Need Some Homemade Cleaning Solutions!

I make a lot of my own cleaning solutions and I really prefer them over the store bought. As far as the windows go, I just use plain club soda. I put it in a spray bottle, drench the windows, and wipe them down with a microfiber cloth. It works really well. As for the floors, that is the one area that I use a store bought product, but I have a couple of nasty dogs and need something that will really work on the wood.

I use a mixture of 1/2 water to 1/2 vinegar to clean just about everything (I don't have hard wood floors). For the tub or sink, I throw in a bit of baking soda in the tub and then spray the vinegar solution. I come back a few minutes later and it's easy to clean.

For vinegar and water, I use about a 4:1 water:vinegar ratio (this is for my floors - I usually just use a store-bought vinegar-based window cleaner like Glassworks). If you need to disinfect, plan on anything between 2% and 10% bleach, and the rest water. You really don't need much bleach at all, esp. if you let it sit for a few minutes.

Your absolute best bet with windows is Club Soda! It does an awesome job and is, obviously, super cheap. It doesn't matter if it's flat or still fizzy either. Just pop it in a spray bottle and use it like you would windex.

As for your hardwood floors, two of my three books on green cleaning recommend a 1:1 ratio of distilled white vinegar (heinz brand honestly does smell less than store brands) and water with the option of scenting with a few drops of essential oil. With this solution you have to rinse the floor afterwards with plain water. The third book recommends 1/4 c vinegar for 1 gal water and I'm sure you could add a few drops of essential oil to that also. I don't think this would need rinsing since it's a lower ratio of vinegar to water. Make sure you dry-mop excess water off the floors afterwards so the moisture doesn't sit on them.

If you'd like more homemade cleaning recipes, feel free to contact me. Enjoy your party :O)

Hi M.! I use recipes from the book, "Green Up Your Clean-up" I confess that I don't even measure anymore! I use (roughly) a cup of vinegar to a gallon of hot water for washing floors. I also add grapefruit oil, eucalyptus oil, tea tree oil or lavendar oil to the water and vinegar. I have mostly hardwood floors and this works wonderfully!

For toilets I sprinkly in baking soda and then pour vinegar and add essential oils.

I wish I could help you with the window question! I use a natural window cleaner that I bought at Whole Foods.

Have a great party!

I LOVE club soda for cleaning windows and mirrors. It doesn't need to be fizzy - it just needs to be club soda ( as opposed to fizzy water, etc). It does an excellent job.

Toilets - I use coke a cola. Let it sit for a while.

Sinks/tubs - I use about a T of dr bonners tea tree soap (for antibacterial purposes) dilluted in about 2-3 cups of water. It cuts the soap scum really well.

I like to say that my daughter can eat all my cleaning products but I really don't want her drinking the coke.

Hi M. I use half and half with vinegar and water for my windows. I also use the same solutions with bleach and water to clean my toilet and garbage can. As far as the wood floor, I would look online to see how to clean them because the two above solutions may damage the floor. I clean my wood cabinets with wood soap solution. I don't know how well that would work on the wood floor.

I use a product called H2 it is cheaper than vinegar and not as toxic as bleach. It is very concentrated and can be used with water. One bottle last me a year and it only cost $10.00. If you would like to know more let me know. I'm at ____@____.com's also one of Oprah's favorite things.

M.,

I am a HGTV/TLC junkie and I have heard a hundred times never to use vinegar on your hardwood floors. It dulls the finish and over time can actually ruin the wood. They tell you over and over to only use products specially made for use on hardwood floors. I use Murphys Soap it's made for hardwood and it smells awesome. I'm sure that there is a home made cleaner you can use but never use vinegar on your floors. Just wanted to pass this on.

I have been using a really good cleaner with a simple recipie. It was originally for a pergo or laminate floor but I have used it on just about any hard surface like stove top, formica, ceramic sink and it is great for windows. 1 cup white vinegar, 1 cup rubbing alcohol and 2 or 3 drops of Dawn dish soap in a spray bottle. Mix and spray area. Wipe with a damp cloth (or mop on the floor). Dry with towels if desired. It does not leave a film so it doesn't need to be rinsed. I do not use this on my hardwood floors. For that, I only use Murphy's Oil Soap. The trick is not to let the floor get too wet. If it does, use a fan or dry with towels. Hope it works for you too.

Putting it in a spray bottle, I would guess abut 1/4 c of vinegar and the rest of the bottle water. I grew up using vinegar, but we used a bucket of the solution and so before long it was dirty water and vinegar. A spray bottle is better. However, if that doesn't work, Sparkle is a lot better on windows than Windex, no streaks. Never heard of vinegar and water for floors, I used Murphy's Oil soap, this I do put in a bucket and follow the directions on the bottle, it smells so good and does a beautiful job.

www.vinegartips.com is a great resource! I also use baking soda to clean my sinks. I use Dr. Bronner's a cheap and non-toxic cleaner that I use on counter tops, floors, just a little dab goes a long way. You can buy it at Trader Joe's, Target, I'm sure Walmart too.

J. W. MPH
Maternal and Child Health Educator
Chicago Examiner Family Health Expert
http://www.examiner.com/x-7158-Chicago-Family-Health-Exam...

You can also visit www.heloise.com for lots of homestyle cleaning solution "recipes". I've been too lazy to try them myself, but one of these days I'll get the gumption to buy a bunch of spray bottles, a funnel, and labels to make my own cleaning solutions. I'm sure I'll save hundreds of dollars a year. Good luck to you!

I would like ot know this as well... so please share!

hey well im not sure about the floors but i kno tht water and vinger is great for windows but instead of a rag or paper towel use newspaper...hopes this helps you out