There are so many good cleaning recipes out there, but I would like to share a few that we use in our home.
All-Purpose Cleaner
1 3/4 c Water
1 3/4 c Vinegar
1 tbs Dish Soap (a small squirt)
1 dropper full of Grapefruit Seed Extract or several drops of Tea Tree Oil
I gently mix this up (so I don’t cause too many bubbles!) and pour it into a spray bottle. You can mix this up with just vinegar and water if you like. It will still do the trick 
Glass Cleaner
1/3 c Rubbing Alcohol (this will give you a great streak-free shine)
Scrub
Baking soda! Add a bit of water to make this a paste and scrub away. You could also use a bit of dish soap to make it soapy/scrubby.
Tough Water Marks/Soap Scum
Apple cider vinegar. In the bottom of the shower or sink, plug the drain, add hot water and some ACV. Let it sit for a while and then you should be able to really wipe the scum away.
If you can’t let this sit (it’s on a virtical surface) try using hot water & ACV to scrub with. Sometimes I’ll add a bit of baking soda too. Be careful if doing this with hot water/acv as it will foam up quickly.
Fabric Softener
Vinegar – use 1/4-1/2 cup per wash during the rinse cycle. I like to use a Downy Ball to make it easy.
You could also use 1/4-1/2 cup of vinegar & baking soda. Some people like to mix these up beforehand in a large batch. If you do this, be sure to do it in a large bucket or other basin. This will fizz up a lot. Stirring the baking soda in slowly will help with that. Once you’re done you can put it into a container. Be sure to give it a gently shake before each use as some of the baking soda may not dissolve completely.
Alternatively you could not use additives at all and simply keep some dryer balls in your dryer. Read more about that here.
Bulk Clothing Laundry Detergent Recipe - more info & smaller batch recipe here
3 Boxes Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (55 oz each)
2 Boxes 20 Mule Team Borax (76 oz each)
1 Large Tub OxiClean (96 oz)
24 Bars of Soap, finely grated
Use 1-2 tablespoons per wash load.
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Bulk Cloth Diaper Detergent Recipe – more info & smaller batch recipe here
3 Boxes Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (55 oz each)
2 Boxes 20 Mule Team Borax (76 oz each)
1 Large Tub OxiClean (96 oz)
Use 1 tablespoon per wash load – start out with half of this amount for a high efficiency machine.
If you use this for clothes use 2-3 tbs per load. This recipe works well on clothes, though you may want to pre-treat tough spots. I like to use a bar of Fels Naptha for this purpose. I just wet it, the cloth and rub.
Concerned about borax?
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About how long is the shelf life? This sounds great!
No clue, lol. I just keep it until it's gone :\ Haven't had a problem yet.
Great post!
I just made the cloth diaper soap and added some citric acid to it for hard water and it's AMAZING! No stinks!! Usually with the marketed diaper soaps I have to do more rinses and add soap to the first rinse to have diapers that smell decent but with the homemade, no soap in the rinse, no extra final rinses and not even a hint of stink! I'm SOLD!
Best Cleaning Solution Ever! To one gallon of warm water add 1/3 cup of Borax, 1 tsp of dish detergent, and 1 Tbsp ammonia. Cleans better than anything I have ever used.
GREAT idea pre-treating with the fels!!!! I’m SOLD. I LOVED making my own detergent, just felt less chemical!! I’m going to make some this weekend maybe, or I may wait until I am out of my current supply. i will also do the softener, gotta get some more EOs!!!
Clicking the link found here: “Alternatively you could not use additives at all and simply keep some dryer balls in your dryer. Read more about that here.”
Leads me here.
“This blog is open to invited readers only
http://theecofriendlyfamily.blogspot.com/
It doesn’t look like you have been invited to read this blog. If you think this is a mistake, you might want to contact the blog author and request an invitation.”
Sort of pointless to write a public blog, then link to a private entry.
I changed hosts recently and have come across the random ‘bug’. Thank you so much for letting me know, I fixed the link. It is the one below:
http://theecofriendlyfamily.com/2011/03/fabric-softener/
Hi Amanda! I have been following your blog for awhile now, and I’m looking to make some safe cleaners for around the house that actually disinfect. I am currently trying to keep the bathroom cleaned safely because I have a curious, crawling 9 month old who likes to investigate all things bathroom…problem is that I use the diaper sprayer and it sprays yuckiness all around the toilet, and I also have a 3 year old that has poop accidents and has to get sprayed down in the shower, leaving the tub dirty. I hate to disinfect daily with harsh chemicals. I have been using vinegar and water, but learned that it’s not actually killing the yucky stuff. Is the All Purpose Cleaner you have listed (water, vinegar, dish soap, tea tree oil) actually a disinfectant? And since tea tree oil has been found to cause issues for boys, do you think it’s okay to use just for cleaning if not applied directly to their skin?
Thanks so much!