Posted by: Maureen | July 8, 2011

I am always tinkering with homemade ways to clean my home.  I don’t like the expense and chemical overload associated with conventional cleaners, so more often than not I turn to old-fashioned staples like white vinegar and baking soda to get a job done.  Vinegar is acidic, so it does a great job of breaking up mineral deposits, soapy residue, and water spots. It is non-toxic and inexpensive – a homemade mother’s dream product!

Here are some tried and true homemade cleaning recipes and techniques from Homemade Mothering:

The Homemade Way to Clean Glass and Mirrors

Fill an empty spray bottle with plain white vinegar. Spray on mirrors and glass.  Wipe.  At first, the vinegar leaves streaks. But, within a few seconds it dries, leaving behind nothing but a streak-free shine.

For wiping, don’t use paper towels (they are beyond wasteful and entirely unnecessary).  To clean windows and glass I use a resuable Method brand shammy I bought at Target several yearsago.  I’veheard old cloth diapers or newspaper work well, too.

Check out the yuckiness it picked up from a window I neglected to clean all winter

The Homemade Way to Clean the Floor

This is a simple homemade method that uses a Swiffer mop to clean floors.  This system works better than the store bought version, and it costs just PENNIES per use!!

1. Take an empty 28 ounce spray bottle and add four ounces of vinegar, a good squirt of dish soap, and top it off with warm water.
2. Apply a household rag to the Swiffer mop in the same manner you apply the Swiffer cloth.
3. After vacuuming the floor, spray the vinegar solution on a section of floor. Mop. Continue spraying and mopping until the job is done (you may have to replace the rag if it gets dirty). The rag stays put and the solution really cleans the grime. You’ll have plenty of leftover cleaning solution to use next time.

The Homemade Way to Dust Furniture

My homemade dusting spray is just – if not more – effective as the leading store-bought brands, but it contains no scary chemicals and costs a teeny-tiny fraction of what you pay for the regular stuff.  Your furniture will be free of dust and your house won’t smell like a fake lemon!

Homemade Dusting Spray

1 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
3 cups water

Pour all three ingredients into an empty spray bottle. Shake well and spritz on furniture. Wipe with an old cotton t-shirt. Done!

If you feel like you’re missing out on a lemony scent, you can chop a lemon and drop it into a small saucepan of simmering water. Feel free to also toss in a few springs of rosemary and your home will smell naturally fresh!

The Homemade Way to Clean the Loo

Opt for a homemade approach to tidying the bathroom that gets the job done and saves lots of money.  Gone are the harsh detergents and headache-inducing fake fragrances found in expensive household cleaners.

I use only two ingredients: vinegar and castile soap (I like Dr. Bronner’s Almond because the scent is softly sweet). I find the notion of “antibacterial” in the bathroom to be hilarious – as soon as one of your loved ones uses the bathroom gone are the “benefits” of antibacterial products! Plus, unless you’re living in a hospital, antibacterial products are bad for your health and bad for the environment.

Here’s my typical bathroom procedure:

I stop up the sink and fill it with hot water. Add in a couple good squirts of the castile soap and 1/3 cup of vinegar. Wearing plastic gloves, take a clean rag and scrub the faucet, sink and counter top. Using the same rag, wipe off the outside of the toilet (including the seat).

To the toilet water, add one tablespoon castile soap and 1/2 cup of vinegar. Feel free to add in a bit of baking soda, too.  Let sit for a few minutes. Toss in the rag, and scrub inside the bowl.  That’s it!

Do you have any special homemade cleaning tips you would like to share?

GUEST BLOGGER

Maureen Smithe Brusznicki is a wife, mother and friend to Mother Nature.  When she's not playing with her kids, experimenting with homemade cleaning products or coo k ing in the kitchen she likes to blog about living a healthy and simple life at Homemade Mothering.  Follow her on twitter and join her on Facebook