Amanda Griffin and Randall A. Cantrell2
Are you on a budget? Running low on those household cleaners? Instead of heading to the store to buy those more expensive cleaners, make your own! Many homemade household cleaners can be made with just a few inexpensive products that will last a lot longer.
Budget-friendly homemade cleaners can save you money.
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Cloth (you can use soft material from worn-out clothing, but first remove buttons, zippers, and anything that might scratch surfaces)
Measuring cup
Jars for mixing and/or storage (do not use containers that children associate with food)
Broom
Vacuum cleaner (if you have carpets)
Mop
The basic ingredients in many homemade cleaners are:
Vinegar
Rubbing alcohol
Washing soda (can be found near the laundry detergent in most stores)
Borax (also near the laundry section)
Mild dish detergent
Liquid bleach
Baking soda
Ammonia
Water
1 cup of white vinegar
1 gallon of warm water
1/2 cup of vinegar
1 gallon of water
The most important thing to keep in mind while cleaning wood floors is that they should never get overly wet. When you use this wood floor cleaner mixture, dip your sponge mop into the solution, squeeze until almost dry, and then begin to mop. Never put the cleaner directly on the floor. Dry any streaked or wet area with a clean towel as you clean the floor.
1/4 cup of white vinegar (or more depending on how dirty)
1 gallon of water
Typically requires little-to-no scrubbing to remove most dirt and doesn't leave a film like soap sometime does when using hard water.
1/4 cup rubbing alcohol
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 cups warm water
Combine all ingredients together in an empty spray bottle and shake well. You will need to shake it a little with each use if you see cornstarch accumulating at the bottom of the bottle. Use crumpled-up newspaper to shine the windows.
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 quart water
Apply to surface and wipe dry. To get a nice shine, use a natural linen or soft cloth. Newspaper also works.
4 oranges
White vinegar
Put the peel from four oranges in a quart jar, and fill with white vinegar. Let the product sit for about one week. Pour the product into a spray bottle and clean away.
2 tablespoons of liquid detergent/soap
2 tablespoons of ammonia
1 quart of water
Use for all general cleaning jobs.
For hard surfaces such as cutting boards, counters, toys, doorknobs, cribs, and trashcans.
3 tablespoons of liquid bleach
1 tablespoon of liquid soap detergent
1 gallon of water
Wipe the surface and let stand for two minutes. Rinse and air dry.
For cleaning toilet bowls and for scrubbing grout in tile and tub areas, trashcans, and other surfaces you need to disinfect. The disinfecting solution can be placed in a spray bottle and sprayed onto surfaces. Note that all visible debris should be cleaned from surfaces before sanitizing or disinfecting.
3/4 cup of household bleach
1 teaspoon of liquid soap
1 gallon of water
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of washing soda
1 bar Fels-Naptha soap
Oxi Clean or other stain remover (optional)
Fabric Softener Beads (optional)
Finely chop the bar of soap in a food processor. Combine all ingredients, and store the powders in a canning jar or other recycled container. Use 2 tablespoons (tbsps.) per load of laundry.
4 cups of hot tap water
1 bar Fels-Naptha soap
1 cup of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2 cup of Borax
Essential oils (optional)
Add 4 cups of hot water to a small saucepan. Grate the Fels-Naptha soap, and add it to the saucepan. Heat at low temperature until the soap is melted. Stir the melted soap and water to mix the solution. Fill half of a 5-gallon bucket with hot water. Add the melted soap, Borax, and washing soda. Fill the bucket to the top with more tap water. Let sit overnight to thicken. Stir, and dispense thickened soap into clean laundry-soap dispensers (use empty containers from commercial brand laundry detergent). Fill one half of each bottle, then top the container off with water. Shake before using. (Yields 10 gallons. For high-efficiency machines, use 1/4 cup per load. For top-loading machines, use 1/2 cup per load.)
• 2 tablespoons of baking soda
1 quart of warm water
Wash the inside thoroughly using the refrigerator cleaner recipe (soap leaves an odor—do not use), including the shelves and drawers. Rub hard-to-clean spots with dry baking soda.
3/4 cup of chlorine bleach
1 gallon of water
Mix and put in a spray container, or apply with a brush. Apply to mildewed area, let stand for five minutes, and rinse with clear water.
Not only are you saving money by making homemade cleaners, you are also helping the environment. The materials in homemade laundry soap have no phosphates. Borax and washing soda are naturally occurring compounds. You can also recycle old milk jugs and reuse canning jars for dispensers. When making your own products, you can be reassured that your family isn’t being exposed to harsh or harmful chemicals. (If you want to buy a cleaning product, find a multipurpose one.)
With all cleaning products remember:
It is best to mix just what you need and use it all up.
Be sure that the container has a label. If you make your own cleaner, always label it.
Never put cleaners in food containers.
Store cleaning solutions out of children’s reach.
Note: Use caution when making homemade cleaners! Mixing bleach with ammonia or vinegar will cause toxic fumes that are very dangerous!
Non-Chemical Cleaners for the Household http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=12&ved=0ahUKEwiX2v6wj4fXAhWB5CYKHSCtCXM4ChAWCCswAQ&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ofcs.k12.oh.us%2Fdocs%2F384_8_21_2007non-chemical%2520cleaners.doc&usg=AOvVaw28j-RcOsUVwcXXecl1l9NG
This document is FCS3319, one of a series of the Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date July 2014. Revised October 2017. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.
Amanda Griffin, former Extension agent I, UF/IFAS Extension Jackson County; and Randall A. Cantrell, assistant professor, Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611. Adapted from Mary Harrison.
The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) is an Equal Opportunity Institution authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function with non-discrimination with respect to race, creed, color, religion, age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, political opinions or affiliations. For more information on obtaining other UF/IFAS Extension publications, contact your county's UF/IFAS Extension office.
U.S. Department of Agriculture, UF/IFAS Extension Service, University of Florida, IFAS, Florida A & M University Cooperative Extension Program, and Boards of County Commissioners Cooperating. Nick T. Place, dean for UF/IFAS Extension.