How to Make Your Own Cleaning Products

Last Updated on January 23, 2023 by Ellen Christian

Have you ever tried to make your own cleaning products? As I was grocery shopping, I was amazed at the number of cleaning products for sale. Make your own here.

Make Your Own Cleaning Products

Counters, sinks, toilets, stainless steel, tile – each one had its own cleaning product in a variety of scents. Some were toxic and some were gentle on the environment. Unless it’s free with a coupon, I almost never buy cleaning products. I make my own. 

When our parents were just starting out (or even our grandparents), there wasn’t the variety of cleaning products that we have in the stores today. It isn’t that they kept their homes less clean than we do today, it’s that they didn’t have the advertising we have today.

Every cleaning commercial I see on TV promises me a spotless home with little effort if I will simply buy the latest cleaner. Unfortunately, it rarely works like that, and I found myself with 75 different household cleaners that all pretty much did the same thing.

Glass and Mirrors

To clean windows, mirrors, and glass, put half water and half white vinegar in an old spray bottle. Spray & clean off with newspaper crumpled up. The vinegar smell evaporates when the windows dry, but if it bothers you, you can add a few drops of lemon essential oil to disguise the scent.

I find mine at Walmart in the craft section but you can also get them right here.

Surface Cleaner

You don’t need a lot of different cleaning products to clean different surfaces.  To clean tubs,  sinks, and  countertops,  make a paste with baking soda and water and scrub gently.

Be careful of surfaces that could get scratched like marble, quartz, and granite.  For those surfaces, I find that using a very small amount of eco-friendly dish liquid on a sponge works well.

I like Seventh Generation brand.

Deodorizing

Sometimes our homes smell less than fresh. The odors are generally caused by either bacteria or leftover food or household smells. To freshen your home when the cause is leftover odors, the best solution is to open the windows to let in fresh air.

If the scent is caused by bacteria in your sink or drain, you can deodorize it. Just pour baking soda down the drain and follow with either lemon juice or vinegar.

Do not use the sink after that for at least an hour to allow it to work. If you can’t open all of your windows, you can try deodorizing your home using essential oils.

One of my favorites ways to do this is my cinnamon pine cones.

Furniture Polish

People confusing dusting and polishing. Unless you have a lot of real wood furniture, it’s often enough to simply use your feather duster to remove dust. If you have a lot of dust or are sensitive to it, a soft cloth will often work better.

If you need to return moisture and shine to your furniture, you can try a homemade furniture polish.

There are many things in your home that need to be cleaned from your washing machine to your kitchen floors. In most cases, water, vinegar, baking soda and lemon juice will work well for you.

When I had my new vinyl floors put in, the installer told me the only thing I should clean the floors with was water. He said if they were heavily soiled, I could add a very tiny amount of ammonia but nothing else should be used.

 I cannot believe how much money I’ve spent stocking up on expensive (and harmful) cleaners when I didn’t need to.

Do you make your own cleaning products?