Cleaning supplies are easy to buy, store, and they get things done. But the ingredients hiding inside these bottles are often toxic and can be substituted with natural alternatives. Other than that, they take a lot of space and can cost a fortune, especially if you buy in bulk.
Buying a different detergent for every surface is a common practice, yet, it’s unsustainable and costly. Let’s take some time to think whether we actually need all these bottles cramming up our shelves. Today, we’ll talk about DIY alternative cleaning supplies that are cheap and easy to make at home.
Freshmen coming out of their parents’ houses into their adult life often make a mistake of not researching the matter enough. They tend to purchase a different cleaner for every surface because this is what the market offers. And as it often happens, students don’t have enough time to do what’s right because of the academics.
Lack of time is a common problem for college students. However, technology has gone to great lengths in solving this issue. One of the examples of this is https://uk.essaypro.com/write-my-essay platform. Have your essays done by professionals and get to cleaning!
Laundry Detergent
Laundry detergent is arguably one of the least necessary items in a household. But who doesn’t like to get their clothes to smell nice? However, with a bottle of this magically-scented liquid costing anywhere from £12 to £30, a student will think twice before making a purchase.
Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Here is a very simple recipe for DIY laundry detergent. You will need a measuring cup, a box grater, a bar of soap, some borax, and washing soda. Make sure to wear rubber gloves while making it.
First, you’ll need to grate your soap. If you don’t have a box grater, you could shave it with a knife, but that would take a bit more time. Then, in an airtight container, mix two parts of washing soda, two parts of borax, and one part grated soap. Buying a scented soap is a perfect way of adding fragrance to your detergent.
Make sure you label the container and keep it away from moisture. If your mixture hardens with time, it’s best to discard it and make a new batch as it can leave soap stains on your clothes.
Multi-Purpose Cleaner
There are many benefits of making your own cleaners at home. Apart from them costing less, your own detergents are also way less toxic, and you will be able to control the intensity as you make them. Let’s talk about all-purpose surface cleaners for your home.
To make an all-purpose surface cleaner, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- 2 cups water;
- 3/4 cup hydrogen peroxide;
- 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar;
- 1 tsp unscented liquid soap;
- 10 drops tea tree oil;
- 20 drops lavender essential oil.
It might seem like a lot of stuff; however, the overall cost will be almost twice as low as compared to buying a spray-cleaner. Besides, you probably already have most of these things at home.
To make the cleaner, just pour all the ingredients into a spray bottle and mix well. If there’s a stain that doesn’t remove easily with this mixture, you can pour a bit of washing soda on top and then scrub with a sponge.
Please, mind that vinegar has its benefits, yet it’s best to skip it on surfaces like stone, cast iron, wax, or aluminum. The acid in vinegar can tarnish these surfaces or even strip them.
DIY Glass Cleaner
To make a cleaning liquid for your windows, you’ll need to mix 2 cups of water with 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap. Combine the ingredients in a spray bottle and use it on windows, mirrors, or any other glass surfaces.
For more strength and intensity, you could add a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol to this cleaner. Make sure that when you’re cleaning your windows, you’re using a microfiber cloth.
Sure, you could use any other rag, and maybe even an old t-shirt, but microfiber works best with glass. The cloth itself will minimise the amount of rubbing that you’ll have to do.
Other Products for Home Cleaning
Last but not least, apart from these semi-complicated mixes, you can also use other common household items for cleaning your home. For example, lemon can be used to clean your microwave. Just heat a bowl of water with two halves of a lemon and get to scrubbing.
If you decide to clean your silverware once in a blue moon but you don’t want to buy a separate cleaner for it, soak it in ketchup! Let your forks and knives sit in a bowl covered with ketchup for a few minutes and then just rinse them.
Did you know that you could drop one or two tablets of Alka-Seltzer into your toilet and forget about scrubbing it? Leave it in there for 20 minutes and then flush to reveal a sparkling toilet bowl.
