Frugal Homemade Cleaners

Why make Your own homemade cleaners? Traditional cleaning supplies are ubiquitous in most homes, but they come with a host of health dangers that many of us are only beginning to find out about. They also tend to be costly over time and have some unpleasant environmental consequences.

That's why more and more people are looking into using homemade cleaners that are less dangerous for themselves and the environment, and usually cost only a few pennies to make. Let's take a look at some of the more useful options and how you can make them for yourself.

Making your own green cleaners allows you to waste less packaging, since you can buy the ingredients in bulk, to save money, and to deal with fewer unpleasant smells (plus the health hazards that come with those chemical odors).

If you'd like to give up on having to worry about adequate ventilation and wearing gloves while cleaning, these are the right choice for you. Homemade cleaners are generally made with ingredients that aren't dangerous, even in enclosed spaces.

Mild carpet stains can be cleaned using club soda. For a heavier, more difficult stain, use cornstarch or Fuller's earth, sprinkled on the problem area. Allow this to sit for about half an hour, then scrub with one part vinegar to three parts water.

To deodorize the carpet, sprinkle a mixture of baking soda and crushed herbs on the carpet. Let it sit a half hour, then vacuum it back up for fresh smelling carpets.

Of course, serious odors may require scrubbing. You will find these homemade cleaners are much more pleasant and easier on the environment.

Oven cleaner is a really dangerous substance, and we should avoid using it if at all possible.

Start by using preventative maintenance - scrub spills right away using salt or a paste of baking soda and an old toothbrush. It takes a little elbow grease, and sometimes you need to let the paste sit, but the dangers of oven cleaner are completely avoided.

Clean your oven more often to make this less of a chore.

First, make sure you use a drain trap to prevent clogs as much as you can.

If sluggish drains still occur, pour a quarter cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by a cup of vinegar. Then, stopper the drain and let it sit for fifteen minutes. Flush the drain afterward with the hottest water you can. Hot water on its own will sometimes solve the problem, as well.

Avoid using commercial drain cleaners, which are incredibly toxic and can even harm your plumbing.

Burning incense, making your own potpourri, using an essential oil diffuser, and having plants around your home can all help. Use lavender sachets in closets and clothes chests, too.

Get rid of chemical air fresheners, which can cause headaches and pollute your indoor air.

Get rid of musty smells in boxes and trunks using crumpled paper to absorb the smell. When you get rid of the paper, you get rid of the smell.

A pan of spices in the oven will help you get smells out of the kitchen, too, and you'll get a wonderful fragrance.

Lemon oil, cinnamon and nutmeg are great choices if you try this.

A little soap (not detergent), some water and a few drops of lavender and tea tree oils can help you disinfect just about any surface that's not glass (which it streaks) and makes a great cleaner. Just rinse well.

Another option is to simmer rosemary, sage, eucalyptus, juniper, thyme or lavender for thirty minutes in a small amount of water. This also works on any surface other than glass, and with a little soap, will even cut grease.

Try a tablespoon of ammonia, a tablespoon of laundry detergent and two cups water for a very strong cleaner.

Skip the spray on polish, which could damage furniture in the long run, and use a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil (or another vegetable oil you like) to keep your furniture shiny and beautiful. A soft cloth is all you need to apply it.

Wax wooden floors with a similar solution, or substitute the lemon juice for vinegar. It's remarkably easy to keep your wood in good shape with these homemade cleaners and without using silicone oil or other commercial products.

Try these homemeade cleaners for glass, they are a lot more pleasant than the commercial ones.

A mixture of a half cup of vinegar and a gallon of water will work, or you can clean with lemon juice or club soda. Or try one part rubbing alcohol to one part water, with a dash of vinegar.

For a strong glass cleaner, to be used when others haven't worked, try substituting the vinegar with a dash of non-sudsing clear ammonia.

Be careful with ammonia, however - it can be hazardous if you don't treat it properly.

Remember to use soft, lint free cloths to clean glass. This will reduce the chances of serious streaking.

Use a mixture of salt and lemon juice, or just a little baking soda to polish metal.

You can also rub metals with toothpaste to remove tarnish and rust. It's amazing how well it'll work!

Just remember that softer metals can be damaged by abrasives, so you'll need to take care when you clean them. Make sure that antiques, especially, are cleaned with extreme care.

These aren't the only homemade cleaners out there, but they're a good start, and they're all relatively nontoxic and inexpensive. If you want to improve your health, spend less, and have less of a negative environmental impact, making your own household cleaning products is a really smart idea.

You'll be amazed at how well these cheap cleaners can work, and the difference they'll make in your home. Say goodbye to rubber gloves and start using cheap, nontoxic cleaners made at home.