Comments on: do homemade cleansers work?

By: Tina Anderson

Tina Anderson — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 19:36:20 +0000

You can save so much from making these homemade cleaners over the course of just a few months. There is only a couple companies whose cleaning products I would buy, but why spend money when you can make homemade cleaning solutions that are just as effective.

By: shelterrific » Blog Archive » smart idea: make your own wood polish

shelterrific » Blog Archive » smart idea: make your own wood polish — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 16:03:03 +0000

[...] of our favorite household experiments is testing out homemade cleaners. So you can bet we’ll be giving this idea from Casa Sugar a try. They suggest a concoction of [...]

By: ana

ana — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 16:32:04 +0000

what to use instead of arm and hammer? THEY STILL test on animals - so not sure what options I have for a home made recipe…

By: usch

usch — Fri, 07 Apr 2006 01:11:45 +0000

The best thing around for cleaning mirrors and windows without chemicals is just plain water.

And some newspaper.

It’s a trick I learned from having to clean the big glass windows at the front of a shop. Just spray some water onto your mirror or window and with a piece of crumpled, slightly damp newspaper give it a good scrub. Then take a piece of crumpled dry newspaper and scrub it again. It works better than anything else I’ve ever tried.

By: Amy

Amy — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 05:30:04 +0000

I use a homemade “all-purpose” cleanser that doesn’t include washing soda. It’s 2 cups water, 2 tsp liquid soap (I use dishsoap usually, but castile would work), and 10 drops tea tree oil. It’s great for kitchen counters, the stove, the bathroom counter, etc.

By: Sylvie

Sylvie — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 23:11:00 +0000

Wow! It’s happened again. We have a serendipitous posting thang happening again. Check out my piece “Green All Over” at http://sosylvie.typepad.com/
Merci encore.

By: Bunny

Bunny — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 17:20:05 +0000

Mirdreams, thanks for the microwaving tip!–sometimes I also just nuke the sponge by itself in the microwave for 60 seconds to zap the bacteria. And, Cathy, thanks for the Heinz vinegar tip. I must say that the mirror cleaner really worked–just smelled a bit. But adding essential oils is a great idea.

By: Cathy

Cathy — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 16:59:14 +0000

Hi! I loved this post. Different brands of vinegar smell differently so you might want to try different ones; Heinz has less of an odor and is made from grains not from petroleum derived alcohols. You can also add essential oils like lavender, peppermint, lemon, etc., to your vinegar and baking sodas for nice scents. Karen Logan author of clean House, Clean Planet also recommends Borax, but it is mildly toxic. Another great cleaner is the Castile line of products.

By: Mirdreams

Mirdreams — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 16:25:04 +0000

If you add your kitchen sponge and a little lemon juice to the bowl of water you’re nuking it will help kill the bacteria in the sponge and make everything smell nice. (But be careful taking the sponge out because it will be hot. Run it under some cold water before you try to wipe down the microwave.)

By: mandy

mandy — Wed, 05 Apr 2006 15:19:50 +0000

thanks for this, i have been searching the internet for cleaning recipes all week! I love the smell of lemon and know that its good for cleaning and with the windows open lately and the lemon floating through the air, im one happy cleaner! Now i just need some good spring cleaning music!