Can you make your own household cleaners.?

Answer 1

Yes you can, most of the time they are better or just as good and are often better for the enviornment.
Homemade Remedies and Cleaners

Air Freshener. To absorb odors, place bowls of vinegar, or baking soda around the house. Be sure to keep them out of the reach of children and pets! To make the air more fragrant, use essential oils or boiled herbs. To make boiled herbs, simply choose any herb or spice the smell of which you enjoy and boil it in water for a few minutes until the heat causes it to release its odor. Let it cool a little and put it out in a bowl. You can also add salt to discourage the growth of fungus.

Drain Cleaner. Use hair and food traps to keep the drain from getting clogged. If it does become clogged, try the following recipe. First, pour about 1/2 cup of baking soda down the sink. Then add at least a cup of vinegar. It will start to fizz. Put the cover over the drain. Finish up by rinsing the drain with a mixture of boiling water and salt. You might have to repeat the whole procedure more than once.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner. Sprinkle baking soda around the inside of the toilet bowl and then clean with a toilet brush. Also try letting white vinegar sit for a few minutes in the bowl before cleaning with the toilet brush.

Oven Cleaner. Make a paste of baking soda and water. First wipe away any residual grease. Then scratch off burnt spots with a scouring brush or steel wool. Finally, apply the paste and scrub.

Laundry Detergents. By adding baking soda, you can reduce the amount of commercial detergent you use substantially. If you're using liquid detergent, add about 1/2 cup of baking soda at the beginning of the wash. If you're using powdered detergent, add 1/2 cup of baking soda during the rinse cycle. Baking soda softens the water, thus increasing the potency of your detergent. When buying your commercial detergent, it is better to use a biodegradable, less toxic, phosphate free brand (keep reading for recommendations).

Window Cleaner. Put 3 tbs. vinegar per 1 qt. water in a spray bottle.

Automatic Dishwashing Detergent. As you pile your dishes up in the sink, sprinkle them with baking soda. Then, later on when you put them in the dishwasher you can use a lot less commercial detergent. It's the same basic idea as with the laundry detergent.

Carpet Cleaner. To absorb big spills, spread cornmeal all over the spill. Wait about 15 minutes, then vacuum it up. For stains, put 1/4 cup biodegradable liquid soap with 1/3 cup water into a blender to make a foam. Put the foam on the stain and rub. Finish up with a splash of vinegar.

Kitchen Cleanser. Just use baking soda on non-scratch surfaces, and a vinegar and water mixture on other surfaces.

Tub and Tile Cleaner. Mix 1 and 2/3 cup baking soda, 1/2 cup liquid soap, 1/2 cup water, and finally, 2 tbs. vinegar (if you add the vinegar too early it will react with the baking soda). Then apply, wipe, and scrub.

Shoe Polish. Use a little olive oil.

Disinfectant. Make a solution of 3 tbs. liquid soap, 2 cups water, and 20-30 drops of tea tree oil, which is a natural disinfectant.

Brass and Copper Polish. Cut a lemon in half, sprinkle it with salt and rub the lemon on whatever needs to be polished. Buff with a cloth to remove excess lemon juice.

Silver Polish. Put a sheet of aluminum foil into a plastic or glass bowl. Sprinkle the foil with salt and baking soda, then fill the bowl with warm water. Just soak your silver in the bowl and the tarnish will migrate to the aluminum foil. Finally, dry and buff your silver.

Fabric Softener. Add 2 cups white vinegar and a few drops of an essential oil to your rinse cycle. WARNING! Vinegar can cause colors to fade a little.

Fragrance. If you are not chemically sensitive or allergic, essential plant oils can be a pleasing addition to homemade cleaners. A few drops of these fragrant oils can enhance our perception of cleanliness.

Answer 2

Yes you can. I have been making my own "Homemade" laundry soap for years and it works great.
It is also very easy to make. I found it on a frugal web site. So I not sure I can give out the formula. The site also has many environmentally safe and chemical free cleaning formulas. They use vinager, washing soda, amonia, Borax and Fels-naptha.

Answer 3

Yeah. Put your search engine to work and do some research. I've seen a number of recipies over the years for such, and many are non-toxic and environmentally friendly.

Answer 4

Sometimes I do. A good window cleaner:
One part ammonia
Four parts water
Few drops of blue food coloring

Use old newspapers to wash the windows

Answer 5

yes you can. Vinegar is great to use as an odor remover or mixed with water can be great to clean your mirrors and wash floors.

Answer 6

It's the only way to do it! Here are a few of websites that you will love, and they have mountains of good recipes and ideas.

www.scottscommonsense.com
www.thedollarstretcher.com
www.about.com

Have fun!

Answer 7

google vinegar cleaner
Vinegar is a magic ingredient and books have been written on thes.