GUEST BLOG: making your own household cleaners

Anyone who has been to the grocery store has found that one of the more expensive buys is household cleaners. They are tough on your wallet and full of harsh chemicals that are tough on your home. However, natural and cheap alternatives exist! If you think that some store bought cleaners are better for certain jobs, well think again. There is a natural ingredient for just about every use and they will save you money. Here are just a few:

Tea Tree Oil- it is antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal.

Lemon Juice- it can be used in place of bleach and disinfectant

White Vinegar- works great for soap scum and basic cleaning.

For this blog I am going to be focusing on white vinegar. I bought a generic 2 quart jug of white distilled vinegar a year ago and have learned about its many and varied uses. I use it on my counter tops, pots and pans, and windows. For those who think that the odor alone would cause you to keel over, I can say that the smell starts to fade as soon as it is rubbed into the surface. I have walked into my kitchen after cleaning it and have not noticed the smell unless I put my nose to the counter (but there is usually no reason to do that).

So here is a few uses for the wonderful white vinegar:

* You can get rid of under arm stains on shirts by soaking the area in white vinegar until saturated then wash as usual.

* Make cut flowers last longer by adding 2 tbl of vinegar and 2 tbl of sugar to 4 cups of water.

* Rub stainless steel pots with white vinegar to remove spots. I used vinegar with a wire scrub brush

All Purpose Wash
3 tbl white distilled vinegar
1/2 tsp liquid soap
2 1/2 cups water

I use this cleaner for my kitchen and windows. It works great.

by: Kristen Childs