Money Saving Series: DIY Cleaning Supplies

Cleaning products can be expensive and have many unknown chemicals that are harsh. A great way to save money is to make your own! You may need to stock up on a few inexpensive supplies, but they are multi-use and are great staples to have in your household besides!

Here is a list of ingredients that several recipes use:

• baking soda
• white vinegar
• dish soap
• hydrogen peroxide
• essential oils (lavender, lemon, orange, mint, pine, etc.)
• borax
• Castile soap
• alcohol
• citrus
• spray bottles, mason jars, squeeze bottles, labels

Now this doesn’t mean you need to go out and buy every single thing on this list, but these ingredients are used in multiple cleaner recipes so you can make a multitude of products with these few ingredients. If you choose to make any of these DIYs, it might not hurt to have all these products on hand.

Window and Glass Cleaner-

• 1 cup White Vinegar 
• 1 cup Water

1. Mix into a spray bottle and use!

DIY Cleaning Wipes-

• 2 cups Rubbing Alcohol (70% or higher)
• 1 tsp Dawn dish soap 
• Stack of clean cloths or rags
• A quart size or bigger mason or water-tight jar

Optional-

• 20 drops essential Oil

1. Mix the liquids first and shake. Then add the cloths and shake!

Dishwashing Detergent Tabs– (I know this seems like a lot of ingredients, but I promise it is a lot less expensive!) Recipe originally from krazycouponlady.com

• 2 cups baking soda
• 2 cups Borax
• 1/2 cup kosher or Epsom salt
• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 15 – 20 drops lemon essential oil (Optional)
• 2 ice cube trays
• Large container for storage

1. In a large bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Don’t be alarmed if the vinegar causes a bit of fizzing—this is normal.
2. The ingredients should start clumping together once they’ve been well combined.
3. Firmly pack the mixture into two ice cube trays.
4. Let the cubes sit in their ice cube trays for at least 24 hours. Place in a dry, sunny spot for best results.
5. After 24 hours, or once they’re dry and hard, remove them from the ice cube trays and store in a lidded container.

How to Use:

Add one tab to your dishwasher’s detergent compartment. If you have hard water, add 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar to the bottom of your dishwasher to help prevent cloudy glasses and dishes. This recipe should make 32 tabs.

Note: If the inside of your dishwasher is stainless steel, check your dishwasher’s manual to ensure vinegar can safely be used as a dishwashing aid.

Tub, Tile, and Grout cleaner-

• ½ cup baking soda
• ¼ cup hydrogen peroxide
• 1 tsp of liquid dishwashing soap

Mix well and use!

Stain Remover- (can make a bigger batch, ingredients just need to be in equal parts)

• 1 Tablespoon Blue Dawn Dish Soap
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Baking Soda

Leave this on your clothes for a few hours- not too long or it will dye your clothes blue!

-Repeat the process if the items don’t come clean

DIY Magic Erasers- (for every 2 sponges)

• Melamine Sponges
• 1 tsp Borax
• 1 Tbsp baking soda
• ½ cup warm water

1. Stir the solution to thoroughly dissolve the Borax and baking soda.
2. Submerge the sponges in the solution and allow them to get completely soaked.
3. Squeeze out excess solution, but not too much. You want the sponges to remain wet, but not dripping. Do not rinse!
4. At this point, you can either use your wet sponges for a cleaning project, or allow them to dry and save them for future use.

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