Natural Homemade Cleaning Products

[Yeshuasdaughter]

A lot of us have sensitivities to fragrances or chemicals, and I thought it'd be nice to share one of my special interests with you: Making homemade cleaning products.

I'll share some recipes, and I'd like it if you shared some too!

 

[Suzette]

I have one! I use vinegar and baking soda to clean the oven. Even when it gets really crusty, greasy, baked on grungy!
Mix the vinegar and baking soda into a paste and spread it on your oven surfaces. Let it sit over night and wash it away the next day.
It works great!

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Here's a few to start:

First of all, you've got to go out and get a bunch of empty spray bottles from the dollar store.

Washing windows: A spray bottle of straight rubbing alcohol and a squeegee will make spotless, sparkling windows and mirrors. Some people swear by white vinegar, but I find it leaves streaks.

Clogged drains: Pour a bottle of hydrogen peroxide down a clogged bathtub or sink to bring up all the gunk that's stopped it up.

Countertops and sinks: Once again, straight hydrogen peroxide will kill germs on contact. Spray it on and leave it for a few minutes. It will fizz up like it's debriding a wound. It is killing all the germs on that surface. Wipe clean.

Ring around the tub: Guess what? Hydrogen peroxide, yet again! It also makes faucets sparkle.

For really stubborn gunky tubs, baking soda or borax make great scouring powders. If you've got a really bad spot, try using cheap toothpaste. It removes more than just tartar buildup!

Also, scrub the tub with a brush rather than using a sponge.

 

[Luca]

Thank you for making this thread! I’m allergic to a lot of fragrances and would love to hear about some more natural ways to clean my house!
Does anyone have a suggestion for something that can get the dog smell out of my carpets and furniture? I’ve had a lot of people tell me my house smells like “dog” even though I seem to have gone noseblind to it lol. I bathe my dogs when it’s appropriate and I groom them regularly, but it apparently still smells in my bedroom and living room particularly. My dogs are allowed on all the furniture and sleep in my bed. I have three very large dogs and a small one (the big ones slobber and shed a lot).
I have a pet hair vacuum but that obviously doesn’t help with the odor lol

 

[Suzette]

Homemade furniture polish for wood

1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice.
5 drop orage essentail oil.
Mix in a spray bottle and shake vigorously to use.

We use this mix on the wood paneling of our boat. Works great! You can also replace the water with alcohol. The alcohol dissipates faster and blends better than water.

 

[Suzette]

Thank you for making this thread! I’m allergic to a lot of fragrances and would love to hear about some more natural ways to clean my house!
Does anyone have a suggestion for something that can get the dog smell out of my carpets and furniture? I’ve had a lot of people tell me my house smells like “dog” even though I seem to have gone noseblind to it lol. I bathe my dogs when it’s appropriate and I groom them regularly, but it apparently still smells in my bedroom and living room particularly. My dogs are allowed on all the furniture and sleep in my bed. I have three very large dogs and a small one (the big ones slobber and shed a lot).
I have a pet hair vacuum but that obviously doesn’t help with the odor lol

Try fabreeze unscented. Baking soda does work but it makes a big mess. You have to leave it to absorb the odor and vacuum it up

 

[Luca]

Try fabreeze unscented. Baking soda does work but it makes a big mess. You have to leave it to absorb the odor and vacuum it up

Thank you!! I’ve never used Febreeze products because I figured I was probably allergic. I’ll have to look into the unscented one.
I can try baking soda but I would have to crate all four dogs in the other room for hours while I did that, and I think my neighbors would complain about their chorus of heartbroken shrieks lol

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

5 gallons of laundry detergent.

This stuff is just FAB! It will get any stain out and towels come out sparkly and fresh.

• 2 bars of soap, grated with a cheese grater or in a food processor.
• 2 cups of borax
• 2 cups of washing soda
• 2 cups of baking soda
• 5 gallon bucket
• essential oil (optional)

1. Fill a big spaghetti pot halfway with water, bring to boil.
2. Turn off the stove
3. Immediately stir in all ingredients while the water is still very hot. It'll turn into a gel.
4. Pour the dissolved soap mixture into the five gallon bucket.
5. Put the bucket where you would like to store it.
6. Fill it the rest of the way with warm water, stirring with a big paddle or spoon as your adding more and more water.
7. I like to add twenty drops of essential oil to my detergent.
8. Cover it with a lid. The first couple days it will be watery, but it will thicken up with time. It's best to stir it a little before each use, in case it settles.

Use 1 cup (8oz) of detergent per load of laundry

Helpful hints:

Don't get the soap on your skin while you're making it. It's strong stuff, and can cause a rash.

If you're feeling especially lazy, add an extra large bottle of cheap shampoo to the detergent instead of grating bar soap (Like the Dollar Tree Silkience shampoo). I have found this works just as well.

 

[Progster]

I could really use something that can remove calcium deposit from inside the rim of the toilet.

These are really useful, but I have no idea where I would find the ingredients where I live. For exampole, I've never seen any bottle labeled 'hydrogen peroxide' for sale anywhere. Is that something you'd need to get from the chemists'?

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

I could really use something that can remove calcium deposit from inside the rim of the toilet.

These are really useful, but I have no idea where I would find the ingredients where I live. For exampole, I've never seen any bottle labeled 'hydrogen peroxide' for sale anywhere. Is that something you'd need to get from the chemists'?

Maybe it's labeled H2O2? It's the clear stuff that parents pour on their children's knees when they get a scrape. It stings and fizzes, and gets all the germs and dirt out of the wound.

In the USA, you just buy it in the First Aid dept of any grocery store.

 

[Progster]

Maybe it's labeled H2O2? It's the clear stuff that parents pour on their children's knees when they get a scrape. It stings and fizzes, and gets all the germs and dirt out of the wound.

In the USA, you just buy it in the First Aid dept of any grocery store.

I'm not in the USA.

I guess I need to find the translation of 'hydrogen peroxide' in the local language, then try the chemists'.

Do you (or anyone else) know anything for thick limescale deposits on taps (faucets), toilets and sinks? I tried vinegar, and commercially available limescale removers, but they aren't effective enough.

 

[Loren]

...Do you (or anyone else) know anything for thick limescale deposits on taps (faucets), toilets and sinks? I tried vinegar, and commercially available limescale removers, but they aren't effective enough.

Hi Progster. Lemon juice will soften limescale/calcium deposits, enough so, that you would be able to wipe it right off, if left on for a significant amount of time. This could be a bit difficult, if the water in the toilet is covering the limescale, as the water will dilute the lemon juice, causing it to be ineffective.

You could also try making a salve, of lemon juice and corn starch, and rub it onto the area. However, once, again, water would dilute the mixture/ decrease effectiveness.

 

[Progster]

Hi Progster. Lemon juice will soften limescale/calcium deposits, enough so, that you would be able to wipe it right off, if left on for a significant amount of time. This could be a bit difficult, if the water in the toilet is covering the limescale, as the water will dilute the lemon juice, causing it to be ineffective.

You could also try making a salve, of lemon juice and corn starch, and rub it onto the area. However, once, again, water would dilute the mixture/ decrease effectiveness.

Thanks, I'll try the cornstarch and lemon. I need something thick and sticky enough that it will stick to the toilet bowl and not slide off. That might work.

 

[Loren]

Thanks, I'll try the cornstarch and lemon. I need something thick and sticky enough that it will stick to the toilet bowl and not slide off. That might work.

I hope you find it to be useful/effective.

On stovetop (or, in microwave), mix 1 cup of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Heat until mixture thickens. Will thicken further, as it cools. Once cooled, apply where needed. Leave on limescale, as long as possible. Wipe clean with a damp cloth. You may find some areas to require scrubbing.

 

[Judge]

I'm not in the USA.

I guess I need to find the translation of 'hydrogen peroxide' in the local language, then try the chemists'.

Try "dihydrogen dioxide".

 

[Progster]

I hope you find it to be useful/effective.

On stovetop (or, in microwave), mix 1 cup of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch. Heat until mixture thickens. Will thicken further, as it cools. Once cooled, apply where needed. Leave on limescale, as long as possible. Wipe clean with a damp cloth. You may find some areas to require scrubbing.

That's exactly what I did, I'll see how that goes.

 

[Gerontius]

Homemade furniture polish for wood

1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice.
5 drop orage essentail oil.
Mix in a spray bottle and shake vigorously to use.

We use this mix on the wood paneling of our boat. Works great! You can also replace the water with alcohol. The alcohol dissipates faster and blends better than water.

Do not get the alcohol one anywhere near nice furniture. The damage that the water does to lacquer, and the alcohol does to shellac, will outweigh any benefits.

 

[Suzette]

Do not get the alcohol one anywhere near nice furniture. The damage that the water does to lacquer, and the alcohol does to shellac, will outweigh any benefits.

Good points. As I said, we use it on teak paneling on our boat. Defineately a different animal than fine furniture.
.

 

[Gerontius]

Good points. As I said, we use it on teak paneling on our boat. Defineately a different animal than fine furniture.
.

Teak is good stuff anyway and practically indestructible in the right conditions. I love that stuff.

Can't often find it here though. It's hard to get a nice furniture-polish. Many polishes which do contain alcohol or other solvents end up re-flowing the finish--great if you're restoring but lousy if you're just maintaining.

Wonder if a beeswax/orange oil or carnauba/orange oil would work--

 

[Suzette]

Teak is good stuff anyway and practically indestructible in the right conditions. I love that stuff.

Can't often find it here though. It's hard to get a nice furniture-polish. Many polishes which do contain alcohol or other solvents end up re-flowing the finish--great if you're restoring but lousy if you're just maintaining.

Wonder if a beeswax/orange oil or carnauba/orange oil would work--

Yes! Absolutely. You can find wax based polish recipes from furniture makers on line. They are more expensive of course. You will probably need to mix beeswax and caranuba together as caranuba is very, very hard. Very small amounts are used in lip balms to keep them from melting in your pocket.