When it comes to cleaning do you need all those fancy cleaners that cost a ton of money?  Over the last few years I have realized that it is cheaper and easier to make your own cleaners.

I will say this, tow items you will always find in my house, a gallon of vinegar and a giant bag of baking soda.  These two things will come in handy for many cleaning adventures.  Sometimes together, sometimes with other things.

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  • Homemade Carpet Cleaning Solution

    I have pets and sometimes those pets have accidents and I'll admit my carpet needs to go but I don't have the money to buy new flooring.  So I clean my carpets on a regular basis.  I have a carpet cleaner that I used.  I used to clean my carpets with carpet shampoo but over time I noticed them getting dirtier.  Then someone told me that soap in those products grab onto the dirt.  So I switched to something so simple.  Hot Water and Vinegar and voila!  Amazingly clean carpets, that even killed the pet smell.

    How does it work.

    Mix 1 Cup of Vinegar and 1 Gallon of HOT water and put it in the solution basin of your carpet cleaner and get to cleaning*.

    A friend suggested that I add a cup of OxyClean to the solution as well.  I haven't tried it yet!

    *However before you do the entire floor, test a small patch.

     

  • Homemade Laundry Detergent

    I have been using homemade laundry detergent for almost 2 years and have only had to make 2 batches.

    You can find most of these products in the Laudry Detergent aisle.  I get my stuff from WalMart and they have it all (when it isn't out of stock).

    3 bars of Fel-Naptha Soap or 2 bars of the pink Zote

    1 box (4 lb) of Baking Soda

    1 box (4 lb) Borax

    1 box Super Washing Soda

    2 containers of Oxy Clean or generic version will work

    I love the smell in my detergent and clothes so I add the smell pearls to my detergent.

    2 containers of laundry scent beads (I think I'll bump this up to 3 next batch)

    1 kitchen sized garbage bag.

    Directions:

    Grate the Fels-Naptha it dissolves easier in the washer.  (I thought I was going to have to buy a separate cheese grater for this and then it dawned on me that it was soap, so I use my kitchen grater to do this and wash it off, then run it through the dishwasher.)

    Dumb all the powders, Fel-Naptha, and scent beads (if using) into the garbage bag. Shake until well mixed.

    Grab the container you will be using to store your detergent in, take a corner of the bag and set it over your container, snip a big piece of the corner off and let the detergent fill its container and you are ready to go.

    Use 1-2 T per load that is it. (I have an HE washer and I just throw it into the washer with the clothes instead of the detergent dispenser)

    For a regular family of four it should last you 6-9 months unless you do a ton of laundry.

  • Car Seat/Upholstery Cleaner

    If you have upholstery that looks horrible and you have no idea how to clean it, well here is a miracle solution.

    Spray Bottle

    1 cup of plain vinegar

    1 cup of original Dawn

    1 cup of club soda

    brush

    Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle.  Spray onto your upholstery and scrub  with your brush and you'll see it start to look amazingly clean.

    Make sure you do a test spot before you spray everything down.

    I also use this mixture in my bathtub.  It cleans it amazingly well.

     

  • Citrus Cleaning Products

    This takes about 2 weeks -2 months to make but it works great as an all natural cleaner.

    Take the peels oranges, lemons, grapefruit (any citrus fruit) depending on the smell you want.

    Fill a glass container with the peels, I put them in a glass Mason jar.  Then fill the jar with white vinegar.

    Set it to the side for two weeks - 2 months (the longer it sits the stronger it gets), giving it a shake every other day.

    After two weeks - 2 months, remove the orange peels and transfer the liquid to a spray bottle and get to cleaning.

     

  • Homemade Carpet Powder

    I like that fresh smell on my carpets when I can't deep clean them.  So I have always been a fan of carpet powder.

    What you'll need

    Baking Soda

    Essential oil

    Container: A empty carpet powder container from your previously store bought version, a empty parmesean container,  a glass jar with hole punched in the metal.  Anything you can create into a shaker.

    Fill part of the container with baking soda then add a drop or two of your essential oil. Then more baking soda, then few more drops of the essential oil.  Alternate this process until you are almost at the top.

    Shake it until it is all mixed up then it is ready for your floor.

    If you have animals, I was told by a friend if you add a bit of Borax to the mixture it would repel fleas.

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