Homemade Cleaners

Store-bought cleaners not only bring harmful chemicals into your home, they can be a real drain on your wallet.

The good news is that you probably have a lot of what you need to clean your house already in your house. Here are some ideas for DIY cleaners that are environmentally and budget friendly.

 

Vinegar

Vinegar isn’t just for your fries! It is one the toughest and most versatile cleaning agents out there (not to mention natural and cheap too.)

You can use vinegar pretty much everywhere. You can dilute it with water in equal parts to clean floors and countertops. You can use it in place of a rinse agent in your dishwasher. To absorb unpleasant odours in a room, place bowls of vinegar around. The vinegar will absorb the scent.

The potato

What does your potato love (other than being mashed, baked or boiled)? Taking out rust stains!  A cut potato will remove rust on bakeware or cutlery.

The grapefruit

Cut a grapefruit in half and cover it with salt and then watch it cut through the grime on your bathub and shower.

Baking soda

Washing machine or dishwasher smell funky? Sprinkle, while empty, with baking soda and vinegar and then run a cycle. Weird smell in your pipes? Put baking soda and vinegar down the pipe, let it foam and then flush with hot water.

The cucumber

Got a runaway toddler with a crayon? No worries. Peel a cucumber for a natural magic eraser. They are very effective at removing crayon scuff marks.

Walnuts

This is more than a superfood. You can use walnuts in their shell to scuff out scratch marks on furniture.

Onions

During BBQ season, your grill probably gets pretty gunky. Fire it up to high so that the gunk is loosened. Then plop half an onion on a fork, apply some pressure and clean the grill.