DIY Household Cleaners: Products You Can Make Yourself

From dealnews' Lou Carlozo:

Just a few generations back, the formula for a spiffy house contained two simple elements at its core: a high stack of rags and plentiful elbow grease. Then came specialized cleaners (window cleaners, oven cleaners, furniture polish, etc.) and a newfangled wave of disposable cleaning aids, led of course by the ubiquitous paper towel.

No doubt that paper towels are convenient, especially when there's a puddle of freshly spilled grape juice about to hit the floor. But that convenience has its costs, both to the environment and your wallet. In the U.S. paper towels alone make up 2% of all landfill space. And if you pay $10 for an 8-roll pack that lasts two weeks, you'll spend $260 a year, when cloth wipes could've done the same job for just pennies.

This article examines some of the most popular disposable cleaning products, and what they'll cost you over the course of a year, along with far less expensive, more eco-friendly alternatives. (Note that yearly projections for disposable products do not include tax.)

List and captions courtesy of dealnews

RATE IT!   |  

VOTE

You're right, a total waste

No way, worth every cent!

CURRENT TOP 5 PICK YOUR OWN TOP 5

USERS WHO VOTED

NEW! CREATE YOUR OWN SLIDESHOW

Comments

[WeCleanLongIsland]

09:01 PM on 08/15/2012

Wonderful suggestions! White distilled vinegar and baking soda work wonders on most surfaces around the house, a lemon juice and olive oil mixture works great as furniture polish.

[yeti7]

08:17 AM on 03/06/2012

Professional mold cleaners and removal of mold, say not to use house hold bleach.

[INVet]

12:27 PM on 03/05/2012

Vinigar and water does wonders on hardwood floors - all we use.

[Amy Todisco]

10:20 AM on 03/05/2012

Did you know that if you have chlorinated water (which many do) and you use an antibacterial dish soap, you could be creating the very toxic chemical, chloroform? I wrote an article about this years ago. Check it out: http://www.greenlivingnow.com/articles/

We've been told that we need to disinfect every surface of our home, and yet people are still getting sick. In fact, anecdotally, I've noticed that the people who use conventional germ killing products tend to be sick more often than those who don't. I am a huge fan of therapeutic grade essential oils, like tea tree, that disinfect naturally. But, I don't go crazy with them. And, I'm rarely sick. For me, it's all about living a greener, healthier life, and building my immune system.

[Sammi Richardson]

07:34 AM on 03/05/2012

Hi,

My company's blog, Eco 18 has a very relevant article to yours posted. It's also about making your own green cleaners. I feel that you and your readers would find it very interesting and helpful.

http://eco18.com/2012/03/cleaner-recipes/

Thanks!

[geddy lee is a god]

10:50 PM on 03/04/2012

Alternative # 3 (for the Clorex wipes) sounds like a pretty good idea. I wonder if you could add a drop or two of something like lavender or peppermint oil to the cloths and cleaning mixture, which will leave a pleasant smell in whatever room the wipes are used.

[MuckyPup]

10:21 PM on 03/04/2012

Three words: Baking soda, vinegar. That's it. Just make sure you don't buy vinegar made from a petroleum derivative. Oh, and if you want to get fancy, add some essential oil in your favorite scent.

[missy mitten]

12:12 AM on 03/05/2012

Yup. That's all I use.

[AmyK0 o]

04:21 PM on 03/05/2012

Me too :) Regular cleaning products make me wheeze. A few years ago I began cleaning with nothing but vinegar, natural soaps and some essential oils for a pretty scent. I certainly breathe easier, and it's much less expensive.