Keeping a clean house isn’t always the easiest thing on the world to do, nor is it the cheapest. There are a number of different “special” cleaners out there for all sorts of different household cleaning tasks. While variety is usually nice, this can get confusing as well as expensive.
Which cleaners are best? Do you really need a separate cleaner for the bathroom and the kitchen? Is the $5 cleaner really better than the $1 cleaner?
Ugh! It never ends!
Well, I’m here to tell you that you no longer have to spend a good chunk of your time in the cleaning section staring at all of the different cleaners. You no longer have to spend a huge chunk of money to keep your home clean.
All you need is a few basic DIY cleaner ingredients, so you can make your own. These DIY cleaner ingredients are inexpensive and a little goes a long way if you want to make your own DIY cleaners!
Are you ready? Here’s your list of DIY cleaner ingredients!
Alcohol
Although it seems better suited to first aid kits, alcohol is also one of the essential DIY cleaner ingredients that you should have. Not only can it be used to disinfect surfaces, but it also evaporates quickly. Because of this, it is often added to DIY window cleaners for streakless windows. Alcohol can also be used to make cleaners for granite counter tops and electronics.
Ammonia
Ammonia has always been high on my list of DIY cleaner ingredients. It’s also one of the cheapest and most versatile DIY cleaner ingredients. You can usually pick up a jug of ammonia for around a dollar. One jug can be used to make several bottles of glass and all-purpose cleaner, and it’s especially good at cutting grease and grime.
Baking Soda
If you’re building a stock of DIY cleaner ingredients, don’t forge the baking soda. It can be used alone as a carpet deodorizer or as a scouring powder. It can also be used to shine silver or to clean and deodorize pet accidents and vomit. You can even use baking soda and vinegar to clear slow drains.
Borax
This can be one of the harder to find DIY cleaner ingredients, but it can come in pretty handy. It has anti-bacterial and anti-fungal properties, and it’s an excellent stain remover. Borax can be used for scouring powder, homemade laundry detergent, and homemade dish detergent. You can also use borax to get rid of pests like ants and mice away.
Hydrogen Peroxide
Like alcohol, hydrogen peroxide seems more at home in the medicine cabinet, but you should also keep it stocked as one of your DIY cleaner ingredients. If you don’t want to keep bleach around, hydrogen peroxide is a great alternative.It can be used to whiten clothes, clean and disinfect counters, cutting boards, toilets, tubs and showers, and garden tools. Hydrogen peroxide can also be used to make a shower spray to prevent the growth of mildew. If you use hydrogen peroxide to make DIY cleaners, though, be sure to keep it in a dark opaque bottle, since light breaks it down and makes it ineffective.
Vinegar
If you prefer natural DIY cleaner ingredients, then vinegar’s your man. It’s a mild disinfectant, due to its acidity, and can be used to clean just about anything. The list of uses for vinegar is long and exhaustive, but some examples include all-purpose cleaner, window cleaner, mineral deposit remover, drain cleaner, and stainless steel polish.
Do you have any other DIY cleaner ingredients to add?
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