I’ve been thoroughly enjoying learning to make my own household cleaners.  I mentioned the other day that I’ve been researching and trying different combinations to see what works best for me.  There are a million different ‘recipes’ floating around Pinterest – some people swear by one and think another is useless and vice versa.  So keep in mind that much of this is trial and error.  You have to find what works best for you.

Here is what I found to be the best All Purpose Cleaner:

• Take an empty spray bottle (you can even clean out and recycle one that used to hold your store-bought cleaners)
• Add 2 cups warm water
• Add 1 teaspoon Borax
• Add 1/2 teaspoon washing soda
• 1/2 teaspoon Castile Soap (or regular Dawn – I have tried it both ways)
• 15-20 drops tea tree oil (this is an all natural disinfectant and it is antibacterial!

Slowly shake the bottle to combine ingredients and it is ready to use.  The warm water does make a difference, but the cleaner can actually be heated in the microwave for a few seconds every time you’re ready to use it and it’ll work just as well!

I’ve used this on my kitchen counters, bathroom counters, wiping down the toilets, doors, the refrigerator (inside and out), and several other places.  Because it is natural I have no worries giving it to my children and asking them to wipe something clean.  I admit that it takes a moment to adjust to the different smell.  So many of the store-bought products are full of chemicals that make them smell like sunshine and laundry and tropical mango vacations.  This just smells clean.  There are no special dyes or chemicals to mask anything so it really is almost a ‘nothing’ smell.  And that is much better for us anyway!

Just the other day I finally decided to jump on the bandwagon and start making homemade household cleaners.  I wish I could say that my purpose for doing this was to save money (which is why many people make their own cleaning products!) I made my own because the smell of the cleaning products you can pick up in any grocery store tend to give me headaches.  They often smell so strong that I almost can’t to use them.  My head ends up hurting, my hands feel gritty from the chemicals, and sometimes I’m not even satisfied by the job they do.

After engaging in tons of research and a bunch of trial and error I came up with a variety of chemical free cleaners to use around my house.  I’ll share some of them later this week but today I wanted to share my “shopping list” of products I purchased to get me started.  Many of these you may already have on hand!

• Borax
• Washing Soda
• Rubbing Alcohol
• Hydrogen Peroxide
• Fels-Naptha Bar Soap
• Vinegar
• Empty Spray Bottles
• Baking Soda
• Dish Soap (I use regular Dawn)
• Essential Oils (tea tree, eucalyptus, lemon, lavender)

I spent a total of $56 and probably got enough ingredients to last me a whole year (minus the cost of the essential oils).

The essential oils were a bit more expensive ($46) but will last forever a long time.

With these ingredients you’ll be able to make everything you need to clean your house safely and thoroughly.  There are extra items that I’ll pick up over time (microfiber cloth, ammonia, corn starch, etc.) but I consider this to be the starter kit for making homemade cleaners.

Later this week I’ll share what I’ve tried (and how cool the kids thought it was to make the stuff and then clean with it!)