Homemade cleaners, tips, and tricks no one told you about.............

While the girls had friends over to spend the night, I replenished our cleaning supplies.  I gave up harsh chemicals years ago and opted for all natural, homemade cleaners instead.  The ingredients cost next to nothing to make these cleaners, they are easy to make, they work, and they are environmentally friendly.










First up, citrus cleaner.  This smells amazing!  A neighbor brought us back hand-picked tangerines from California so we saved the peels while we worked our way through them all.  It did not take long, they were so delicious.

Basically, whenever you peel oranges, lemons, tangerines, or whatever, just save the peels in a baggie and put them in the freezer until you have enough to fill a jar.

Put the peels in a jar and cover them with apple cider vinegar, put the top on tight, and place the jar in a dark place for about ten days.  It helps to give the jar a shake every day but not imperative.

After ten days, strain the liquid from the peels and throw the peels away.  I use a 2:1 dilution with water but 1:1 dilution is also effective.  I just like a little more because we have pets, and we cook a lot.  This cleaner is great for cleaning stove tops and kitchen counters.

My favorite all natural ingredients, and I usually always have on hand.

~Dr. Bronner's castile soap.  I am totally addicted to this!  I love this way too much!  You can use this for anything and everything.  Here are some of the amazing things you can do with this soap.  It is a little expensive but it lasts forever.  I have tried most of the scents, citrus is my favorite, however, I do love the Tea Tree scent too.

~Seventh Generation dish/hand soap.

~Apple cider vinegar and white vinegar.

*This reminds me of my grandmother.  She always smelled like vinegar and Rose Milk lotion.  I did not know you could still buy Rose Milk lotion. She was such an awesome person. Good grandparents are so important.  Look at me going off on another tangent.  Back to the topic.

 *It is insane how many things you can do with vinegar, the list is endless, literally.

*Vinegar is the French word for sour wine.

*Vinegar has been proven to kill bacteria.  Did you know that back in the day Hippocrates used vinegar to cleanse wounds, that was over 2000 years ago.  He was the father of modern medicine in case you did not know.

*Vinegar also lowers blood sugar levels and fights diabetes.  Two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar at bedtime has been shown to reduce fasting blood sugars by 4%.  It does not win any taste tests but hey the benefits are worth it.

*How about lowering your cholesterol with vinegar.  You got it!

*Vinegar is also an effective heartburn remedy.  I know this for sure.


*Vinegar is used for household cleaners, hair condition, fabric softener, migraine remedy, anti-fungal, allergy reliever, soothes irritated skin, helps remove toxins, and so many more things I cannot even list them all.

Check out my Pinterest board Au Natural here for more great uses of vinegar and everything else I have listed above and below.  Here are more Pinterest vinegar boards.

~Essential oils.....Love!  My favorites are Tea Tree, Jasmine, and Peppermint.  These go anywhere and everywhere.

~Baking soda.  Can use for so many things.

~Check this out.  Mule Team Borax.  Anything is possible.

~Hydrogen peroxide 3%.  Great for mouthwash, kills bacteria.

~Fels Naptha laundry soap.  Greatest soap for homemade laundry detergent.

~And my favorite store bought cleaner is by Method all purpose Cucumber.  Can't get enough of this!

So there you have it.  Making my own cleaners is a win/win.  Doing this saves me money (and as a single mother with two kids to provide for all the time) that is key. It is also better for us and the environment.  Since Pres. Trump has made it clear his stance on saving the planet, every little bit helps so we are doing our part to save the planet.