Walk a Greener Path

When I'm trying to cut back on my grocery budget, one of the first things to go is the expensive eco-friendly cleaners. I'm not about to go back to my college days of mystery chemicals just because it only costs a dollar. But what can you make from things you may already have?

My first homemade cleaner was floor soap. In my bucket of warm water I added a little Dr. Bronner's liquid soap and a few drops of lavender or eucalyptus essential oil.

Not only did it clean my kitchen floor, it also made my house smell wonderful for days. The trick with liquid soap and floors is to only use a few drops. If you use too much you'll have to rinse the floors or they will be sticky.

Don't have any Dr. Bronner's? It can be expensive these days, but you could try Trader Joe's for a cheaper option. Or better yet, use a few drops of your shampoo or dish soap if it's natural. My friend Gail turned me on to using shampoo to clean the bathtub. It's made to get the oil out of your hair, and it gets the bath oil out of your tub better than anything I ever tried before it.

White vinegar cut with water in a spray bottle is a super cheap window cleaner. Mix 2 tsp. for each quart of water. You can't get much cheaper than that unless you just don't clean your windows or mirrors at all!

White vinegar and water mixed 1 to 1 is a great multipurpose cleaner. You can add a little lemon juice or essential oil to mask the strong vinegar odor. Just don't use on marble or stone surfaces. You can also substitute 1/2 cup vinegar for fabric softener.

In fact vinegar, baking soda, lemon, liquid soap, borax, and essential oils are the basis of many homemade cleansers. This article on associated content has recipes for Eucalyptus-Mint Disinfecting Soap, Lemon-Mint Window Wash, and Heavenly Bedding Laundry Detergent. They require a little more effort than my quick recipes, but once you make a bottle you'll have it for a few months at least.

The alternative recipes on WSWMD cover all the rooms in your house plus metal cleaners and diaper pail deodorizers. So make sure you take a look there before running out to spend your hard earned money on something that is more than 1/2 water anyhow.

Stop by Care2.com to find recipes for creamy soft scrubber, oven cleaner, and mold killer.

So take some time and look through your cleaning supplies. Is there anything you are about to run out of? How long it would take to make your own instead of driving to the store? Do you have some ingredients around the house that would work? You may have to invest in a few spray bottles or containers, but you'll be able to use them over and over again.

Think of all the money you'll save once you don't have to spend 20.00+ on cleaning supplies that go against your moral grain. Plus your house just may smell better than you ever thought possible.