How to Make Your Own Cleaning Fluids

Well, first off, if you’re buying cleaning products in the stores, chances are you are spending way too much money and you’re probably buying different products for every area in your home. I know that you heard somewhere that the bathroom tile needs this and the kitchen tile needs that, but it’s all a ploy to empty your wallet into the giant bank account of the cleaning supply industry. I’m willing to bet you’re buying all those chemicals with the warnings about their fumes and all that when you could be using something natural from the kitchen that wouldn’t be killing your lungs. You’re going to do yourself a big favor in the financial department, the health and wellness department, and the cleaning department while you are helping the environment by lessening the amount of harmful chemicals going out into the world from your drains and so forth.

Let’s start out by explaining the common household items and their cleaning benefits:

Now, vinegar is an acid. This means it has a low ph level in scientific terms. There are many acids out there that can be used to clean, but for most occasions, I would recommend white vinegar. Some people like to use lemon juice and others prefer other types of vinegar because they have a slightly less stinging scent. But, lemon juice is just too appetizing for bugs, especially ants, and I feel the other varieties of vinegar just might be, as well. Plus, the smell goes away after a while, so it’s not too bad. But, anyway, acids like vinegar simply eat away at different stains and such. It is great for cutting grease stains on your stove, stopping mold, mildew, and soap scum before it continues to grow, etc. I’m sure you have many uses for it around your home.

Anything with a high ph level is going to be a base in scientific terms. On the ph scale, bases oppose acids, so if it is a base, it is safe to use on delicate surfaces, but try not to use anything too extreme on the scale as it can still be damaging. The closer you are to a neutral solution, (but still remaining in the base portion), the better off you’ll be. Ammonia is a base, but can be harmful to your health when breathed in. Like ammonia, though, baking soda works very well with neutralizing odors and smells. It is also quite close to neutral on the scale. Just be careful with the scrubbing on delicate surfaces, as that can scour away at your marble countertops and such. But back to baking soda: It actually changes the ph level of the smell and therefore changes the odor. It is also a great scrubber since it is abrasive and can get rid of those nasty, sticky stains in your fridge or on your countertop. So, as an example, you could use your baking soda/water paste to clean up that tomato juice in your fridge or to clean the outside of your toilet and around the toilet lid.

Now that you know a little bit about your household miracle-workers, you can feel free to mix them with other items to strengthen or re-purpose your soaps and such. (MIX INDIVIDUALLY, of course. We all remember that experiment with vinegar and baking soda in elementary school.) You can mix some baking soda with your liquid detergent to have something to scrub away your counter if you need something stronger or just want to scrub, clean, and disinfect at the same time.
Have fun! Enjoy your savings!