Favorite Homemade cleaning items & or products?

[shelbylovesmelby]

I really love using a squirt bottle w/ some watered down dishsoap w/ a touch of bleach.

I like using vinegar in the washer & in the coffee maker.

What do you use?

[Bookie]

Ammonia and rubbing alcohol do a good job on glass.

[tinapbeana]

10% white vinegar solution with a little orange essential oil on top. shake up before using, and it's good for glass, counters, ceramics, even floors. i use this for pretty much everything, especially cleaning my glass cooktop and the inside of my microwave since all the ingredients are edible...

for tubs or sinks, dampen them with water, sprinkle liberally with baking soda, then spray with the vinegar solution. creates its own 'scrubbing bubbles', and then just throw a little elbow grease on top to scour everything down.

a mixture of vinegar, ammonia, and water (stinks, BTW!) is about the only thing i've found that will easily get tree sap off my car windows.

i also keep a bottle of 10% bleach solution for sanitizing the trash can and my butcher block since neither of them will fit in the dishwasher if something needs sanitizing and is small enough, i'll just run it through the dishwasher since it reaches high enough temps to do the job.

[scfr]

This isn't homemade but it's definitely thrifty: Microfiber cleaning cloths are fantastic but very expensive. I bought a big pack of microfiber car detailing cloths in the automative section at Costco that I use for house cleaning. They were a fraction of the cost of the "official cleaning cloths," they work just as well, and they are larger so I actually like them better.

[fairy74]

hydrogen peroxide with a little water in a spray bottle.

[tinapbeana]

This isn't homemade but it's definitely thrifty: Microfiber cleaning cloths are fantastic but very expensive. I bought a big pack of microfiber car detailing cloths in the automative section at Costco that I use for house cleaning. They were a fraction of the cost of the "official cleaning cloths," they work just as well, and they are larger so I actually like them better.

check out dollar tree if they're in your area: microfiber clothes for a buck each!!! i have collected about 15 of these over the course of 2 years, and use them for everything. i fell into the swiffer trap about 6 years ago, but no longer buy their 'cloths'. i wrap the head in a dry microfiber cloth for dust mopping, or a damp MF cloth for mopping. when it gets dirty, put it in the wash pile and replace with a fresh clean one. cheap and good for the environment, my favorite combination!

[fairy74]

scfr: also try your local auto parts store, I got 4 microfiber cloths for $2.50. They have held up great!

[sunsetssplendor]

I was watching How Dirty Is Your House and the two British ladies
used Worchestire (sp) sauce to clean brass.

I use a Lavendar cleaner mixed with water for a nice smell throughout
the bathrooms.

[cschin4]

I like the smell of Murphy's Oil Soap. I have a spray bottle and add a couple of capfuls of Murphy's and water.

[fairy74]

How about baking soda, the humble little box is an absolute miracle worker!

[Staceyy]

I like adding a few drops of essential oil such as lavender to a cotton ball, and putting it in my vacuum cleaner bag. I have to be careful not to use too much though as the scent can become overpowering.

[momof1in150]

check out dollar tree if they're in your area: microfiber clothes for a buck each!!! i have collected about 15 of these over the course of 2 years, and use them for everything. i fell into the swiffer trap about 6 years ago, but no longer buy their 'cloths'. i wrap the head in a dry microfiber cloth for dust mopping, or a damp MF cloth for mopping. when it gets dirty, put it in the wash pile and replace with a fresh clean one. cheap and good for the environment, my favorite combination!

They may be $1 at the Dollar Store but I bough 25 for $9.99 at BJs - MUCH CHEAPER.

[cschin4]

I have tried cleaning things with vinegar but just don't care for the smell. I do use bleach to clean the bathroom. And, I also buy a concentrated bottle of Mr. Clean or pine-sol and make spray bottles for that as well to use on other things.

[tinapbeana]

They may be $1 at the Dollar Store but I bough 25 for $9.99 at BJs - MUCH CHEAPER.

sadly i have no BJs card, so the towels plus the membership would make them ineffective for me cost-wise. good to know for someone who does shop BJs

[robex]

We have a spray bottle of vinegar, ammonia and water and we use it on EVERYTHING! Works great on windows and mirrors, too.

Smelly, though.