Housekeeping Recipes

My place to keep my green "recipes"... These are the recipes I use to keep my home sparkling clean without any of those awful chemicals. YUCK! Not only do they work, but they are very inexpensive!!


All-Purpose Cleaner
In a 32-ounce spray bottle, mix:

• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 3 1/2 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup liquid dish soap

Window and Glass Cleaner
Mix into spray bottle:

• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
• 1 quart water
• Optional: 1 to 2 drops blue food coloring (if you want it to be blue...)

For best results, use a small squeegee to remove excess water.

Polish with a soft, clean, lint-free cloth.

Label the bottle.

Daily Shower Cleaner
Mix in a bottle:

• 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide
• 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
• 6 drops of dishwashing liquid
• 24 ounces of water

Label the bottle and store away from children

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Pour 1 cup borax and 1/4 cup white vinegar into toilet bowl.

Let sit for a few hours, then scrub with a toilet brush and flush.

Vinegar can kill up to 99 percent of bacteria.

Soft Scrub for bathtubs and shower stalls

Mix baking soda, dishwashing soap and water into a paste. Use to clean bathtubs and shower stalls

Natural Dishwasher/Scouring Powder
Combine all ingredients in container with tight-fitting lid. Shake Well.

• 1 cup Borax
• 1 cup Baking Soda
• 1/4 cup Salt (pickling salt or non-iodized)
• 1/4 cup citric acid (or 2 packages lemonade sugar free Kool Aid)
• 30 drops essential oil (disinfecting: grapefruit, lemon, peppermint, lavender, etc.)

Use 1 tablespoon in open dispenser (prewash) and 1 tablespoon in closed dispenser (wash cycle).

Laundry Soap (Powder)
Combine the following using rubber gloves.

Use 1 tablespoon for light loads and 2 tablespoons for heavy/dirty loads

• 1 bar Bronner's or Fels Naptha soap, finely grated (Can use other soap...)
• 1 cup Borax
• 1 cup Washing Soda
• 1/4 cup Oxy Clean

Fabric Softener
Combine:

• 1 gallon white vinegar
• 25-30 drops essential oil (any fragrance that you like)

Use 1/4 cup in rinse cycle or softener dispenser.

Bleach Alternative

• 1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide

 
Furniture Polish

• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon olive oil

Mix and apply with a clean rag to dust and polish. Reduce the olive oil if wood looks too oily.

Floors

Wood

• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1 gallon warm water

Linoleum

• 1 cup white vinegar
• 2 gallons warm water

Laminate Floor Cleaner Spray

Combine in spray bottle. Use dry mop to wipe from floors after applied.

• 1/4 cup dish soap
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 2 cups vinegar
• 1 to 2 cups water 

OR

Mop floor with following mixture then dry completely with clean towel(s)

• 1/2 cup vinegar
• 1 gallon warm water