When we clean the house we usually only use three cleaners to get most everything: an all-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner, and floor cleaner. Currently, we’re still using some leftover toilet cleaner that eventually I’ll have to replace but, by and large, these three cleaners do it all. And, obviously, I’m excluding homemade cleaners for doing the dishes and laundry.
As you can see from the photo above, they’re all stored in standard 32-ounce cheapo spray bottles I got from Wally-World a while back. Eventually, I wised-up and decided to write the recipes on the bottles so that whenever I needed to make more I didn’t have to look it up. How brilliant am I? 🙂
The one thing I wish I had done a bit differently was to more easily distinguish the above cleaners as people–usually the kids–accidentally grab the wrong bottle. It’s not big deal but just something to think about.
Here’s the recipes we use, though, there are many others you can find online. Also know that the ratios are sized so that they fill an entire spray bottle more or less…
All-Purpose Cleaner
I like this cleaner a lot and it gets used in many places, from kitchen countertops to the bathroom counters (and even the toilet) and if my wife isn’t looking the furniture too. 😉 When spraying, you will notice a hint of white vinegar at first but there’s also a hint of lemon too–our favorite essential oil for this purpose–and, regardless, the smells dissipate rather quickly.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 40 drops lemon essential oil
Combine and mix well, shake before use.
Glass Cleaner
I’ve tried using just vinegar and water before but for some reason it never seemed to work quite right. Then we found THIS recipe and it works much better. I think it has something to do with the cornstarch but I’ve never experimented with the recipe once we found this one.
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol – we use 91% but I’d imagine 70% works fine too
- 2 cups water
- 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
Mix well and shake VERY well before use since the cornstarch seem to settle at the bottom when not used for a while.
Floor Cleaner
Although in a spray bottle, this recipe will probably (eventually) go into a squirt bottle to more easily distribute it on the floor. I’ve read that you could use it diluted in a sink-full of water but we don’t mop like that unless it’s the bathroom tiles.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol – same as above
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon Dawn liquid dish soap (the blue kind) – just buy it at your local store (e.g., Walmart) as you don’t need much
- 15 drops essential oils – again, we prefer lemon essential oil but experiment and find what works for you
Mix well and shake before use.
Well, that’s it! Those are the “big 3” as I see it. What cleaning recipes do you find useful? I’d be interested to know what you’ve tried that might work better.
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