The most effective homemade cleaning solution is using one part white vinegar, one part water, some lemon rind, and any essential oils or scented herbs/flowers to eliminate the strong smell of vinegar.
This solution can be used as an all-purpose cleaner all over your home, but you should try to avoid using an acidic cleaner like this on granite as it can etch the stone.
If you’re going to make this solution, you’ll want to leave the essential oils or scented sprigs of flowers to diffuse the smell of the vinegar so it smells a lot more bearable when applying it to surfaces.
If you want something a bit more heavy-duty if you have stubborn stains on surfaces around your home, then you can also make a homemade stain remover.
You’ll need ¼ cup of white vinegar, ¼ cup of bicarbonate of soda, a squeeze of liquid dish soap, and also 2 cups of water to dilute the solution.
Mix the solution thoroughly and keep it in a spray bottle to use on carpets or clothes that have got stains on them.
Stains that have been there for a long time may be difficult to remove with a homemade solution and the only solution to these may be to hire professional cleaners or to use store-bought chemical cleaning products.
Store-bought carpet deodorizers are so handy to have in your home, especially if you’ve got young children or pets running around, however, they can be a dreaded expense to your weekly or monthly shopping and it’s not always an essential item.
You can make homemade carpet deodorizer so you can keep your floors smelling fresh no matter how much mess or traffic runs through your home.
Find an empty jar and fill it with bicarbonate of soda and then add 10 drops of essential oil, shake it all together and then keep it stored so you can use it any time you want.
All you need to do to use it is sprinkle it over your smelly carpets, leave for 30 minutes whilst the solution works its magic, and then vacuum the solution up and your carpets should smell lovely.
The bicarbonate of soda is what absorbs the bad odors and then the essential oils will leave your carpets smelling nice, so you can just use the bicarbonate of soda on its own if you wish.
These homemade or DIY cleaning solutions are relatively inexpensive to produce and will save you the hassle of repurchasing your household cleaning products all the time.
Many of these DIY solutions are also a lot safer to use around the home and do not contain some of the harsh chemicals that most cleaning products contain.
How do you make homemade floor cleaner?
The ingredients you’ll need to make a homemade floor cleaner are 2 cups of warm water, ½ cup of distilled vinegar, ¼ cup of rubbing alcohol, ⅛ tbsp of liquid dish soap, and some drops of essential oil for scenting the solution.
If you’ve got pets or young children living in your home, then you’ll want to research what essential oils will be safe to use on the floor as some can be harmful to pets or children if ingested.
You can always use lemon or lime juice if you don’t have any essential oils around your home.
Other than that, the solution is completely safe for pets and children, but you should make sure you let the floor dry fully before allowing your pets to come back into the room that you’ve just mopped.
This solution won’t require you to have to rinse the floor afterward so you can apply it and let it dry straight away.
For a wood floor cleaner, you can use 1 gallon of hot water, ¾ cup of olive oil, and ½ cup of lemon juice to keep your floors looking shiny and clean.
You’ll want to allow the floor to dry thoroughly before walking over it or letting your pets enter back into the room.
What is the best homemade degreaser?
To make an effective homemade degreaser, you’ll need the ingredients 1 cup of white vinegar, liquid dish soap, 1 tbsp of baking soda, and essential oils (optional if you want to cover the harsh smell of vinegar).
Put these ingredients into a spray bottle and use them on greasy surfaces with a clean sponge and dishcloth.
If you’ve got areas with extra stubborn grease then you can create a paste with baking soda and water and apply it to the areas and let it sit for a short period until it dries.
Then remove with a clean damp sponge and then wipe the area clean with a clean dishcloth to make sure there are no remnants of the homemade solution on the surface.
Related Cleaning Hacks:
- Does Vinegar Kill Mold?
- How To Keep Your House Clean and Tidy: 13 Helpful Tips
- How to Descale a Kettle With Coke
- How to Clean LVT: Can You Steam Clean Karndean Flooring?
- How to Clean Gas Hob Burner Caps, Grates & Stove Tops 3 Ways
- The Best Natural Washing Powder in the UK
- Best Eco Friendly Cleaning Products in the UK