10 Money-Saving Recipes for Cleaning

If you have a tight budget (or simply enjoy saving money), here are 10 simple recipes for cleaning that you can try out. Let me know what you try and how it works for you.

1. Glass Cleaner

Ingredients and Supplies:

• 1 cup White Vinegar
• 1 cup Water
• 10-15 drops Essential Oil
• Spray Bottle
• Funnel

Directions:

Mix the water, vinegar, and essential oils in a bowl before pouring into spray bottle. That’s it! Great to use on any glass surface for a streak-free cleaning.

2. General Cleaner

Ingredients and Supplies:

• 1 teaspoon Borax
• ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• ½ teaspoons Liquid Castile Soap
• 2 cups hot water
• 15-20 drops Essential Oil
• Spray bottle
• Funnel

Directions:

Pour the water into a bowl and then stir in everything except the essential oil until all ingredients are dissolved. Then add the essential oil to create a pleasant scent. Funnel the mixture into the spray bottle and clean away.3.

3. Floor Cleaner

Ingredients and Supplies

• 2 cups vinegar
• 1 cup ammonia
• 1 gallon hot water
• 10-20 drops essential oils

Directions

Simply pour into your mop bucket and swab the deck.

4. Carpet Cleaner

Ingredients and Supplies

• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup borax
• 1/4 cup vinegar

Directions

Mix everything into a paste and rub it into heavily soiled areas of your carpet. After several hours, vacuum it up. Then you are free to steam clean it.

5. Disinfecting Wipes

Ingredients and Supplies

• 1 cup water
• 2 tablespoons Liquid Castile Soap
• 8-10 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil
• Paper towels
• Container

Directions

Add everything to the container and mix well. Cut the paper towel roll in half and pull out the cardboard middle. Place the half paper towel roll in the mixture and close the container tightly Shake up the container to distribute the solution throughout the paper towels.

6. Oven Cleaner

Ingredients and Supplies

• Baking Soda
• Vinegar
• Scrubber
• Warm water

Directions

Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of your oven and pour a little bit of vinegar on top of the baking soda. Preheat the oven to 150 degrees for 5 minutes and let cool for 15 minutes before scrubbing clean. Rinse with warm water and repeat as necessary.

7. Dish Soap

Ingredients and Supplies

1. 1 cup Liquid Castile Soap
2. ½ cup Water
3. ¼ cup White Vinegar
4. 10 drops Lemon Essential Oil
5. Empty dish soap bottle

Directions

Mix the ingredients and pour into bottle. Shake before each use.

8. Dishwasher Soap

Ingredients and Supplies

• 2 cups Washing Soda
• 2 cups Baking Soda
• 1 cup Kosher Salt
• 3 packets of Lemon Drink mix.
• 1 cup vinegar
• 10-15 drops essential oils
• Ice Cube Trays

Directions

Mix ingredients in a large bowl and press it into ice cube tray (you may want to wait until it stops fizzing from the vinegar).  Let dry completely in sunlight. Remove tabs and store in airtight container until use.

9. Stain Remover

Ingredients and Supplies

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup Hydrogen Peroxide
• 1 cup washing soda
• Dark, opaque bottle
• Funnel

Directions

Mix ingredients and pour into bottle.  Spray on fabric to pre-treat stains. Let soak for 30 minutes before washing.

10. Powdered Laundry Soap

Ingredients and Supplies

• 1 Bar Castile Soap, grated
• 2 cups Washing Soda
• 2 Cups Borax
• 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
• Container

Directions

Mix ingredients in a large bowl. Use 1/8 to ¼ cup for each load of laundry, Store in a closed container.