Household: Homemade Cleaners, Part I
Source of Recipe
Kim Tilley
Recipe Introduction
Here are some homemade solutions and uses for things you may already have in your home. I have tried some of them. Not all of them will work "miraculously," but they will probably get the job done.
FIRST, SOME SAFETY TIPS:
1. NEVER MIX BLEACH AND AMMONIA TOGETHER! This combination is deadly! Also, never mix products together that contain bleach with products that contain ammonia. This includes diswasher detergent (contains bleach). I would even go so far as storing them in different places, just as a precaution.
2. ALWAYS check labels on products before combining ANYTHING. It's not worth making these cleaners if you wind up in the hospital or the morgue, so PLEASE BE CAREFUL!
3. KEEP ALL CLEANERS AWAY FROM KIDS -- even though these are environmentally friendly, they are still not safe for children, so please keep these away from your kids.
SOME HELPFUL HINTS:
1. Make your cleaners ahead of time.
2. Organize them according to location they are used in, keeping out of reach of children. I like to keep all kitchen items under the (baby-proofed) sink, in a caddy (recycle a detergent box or milk jug for this), so they are handy. I make extras of items for the upstairs and downstairs bathrooms.
3. Buy your ingredients in bulk. This way, you save money twice! You save by buying in bulk (on sale, of course!) and you save because you have what you need on hand, avoiding a trip to the store!
4. Store your ingredients in reusable airtight containers. I like to purchase spray bottles in bulk for this purpose, since it is not safe to reuse bottles that had commercial cleaners or chemicals in them. Milk jugs are great to use, too.
5. Make large batches of several cleaners and store them in recycled milk jugs.
6. Wear rubber gloves when you clean to avoid skin irritation (and chapping).
THE FORMULAS:
ALL PURPOSE CLEANER
2 cups rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl)
1 Tbsp mild dishwashing liquid (for hand-washing dishes, NOT dishwasher detergent -- it contains bleach!)
1 Tbsp ammonia
2 quarts water
Stir all ingredients together in a bowl. Fill a CLEAN spray bottle (not recycled one) with cleaner and store the rest tightly sealed in a large bottle. Use with a cloth or sponge to clean the bathroom fixtures, kitchen fixtures, appliances, chrome, plastic countertops, and painted surfaces. Rinse with a clean cloth or sponge after cleaning.
HOMEMADE DUST & FURNITURE POLISH
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
Pour oil and lemon juice into a squirt bottle or jar. Stir to combine. To use, dip dust cloth or rag into oil, blot the oil by folding the cloth together, and then dust your furniture. Leaves a beautiful finish!
ALL-PURPOSE QUICK SHINER
1-1/4 cups white vinegar
1-1/4 cups water
22-oz. spray bottle
Pour vinegar and water into the spray bottle. Shake gently to combine. To use, spray on and wipe off. This shiner is mild and safe to use on all surfaces.
ALL-PURPOSE WINDOW & GLASS CLEANER
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 quart of water
Pour vinegar and water into a bowl or container, or mix the ingredients in a spray bottle. Clean windows directly with a sponge dipped in the bowl of cleaner or spray on and wipe clean. (Vinegar cuts grease and leaves windows sparkling clean. Best of all, this mixture is absolutely safe. It's the best choice if you have young children in the house.)
SINK CLEANER
Replace Comet and other abrasives with this homemade one. Combine baking soda and salt (I am guessing in equal amounts) to scrub stainless steel.
OVEN CLEANER
1/4 cup ammonia
2 cups of warm water
Pour ammonia and warm water in a baking dish and leave in a warm oven overnight. This will loosen the grime in the oven, which you can then clean with an ammonia-based cleaner or soap and water. You can also scour with baking soda.
CLEANING SILVER
Don't buy one of those metal plates that you put in warm water to clean silver. This is the same thing! I found this trick in Make It Last, by Earl Proulx, one of my favorite books on maintaining your home and possessions. I have done this on some silver-plated forks and spoons that I got very cheap at a yard sale and they came out great! This trick works like magic and kids love it:
Aluminum foil
Baking soda
Salt
Very hot water (can be boiling if you like)
Combine the above ingredients in a clean kitchen sink. Put your tarnished silver and silver-plated items into the sink and let set for a few minutes. Watch as the tarnish disappears from the silverware and reappears on the foil. This is a natural chemical reaction, and a great way to teach the kids some science! NOTE: This trick works so well, that it will clean out the nooks and crannies that give some silverware the "aged" look, so you may only want to do this occasionally.
(section to be continued)
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