Make your own eco-friendly, green cleaners for pennies!

   By scentednights  Aug 16, 2011
6

I love cleaning with green, eco-friendly cleaners.  They're much better for the environment than traditional cleaners and I don't need to worry about their safety around children and pets.  The prices for some of the green cleaners in the grocery store are enough to give you sticker shock.  Did know you know you can easily make your own green, eco-friendly cleaners for pennies?

Window and all purpose spray cleaner - Mix equal parts of white vinegar and water and pour into a spray bottle. White vinegar is mildly acidic so it will kill bacteria, mold and germs without resorting to harmful chemicals.

Laundry softener - Add half a cup of white vinegar to the rinse cycle of your wash. It will not only help make your laundry softer, it will help cut down on lint. No, your clothes won't smell like vinegar. The smell disappears when it dries.

Scrubber - Add enough water to baking soda to make a paste.  Use this to brighten stainless steel and to gently scrub counter topics and sinks.

Drain refresher - Pour half a cup of baking soda into each drain.  Follow up with one cup of lemon juice or one cup of vinegar.  They will natural interact to fizz and clean your drain.  Let sit for several hours without running water.

Laundry stains - Make a paste of baking soda and water and gently scrub stains before laundering. You can also pour some into a fabric bag and put it in smelly  sneakers to take away the odor.

Wood polish - Mix one part lemon juice and two parts olive oil.  Pour a tiny bit onto a soft cloth and use to polish wood furniture.

What are your favorite all natural cleaners? Have I missed some?  These eco-friendly, green cleaners are not only better for the environment than traditional cleaners but they're much easier on your budget too.  They cost only pennies to prepare compared to the expensive cleaners in the grocery store.
 

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brenda-m by brenda-m | Conroe, TX
Aug 29, 2011

you can put salt on wet copper (so it will stick) then pour vinegar over to clean & brighten

jrbshort by jrbshort | Fort Worth, TX
Aug 25, 2011

My mother used to put Lysol or baking soda in the wash with my Father's work uniforms to remove the sweat odor.

scentednights by scentednights | CASTLETON, VT
Aug 17, 2011

I have made my own laundry detergent and it does not work well for me. I have really hard water so that may play a factor in it.

Bridge6981 by Bridge6981 | Battle Creek, MI
Aug 16, 2011

I too have recently considered trying to make my own laundry detergent. Has anyone done this? How well does it work? Now be honest.....My husband and I go to the gym and we have sweaty gym clothes. Our jobs involve blood and body fluids and I'm scared to switch away from (gasp) bleach for cleaning our work clothes but in the times we live in with communicable diseases and such I'm too scared to switch because of that and because I don't want my clothes to stink and be musty and sweaty smelling. Has anyone encountered any problems using home made laundry soap?

Saintfae by Saintfae | Strafford, MO
Aug 16, 2011

Yup, we are slowly moving over to being more conscience about what goes in our bodies (eating or breathing) so there has been more baking soda and vinegar around here. When I run out of my stash of laundry soap, I'm going to make my own and see how that goes.

Number1FarmGirl by Number1FarmGirl | Esbon, KS
Aug 16, 2011

Ellen, It nice to know that we are like minded regarding your post, I make most of my cleaners too. Iagree with all you said in your comments, keep up the good work and thanks for passing on some super money saving hints that saves alot of money but more importantly Mother Earth.