Do You Make Your Own Cleaner?

I love the convenience of my swifter mop, however I don't care for the cleaning agent that you have to buy to use with it. So, I cut a small hole on the top of the empty cleaner container and add vinegar and water which does a great job on my hardwood floors. It also saves me a lot of money because the cleaner that goes with the swifter mop is expensive.

I use 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 water with a splash of tea tree oil for most things.

I use 1/2 vinegar, 1/2 Dawn for cleaning my shower. I saw on Pinterest that you can buy one of those scrubby pads where you can put the dish soap in the handle and use 1/2 Dawn and 1/2 vinegar. Leave it in the shower and then give the doors and walls a quick scrub down when you're in the shower. WOW, what a GREAT idea! Now my shower is always clean, and my shower smells like apples. Takes less than a minute to scrub them down.

I know Dawn isn't 100% natural, but it really cuts the grease and grime.

I use a splash of Dawn to clean my toilet bowl instead of nasty toilet bowl cleaner. I use an old bottle of Dawn that only has 1/4 of soap left and I add water to the rest and then use it to clean my toilet. Cheap and not as toxic as regular toilet bowl cleaner! You don't want to use it full strength or you'll have lots of bubbles to flush!

I use a steam cleaner on my floors. Nothing is as non-toxic as water!

I used to use Dr. Bronner's on everything, that's all natural. Then I found I'm allergic to one of the ingredients so I had to stop. It also cuts the grease really well so I was disappointed that I can't use it anymore.

I make my own laundry detergent, 1 cup of Borax, 1 cup of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda and 1 bar of soap, grated. Use 1 tablespoon per load! Cheap and easy!

I used mayonnaise on a ring from a glass left in a table once.
Does that count?
I'm sorry, the last thing I want is for my house to smell like vinegar! I did try using a vinegar surion on my windows once but the smell was just awful.
That's why God made Windex. :)

Vinegar and baking soda all the way baby!! I love it and even have grown to like the smell haha. Google it and you'll learn how to clean anything....sometimes i spray ans sprinkle, sometimes a paste.

I make my own laundry detergent and fabric softener. Again, a smell I've gotten used to (vs Tide smell)....but i love my towels so much better-fluffier and that towel smell is gone.

I have to say, I read someone's blog about it online and decided to try the whole baking soda thing (she recommended adding kosher salt, so I did that). Honestly, after a whole lot of scrubbing, my shower didn't look any cleaner than it had when I started. Screw that. I went back to Soft Scrub. Who knows, maybe it's toxic, but at least my white tile is white again.

I use baking soda/white vinegar all of the time. Here are a few of the ways I use it often.

I use non-stick pans. When I make eggs, for example, I use barely any oil at the bottom of the pan and I am left with fried-on sticky mess that I used to find impossible to clean without a ton of elbow grease. Now, I coat the pan in baking soda, add a little water and put on stove to heat to about a boil. I let the pan cool slightly, then use dish cloth to wipe out the mess....it comes right out and the pan is sparkling clean.

I use baking soda as scouring agent (like how some use Comet). I sprinkle in bathtub, kitchen sink, stove top etc. Sprinkle with water to form paste, let it sit for a bit and scrub clean.

I use vinegar and water for my floors.

I use white vinegar instead of downey and the like in washer for towels, linens etc to make them extra soft and fluffy.

I found that water/grease marks in wood will come out with vinegar/water. Just pour on mark, let it sit and wipe clean.

Vinegar will remove soap scum/water marks from faucets.

I've removed ketchup stains from clothing by blotting the stain in vinegar and scrubbing with a damp cloth sprinkled in baking soda,

I use a mix of Shaklee's Basic H, water and vinegar in a spray bottle. I keep a couple of orange rinds in my vinegar so that it has a light citrus scent when poured in.

I don't like trying to rinse off baking soda for a scrub so I use Bon Ami.

For most cleaning I just use dish soap and water. I use baking soda for scrubbing, vinegar for spraying. I also mix hydrogen peroxide with baking soda and a drop of dish soap to make my own oxi. It really deodorizes (vomit, pet messes).

ETA: We Canadians eat vinegar on french fries and potato chips, so when I do clean with vinegar I get a craving for chips or fries.
I don't use any window cleaner, just a microfibre cloth and plain water.

Good question, because I am going to be doing this as well! Thanks for posting the question.

Because of a mom on here (thanks!) I make my own laundry detergent and love it! I use Dr. Bronner's lavender scented soap, and add a some lavender oil, too, so it smells great! It cleans better than Tide, too!

I also use vinegar to clean everything that I used to use Fantastik for. I added orange oil to that, and it cut the vinegar smell. It still smells a little vinegary, but it's not too bad, and once it dries it doesn't smell at all.

Vinegar is amazing. 50/50 mix or even stronger if you need it. Peroxide is also a good one. I cleaned up some spots on my beige rugs and couldn't believe it. Found stuff on google for tips.

Vinegar...lots and lots...I buy it about eight gallons at a time...mops floors, clean toilets, wipe down counters, put some in the washer to help clean clothes (with detergent), dilute it to clean produce...

I also make some cleaners with tea tree, lavender, orange, oils, etc...I find recipies on the internet and try them until I find one I like.

I trued to make my own porducts but they werent working fwell for me. I know this isn't DYI, but I use (and sell) Ava Anderson Non-Toxic cleaners and products. All products are free of harmful chemicals. Visit www.moorenontoxic for more info!

You can also check your products out on the EWG database (not affiliated with Ava Anderson) at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com.

I use salt to scrub out my cast iron pans.
I cleaned my spa tub using a half of a grapefruit liberally sprinkled with salt- I got grime off that tub that I didn't even know existed!!!

Vinegar in the washing machine with natural detergent- thanks to Scarlett J, I am now using Molly's Suds! :)
side note- I have heard that mixing vinegar and bleach creats deadly fumes. Yikes!

I have vinegar and orange oil in a spray bottle, but right now I am loving a spray on surface cleaner from EcoNuts. I LOVE that stuff!!!

I would like to know if anyone has any idea how to get baked on grime off the inside of an oven door. I haven't had success with any natural cleaners!

I clean wood with half vinegar/ half water, splash of both olive oil and dish soap. It is terrific at getting muck off the kithchen chairs!