5 Household Cleaning Supplies You Can Make Yourself

Buying a different cleaning product for each household chore is expensive and means you're introducing lots of harmful chemicals into your home. The great news is that the savvy use of a few items commonly found in the kitchen will quickly and effectively take care of most of your cleaning jobs. For example, bicarbonate soda and vinegar are both very cheap, and can be used in a number of ways, with excellent results.

Here’s 5 great household cleaning supplies you can make yourself.

 

5 Homemade Cleaners You Can Make Yourself

 

1. Oven cleaner

If you’re like most Australians, cleaning the oven might just be your least favourite job. According to ALDI’s 2015 Clever Cleaning Study, oven cleaning is the least preferred household chore for Australians. There are a few reasons for this: oven cleaning can be messy and time consuming, and uses intense chemicals.

Well we have a method that skips the overwhelming chemicals. Plus, it’s much cheaper than store bought oven cleaners! It just uses bicarb soda/baking soda. 

How to make a natural oven cleaner

1. Mix half a cup of bicarb soda with enough water to make a spreadable paste.
2. Using gloves, spread this paste over the inside of the oven, making sure you put a thick coating in particularly greasy areas. Let it sit overnight, for at least 12 hours.
3. Put on your gloves, and use a spatula to remove the paste or a clean wet sponge.

There you have it! A budget oven cleaner that won’t fill your face with fumes.

 

2. Drain cleaner

Earlier this year, the drain in the bathroom sink in my house stopped draining properly, and the sink got filled with water. Luckily, I discovered this tip to dissolve the gunk and help the sink run freely!

How to make a homemade drain cleaner

1. Pour half a cup of bicarb soda down the drain, and then half a cup of white vinegar.

2. Cover the drain with a plug or rag.

3. Leave for at least 20 minutes, and then flush with boiling water.

This mixture should help break up whatever is clogging the sink, and get everything moving again.

 

3. Wood floor cleaner

Wooden floors look great in your house, but they can get quite beaten up, just through daily living. To take care of your timber floors you should sweep regularly, as dirt ground into the floor by being walked on can dull the timber and create tiny scratches.

How to make your own wood floor cleaner

• You can make an excellent floor cleaner by mixing 1 litre of warm water, 5 to 7 drops of castile soap and 10 drops of essential oil in a spray bottle.
• Spray the solution directly onto the floor and clean with a micro-fibre mop. For more information about this cleaning solution click here.

If this method doesn’t get your floors shining again, it might be time to consider Electrodry’s Wood Floor Refinishing services. Our one-day services refresh or restore all kinds of timber flooring, removing or minimising scratches and recoating the boards, for a luxurious shiny finish.

 

4. Toilet cleaner

Marketing will tell you that you need a different cleaner for every part of your home, but the reality is that’s just not true! You might see a trend in these tips, as vinegar and/or bicarbonate soda along with castile soap are effective cleaners for many different occasions! And toilets are no different.

How to make your own toilet cleaner

1. Add half a cup of vinegar to the toilet bowl to neutralise germs. Leave it for a few minutes, brush the bowl with the toilet brush, and then flush.
2. If you have a problem with stains in the toilet, you might need to bring in the borax. Add half a cup to the toilet, and let it stand overnight.

There you go! Clean toilets without needing to buy a new, chemical-intensive cleaning product just for your toilet!

 

5. Window cleaner

By now you won’t be shocked to hear that vinegar makes a great streak-free window cleaner!

How to make a homemade window cleaner

1. Use equal parts hot water and white vinegar to clean your windows without leaving a streak!
2. You can also try a few drops of dishwashing detergent and hot water as an alternative, but if you end up with streaks it’s a sure sign you’ve used too much detergent.