Cleaning products add up. Before I went frugal, I use to spend 20 plus dollars a month on cleaning supplies for my home. I thought there was no way making them myself was going to save me a significant amount of money to make it worth my time. I also worried that they would not clean as well as the chemical-laden products I was used to.
Boy, was I wrong! Making cleaning products can save you 75-90% and they work just as well, if not better, than some of the commercially made products out there. Another bonus; most of these home-made cleaners are green and I feel much better using them around my family and my pets.
Here are 5 simple DIY cleaning products you can make for mere pennies!
Powdered Laundry Soap:
You will need:
- 1 bar fels-naphtha soap
- 1 bar Ivory Soap
- 2 Cups Borax
- 2 Cups Washing soda
Use a grater to grate the soaps. Add them to a food processor. (I suggest buying one for this as it can be difficult to clean out!) Grate until they are fine. Combine the borax and washing soda in a bowl. Add the grated soap to it and mix well. Use 2 tablespoons per load. For a breakdown on how much you can save, see this post here.
All-purpose Cleaner:
You will need:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup Vinegar
Simply mix the two together in a spray bottle. If the smell of vinegar is too over-powering, try adding some essential orange oil.
Foaming Hand Soap:
You will need:
- An old foaming hand soap pump
- Soap of your choice
- Water
Add 20-30 pumps of your favorite soap into the dispenser. Add WARM water to the mix, slowly. To get ot foaming, simply pump it a few times.
Abrasive Cleaner:
You will need:
- 1 part baking soda
- 1 part water
Mix the two ingredients together to make a paste. This can be used to clean countertops, sinks, tubs and anywhere else you may use Ajax or a similar abrasive cleaner. It also works wonders on baked on grease in ovens!
Glass Cleaner:
You will need:
- ¼ cup vinegar
- ¼ cup warm water
- 2 tablespoons rubbing alcohol
- Essential oil
Mix all the ingredients together in a spray bottle and give it a shake. Add drops of essential oil to help mask the smell of the alcohol and vinegar. This also works well on mirrors and other surfaces that streak.
Do you make your own household cleaners? What do you make and have you tried any of the recipes above?
colleen says
How well does the laundry soap work?
Angela says
I really just wanted to try and use these just so I could say I knew they wouldn’t work sorry but I just wanted to be honest. Guess what I was SOOOOOO Wrong they really WORKED I WAS SO EXCITED. Just want to Say Thanks For Sharing your ideas. I am now a true believer and I will continue to follow your blog.
JJ Keist says
Where I live, we’ve got incredibly hard water. There’s a ring in my toilet bowl that vinegar won’t touch. I hate to use anything chemical, like Bon Ami. What would you recommend? Thanks! God bless you in your endeavors. 😀