The Best Homemade Cleaning Solutions

Filed under: Storage & Cleaning, Cleaning

Save yourself some dough (and the planet!) by making your own cleaning solutions. These actually work! We promise.

While spending weeks researching our recent series on testing old versus new cleaning techniques (for soap scum, shower curtains, windows, candle wax, clogged drains, scuff marks and red wine) one thing became glowingly apparent: New isn't always better.


Many of the time-tested tricks of our parents and grandparents prove that homemade solutions can stand up to those high-priced, over-marketed store-bought varieties. Forget about the fact that researchers are finding that many familiar household cleaners contain compounds that may trigger asthma or contain chemicals linked to infertility, eczema, birth defects and (obviously) poor indoor air quality -- making your own at-home solutions can save you loads of money too!

And with that, we bring you The Essential Guide to Homemade Cleaning Solutions. Never spend another dime in the grocery store cleaning aisle again!

Here are some of our favorites:

Air Freshener

Part of getting your home clean is also knocking out nasty odors in the air. So try this homemade air freshener on for size.

To make a basic air freshener, squeeze juice from a fresh lemon into a cereal bowl half filled with baking soda. Leave the dish uncovered. *Lemon also kills mold, so when you're done squeezing out that lemon juice, grind up the lemon leftovers in the garbage disposal to get rid of food molds and residue.


All-Purpose Cleaner
"Antibacterial" cleaners and soaps have become all the rage, yet their active ingredients have been linked to thyroid damage, water pollution and the emergence of drug-resistant superbugs like MRSA. Instead, kill germs with an all-purpose vinegar solution: Combine nine parts water with one part white vinegar in a spray bottle.

For those extra germy messes, such as a countertop that's been exposed to raw meat, squirt straight white vinegar on the surface, and follow with a squirt of hydrogen peroxide to knock out those germs.


Carpet Cleaner
It seems that there's always some spot that finds its way into our carpets. Try this remedy to remove them:

Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray directly on stain, let sit for several minutes, and clean with a brush or sponge using warm soapy water. For heavy duty jobs, mix 1/4 cup each of salt, borax and vinegar. Rub paste into carpet and leave for a few hours. Vacuum, then clean as above.


Floor Cleaner & Polish
Most floors can be cleaned with a simple water-vinegar solution. For damp-mopping wood floors: mix equal amounts of white distilled vinegar and water. Add 15 drops of pure peppermint oil for a minty fresh smell; shake well to mix. To get other types of floors sparkly clean try these other assorted at-home solutions:

Vinyl and linoleum: Mix 1 cup vinegar and a few drops of baby oil in 1 gallon of warm water. For tough jobs, add a 1/4 cup of borox, but use sparingly on lineoleum.
Wood: Apply a thin coat of equal parts vegetable oil and vinegar and rub in well.
Painted wood: Mix 1 teaspoon washing soda into 1 gallon of hot water.
Brick and stone tiles: Mix 1 cup white vinegar in 1 gallon of water; rinse with clean water.


Drain Cleaner
It's inevitable: Drains get clogged. To put a stop to the stop of water flow, try these options:

For light drain cleaning, mix a 1/2 cup of salt in 4 liters of water, heat (but not to a boil) and pour down the drain.

For stronger cleaning, pour about a 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain, then follow it with a 1/2 cup vinegar. The resulting chemical reaction can break fatty acids down into soap and glycerine, allowing the clog to wash down the drain. After 15 minutes, pour in boiling water to clear residue. Caution: Only use this method with metal plumbing and do not use this method if you've recently tried a commercial drain product.


Dust-Buster
Household dust is full of allergens, so knock it out with your own fragrant lemon oil solution. Mix 10 drops of pure lemon oil, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice and a few drops of olive oil in a spray bottle.

Spray onto surfaces and wipe clean with a clean (recycled) flannel cotton cloth.


Furniture Polish
No need to invest money into those expensive, over-marketed furniture polishes. Try this instead:

Varnished wood: Add a few drops of lemon oil into 1/2 cup of warm water. Mix well and spray onto a soft, slightly damp cotton cloth. Wipe furniture with the cloth, then wipe clean with a soft, dry cotton cloth.

Unvarnished wood: Mix two teaspoons each of olive oil and lemon juice and apply a small amount to a soft cotton cloth. Wring the cloth to spread the mixture further into the material and apply to the furniture using wide strokes to distribute the oil evenly.


Magic Degreaser
If you have grease spots that the All-Purpose Cleaner can't tackle, try this:

Combine a pinch of washing soda, a couple drops of castile soap and two tablespoons of vinegar into two cups of boiling water.


Oven Cleaner
If you've ever scrubbed out your oven, you know that those chemical oven cleaners are a bit tough on your lungs. Try this instead:

Mix 2 cups of hot water, 1 tablespoon of natural dish liquid and 1 teaspoon of borax in a spray bottle. Spray on the designated mess, let sit for 20 minutes and wipe off with a clean cloth. For handling an extra-greasy mess, wipe off as much loose goop as possible first with crumpled newspaper, then use the spray.


Plant Cleaner
Want to get down to the details of cleaning? If you're a plant lover, chances are your indoor plants get covered with dust just as your furniture does. As strange as it sounds, polish your leaves with a soft rag dipped in mayonnaise. Don't ask us why, but for some reason this has a magical way of leaving plants sparkling clean without any leftover smell (or damage to the foliage).


Rust Remover
Rust residue can be a tough one to fight, but try this remedy next time you're facing a seemingly losing battle:

Sprinkle a little salt on the rust, squeeze a lime over the salt until it is well soaked. Leave the mixture on for 2 to 3 hours. Use the leftover lime rind to scrub at the residue.


Spot & Scuff Eraser
Marks on walls and painted surfaces are a common household occurrence. Simply clean ink spots, pencil, crayon or marker spots from painted surfaces with baking soda applied to a damp sponge. Rub gently, then wipe and rinse with water.


Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Harsh toilet cleaners no more! Opt for a more lung-friendly version.

Mix 1/4 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar. Then pour them into the toilet basin and let set for a few minutes. Scrub with a toilet brush and rinse.


Tub & Tile Cleaner
Apparently, the popular cleanser Comet contains 146 air contaminants, including seven chemicals linked to cancer, two chemicals linked to reproductive damage, and two chemicals that interfere with hormones, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG). So it might be best to err on the safe side and make your own scrubbing paste.

5 to 10 drops of pure essential oil of lavender, tea tree oil, or rosemary (optional for fragrance)

Place 1/2 cup of baking soda in a bowl and slowly pour in liquid soap, stirring until it looks like cake frosting. Add optional essential oils, like 5 to 10 drops of pure essential lavender, tea tree or rosemary oil. Scoop onto a sponge, scrub and rinse. You can also try cutting a lemon in half and using that as a scrubber.


Wallpaper Remover
It may not be a daily cleaning task, but it's a common problem for many, so try this remedy the next time you need to remove some stubborn wallpaper:

Mix equal parts of white vinegar and hot water, apply with a sponge over the old wallpaper to soften the adhesive, then gently pull paper from the loose corners.



Window Cleaner
We all have them and thus likely go through gallons of store-bought window cleaner each year. Make your own solution to save some pennies in 2011:

Combine ¼ cup vinegar, ½ teaspoon natural liquid soap and 2 cups water in a spray bottle and shake to blend. Spray on the glass, working in small sections so that the solution doesn't have time to dry before you're able to wipe it clean.

Scrub as needed with the rough side of a kitchen sponge, and squeegee off. Use a cotton cleaning cloth to dry off the blade of the squeegee between swipes and to wipe up any liquid that puddles at the bottom of the windows.

Looking for other cleaning tips: We solve your biggest cleaning jobs!

 

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