Alice's Wonder Spray
(I found in an article during green week last year, got me started on all the homemade cleaners)
This cleaner will kill 82 percent of molds and 99 percent of bacteria in a household, according to Ami Voeltz of Do It Green Minnesota. It costs only 14 cents, whereas a store-bought cleaner runs $4 to $20 a bottle. Making your own is kinder to the environment, and you save packaging by using your own reusable bottle.
1 cup white vinegar
2 tsp borax
32 oz (4 cups) hot water
20 drops essential oil, optional
¼ cup liquid dish soap
Directions: Combine vinegar and borax with 32 oz hot water. Add an essential oil (if desired, for fragrance) and dish soap. Place in a spray bottle and be sure to label it.
I use it all the time for household cleaning in my kitchen, bathroom. I think it works great!
Some safety tips
1. NEVER MIX BLEACH AND AMMONIA TOGETHER! This combination is deadly! Also, never mix products together that contain bleach with products that contain ammonia. This includes dishwasher detergent (contains bleach). I would even go as far as storing them in different places just as a precaution.
2. ALWAYS check labels on products before combining ANYTHING. It's not worth making these cleaners if you wind up in the hospital or the morgue, so PLEASE BE CAREFUL!
3. KEEP ALL CLEANERS AWAY FROM KIDS - even though these are environmentally friendly, they are still not safe for children , so please keep these away from your kids.
General Uses For:
Ammonia - good grease cutter, wax stripper, and window cleaner. NEVER MIX WITH BLEACH!
Bleach - great for whitening anything, removing molds and mildews, and general cleaning. Best used diluted with water. DO NOT MIX BLEACH WITH VINEGAR, TOILET BOWL CLEANER, OR AMMONIA. The combination of bleach with any of these substances produces a toxic gas which can be hazardous. Baking Soda - Extremely versatile, baking soda is an all-purpose, nontoxic cleaner. It cleans, deodorizes, scours, polishes and removes stains. There are entire books out about the zillions of uses of baking soda, and the best thing about it is that it's cheap!
Borax - (sodium borate) It deodorizes, removes stains and boosts the cleaning power of soap. It also prevents mold and odors. Great alternative for those who do not want to use bleach.
Cornstarch - cleans and deodorizes carpets and rugs, you can use this to replace expensive "baby powders" also.
Ketchup - great for cleaning copper
Lemon juice - great for whitening items, but vinegar is cheaper . It also cuts through grease and stains on aluminum and porcelain
Pure Soap - cleans just about anything and is mild
Salt - believe it or not, regular table salt makes an abrasive, but gentle, scouring powder.
Washing Soda - (sodium carbonate) Cuts grease and disinfects. It will also increase the cleaning power of soap.
White Vinegar - very cheap and versatile, great for whitening, also fantastic for cleaning hard surfaces, windows and shining up metal surfaces. Removes mildew, stains, grease and wax buildup. This is another natural cleaner that whole books have been written on!
