Home-Made Cleaning Solutions

We've had tons of snow! After playing with our son in his team's family hockey game, Norm went to the grocery store, bought a few steaks, came home, shovelled the driveway (again,) cleared a couple feet of snow from a space on the deck, and lit the gas BBQ to melt off the ice.

For dinner, he barbequed a steak and we opened a great bottle of Chilean red wine to celebrate the fact that spring is coming...eventually.  Nobody spilled any wine. If that had happened, we would've sprinkled the spot immediately with salt. Nobody got BBQ grease on a t-shirt (if that happens, make Norm take it off, dab it right away with Dawn dish detergent, then rinse.)

I was busy inside the house this afternoon. Although I don't seem to be making much progress, it would be nice, for once, to get some spring cleaning done by Easter time. Most daily cleaning jobs can be accomplished with homemade solutions.

• Scrub sinks with a paste of baking soda and water. Add a little bleach if there are stains to remove.
• Disinfect with a solution of 1 tsp bleach to 1 cup water.
• Soak a cloth in white vinegar and tie it around the base of faucets and taps to remove lime deposits overnight. 

Remember to put home-made cleansers in clearly labelled, new or thoroughly washed-out containers.

Draw a skull-and-crossbone poison symbol on anything containing detergents, bleach, ammonia, or toxic ingredients.

Keep cleaning solutions out of reach of children, pets, and anyone who might mistakenly consume or use them improperly.

Carpet Cleaner for Puppy Pee Stains

Using enzymatic cleaning solutions can help prevent a puppy from re-soiling in the same spot.

If you don't have enzymatic cleanser on hand, clean it right away anyway using:

• white vinegar in a spray bottle
• baking soda or washing soda
• paper towels & an old dinner plate

1. Blot urine from carpet with paper towels or a rag.
2. Clean beneath the carpet if urine has soaked through.
3. Place newspaper or an old towel under the carpet if possible, to protect floor.
4. Spray white vinegar on the spot or stain.
5. Sprinkle with baking soda.
6. Cover with an upside down plate to mark the spot.
7. Leave for 24 hours.
8. Take off plate to allow spot to dry, mark the spot with a paper nearby.
9. Vacuum baking soda.
10. If spot or odour is still visible, use a soft brush to scrub spot with vinegar, blot, repeat with baking soda.

Kitchen Cabinet Cleaner for Wood

• 1 part coconut oil
• 2 parts baking soda

Apply mixture with a sponge, cloth or toothbrush. Wipe off.

Window Cleaner 

Ammonia will help break down a heavy grease build-up. Commercial solutions often contain ammonia, which is hard on the fish population if it gets into the water system. If a vinegar and water solution works, don't add the ammonia when making your own window cleaner.

Grease can also be broken down by adding a little dishwashing detergent like Dawn.

If you add detergent, a clean water rinse after washing will take away streaks.

Never mix ammonia with bleach (vapours can be toxic.)

Carefully pour into labelled spray bottles for ease of use.

• 1/4 cup ammonia (optional)
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 gallon warm water

All-Purpose Cleaner

• 1/2 cup ammonia (optional)
• 1/2 cup washing soda (Borax)
• 2 cups warm water

Again, try the washing soda (Borax) and warm water first.
Add ammonia only if the job really requires it.
Combine, cover and shake, then add 12 cups warm water and mix again.
To wash floors, dilute 1/2 cup of the above solution in a pail of water.
On very greasy appliances and tiles, test on a small area before using full strength.

Upholstery Fabric Cleaner

• 1 cup 3% hydrogen peroxide
• 1/4 cup Dawn Ultra dishwashing liquid

Test the solution first on a small unnoticeable spot to make sure color doesn't lift from the fabric.

Mix the solution in a spray bottle.

Spray the surface of upholstery where you want it cleaned.

Allow solution to set a few minutes.

With a soft bristle bush or microfiber cloth, rub upwards (toward yourself instead of pressing down into fabric) till the solution pulls out the stain or dirt.

Let surface dry. If stain is tough, repeat if necessary.

Laundry Stain Remover

Try pre-treating a stain with a little liquid laundry detergent, like Pink Solution, or scrubbing a paste of powdered laundry detergent and water into the stain with a toothbrush.
The recipe for the stain remover below contains ammonia. Use it sparingly only when necessary and never combine with bleach.
Spray on, let it soak in, scrub up with a soft brush like an old toothbrush.
Be careful not to use it on delicate fabrics or clothing that might lose its color; check clothing labels for washing instructions.

Also, don't use cleansers or stain removers containing ammonia on carpet that a pet may have soiled. The smell of the ammonia may attract the animal to pee in that spot again.

Stain Remover Recipe:

• 1 cup ammonia
• 1 cup liquid laundry detergent
• 1 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup water

Eyeglass Cleaner

• 2 oz. ammonia
• 2 oz. denatured alcohol

Some tinted glasses or glasses with protective coatings should only be cleaned with mild detergent and water. Check with your eyeglass provider for the safest way to clean them.

Wood Panelling

The wood panelling in my mom's basement still looks good after 40 years. This is the solution she uses to clean it.

• 2 tbsp boiled linseed oil
• 1 tbsp turpentine
• 1 quart warm water

1. Put on rubber gloves and open the window (use only in a well-ventilated area.)
2. Test by wiping on an inconspicuous area first. Let dry.
3. When the test area shows this will give your panelling a good result, wring a soft cloth in the solution and wipe down the walls.
4. Do not pour any remaining solution down the drain.
5. Bottle left-over solution to use again, or dispose of along with paint and other toxic waste at your local recycling or waste treatment centre.

Tile Cleaner

Use a steam cleaner and plain water to clean tiles. If more is needed, here's a tile cleaning solution.

• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup white vinegar
• 1 cup ammonia (if necessary)
• 1 gallon warm water

Turn on the fan and open the window to reduce ammonia fumes if you need to use it.
Stir everything in a pail till the baking soda dissolves.

Wearing rubber gloves, apply the cleaner with a sponge.

Rinse with clear water.

Grout Cleaner

Diane says both her kitchen floor tiles and the grout cleaned up easily using her new floor steam cleaner, but here's a solution for small areas, like on bathroom tiles.

• 1/4 cup liquid bleach
• 1 quart warm water

1. Wear rubber gloves.
2. To remove mold and discoloration from grout, spray bleach onto grout with a spray bottle, or scrub it in with an old toothbrush.
3. Rinse with clear water.

If this doesn't do the job, make a paste of baking soda and water, scrub into the grout, rinse, then try using the bleach solution again.

Around the tub, scrubbing with grout cleaner and a toothbrush will almost always remove the grout. If this happens, remove all of the grout and re-grout. This is the best way to get rid of yellowing grout or black mold which is dangerous to your health. Grouting is actually an easy job, if your knees are in good shape.

Avoid getting bathtub tile grout dirty...after drying yourself, use your towel or an old towel to wipe off the tiles and tub every time, after showering or a bath. And after that, turn on the bathroom fan or open the window for half an hour.

In-Wash Odour Eliminator

Remove heavy odour from sports clothing in your washing machine.

Add:

• 1/2 cup (medium load) to 1 cup (extra-large load) Borax or washing soda

in addition to your regular laundry detergent.

Make washing soda by heating baking soda on a baking sheet for 1 hour at 250 degrees F in your oven. Add 1 Tbsp to a regular load of laundry to soften water and remove odours.

Baking Soda Odour Remover Spray

To get odours out of carpets, upholstery or sports equipment:

• hot water
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 3 tablespoons liquid fabric softener OR a few drops of essential oil (for scent)

Dissolve baking soda in hot water, put in a clean refillable spray bottle.

 Add fabric softener or fragrance oil and shake. Test on a small area before you spray anything liberally. Note--this solution will not kill bacteria.

Blood Stains

Rinse a fresh stain immediately with hydrogen peroxide.