable oil and lime juice. 

Here are some tips for using your home-made polish! 

-Once you have chosen your recipe, prepare a clean glass or plastic container. Spray containers also work well, but beware that if you use an essential oil, you will need to use glass for storage. Essential Oils will break down plastic in a pretty short period of time, basically meaning that it melts it!  
-At any rate, once your product is made and it its proper storage container, make sure that you shake it well before each use. 
-Choose a soft cloth for application. 
-Also, it is best to spray/pour the solution onto your cleaning cloth and then use the cloth to spread the solution over the furniture than to spray the furniture directly. This will allow you to have better control and to achieve a more even application.  
-Work in the polish solution, wiping with the grain of the wood. 
-When applied, you should immediately see the luster of the wood return. If you do not, if the wood looks dry, leave it sit for a while and then go back over it again. 
-If your wood has a lot of detail, go over the area as best as you can with your cloth and solution, then go back and use a soft-bristle brush to get the solution into the grooves. Then buff with your soft cloth and wipe dry.
-Make sure that you have a clean, dry cloth. Once you wipe on the solution, immediately use the dry, soft cloth  to wipe it again.