[munchkinprincess]

I've been doing some searching on making your own cleaners, I was wondering if anybody else does this I am really starting to like the idea of it, I was wondering if they really work and if it really is cheaper than going out and buying the commerical stuff. I use a ton of coupons and love to stock up on things when I find great deals but I really like the idea of knowing excatly what is in my household products, especially with little ones running around and my daughter has very sensitive skin so we always have to watch what we have around her. Any advice would be great. Thanks

 

[Molemommy]

I use only vinigar and water to clean everything,,, toilets, kitchens and everything inbetween..
I buy a spray bottle and use half and half.

 

[Spirit Deer]

A lot of the claims of homemade cleaners don't add up. If you do the research, it becomes obvious. But it depends on what you want to do. Do you want to sanitize things? Or just make them look clean? For my floors, I just want them to look clean. There's no point I can see in sanitizing floors, unless you have babies crawling on them which we don't. Even then, there's no way to kill off every germ. So I'm not opposed to just using clear water to mop floors. The floors look clean and smell fine, so why do anything more? No rinsing and no residue, therefore less work for the same result.

In spite of popular belief, vinegar does not sanitize things simply by spraying it on and wiping it off. I've laughed at that one for years, after reading in a book by a Dutch oven cooking 'expert' that all DOs should be sprayed with vinegar after use to sanitize them. It just doesn't make sense. If the proper steps were followed to actually sanitize the pots (which shouldn't need it anyway), I've always thought the acid would damage the seasoning, which is the last thing you'd want to do. I would bet letting even a mild acid like vinegar repeatedly stand on laminate countertops would damage those over time, too.

Here's a linky with info about using bleach, hydrogen peroxide, and vinegar (NOT MIXED TOGETHER!) as sanitizers. Note the ten minute standing time on the charts for sanitizing with room-temperature, undiluted vinegar. Also note room temperature, undiluted vinegar is not as effective as heated vinegar in killing listeria and E.coli. http://www.ext.colostate.edu/safefood/home/sanitize.pdf

The best bet with homemade cleaners IMO is to try various ideas and see what works for you. I haven't had a lot of luck but every once in a while something exceeds my expectations, and that makes the experimenting worthwhile. I have a chemical sensitivity, so anything I can use like vinegar and baking soda that doesn't make my face swell up or my skin break out or make it hard to breathe makes me very, very happy.

 

[Starlight9803]

I use vinegar and water mixed half and half to clean all my counters, sinks, showers, etc. It works great for me and the messes we have. I do still use comet for the toilet bowl, and commercial glass cleaner.

 

[munchkinprincess]

Thank you that site was very useful.

 

[Hamada]

Remember watching a tv show on one of those discovery channels, they were comparing vinegar and water to bleach and water for disenfecting. It found they both had the same results. I will use vinegar and water on the floors. Would rather use the vinegar and water than bleach and water. Once in a while I will use bleach and water to clean the floors.

There is a part of me that thinks it is ok to be exposed to some germs bacteria. For some reason I cant help to think I would rather have a strong immune system and not be so over cleaning everything. And yes I do wash my hands the first thing when I walk through the door.

 

[Megareader]

I've been using vinegar & water as an all purpose cleaner for about a year. Not only is it cheap but it works well for our messes. Also the aroma doesn't bother my asthma like so many of the commercial cleaners do.

I have also been using liquid dish soap in the toilet. The first time I tried this it was really just to see if it worked...and it did. This too is cheaper than the toilet cleaners at the store.

My most recent experiment has been with laundry detergent. Love it! I mix 2 1/2 cups each of borax and washing soda with one shredded bar of Fels Naptha soap. I also use vinegar in place of fabric softeners.

 

[heather.hawkins1022]

I do the vinegar and water thing, but I add baking soda and tea tree oil. I am a firm believer in tea tree oil! A small bottle can go a long way. I've used it to make cleaner, treat ringworm, for keratosis pilaris and diaper-area spray

 

[frugalfranny]

I am a firm believer in tea tree oil! A small bottle can go a long way

My neighbor does commercial cleaning and I was just talking to her about this.......she, too, swears by tree tea oil.

She uses just tree tea oil and vinegar for many of the apts. she cleans..........NO RINSING.........which surprised me. She says that it SHOULD NOT be used on 'stained' cabinets but is okay for varnish...........haven't tried it so don't know. (she claims the vinegar will stop the action of the tree tea oil from damaging the varnish......) I think I would have to rinse it. She does say the smell is not great! I like tree tea oil for many things.........if I can get it passed my nose!! WHEW!!

 

[Droppedonmyhead]

I use water with a few tablespoons of vinegar in a spay bottle for my tile floors. I still use Comet for the kitchen sink and Windex for glass. My guilty pleasure is Mrs Meyers Lemon all purpose cleaner. I just love the way my house smells when I use it.