I do not like to watch the news lately.  Everytime I turn it on, there is more news about how the economy is getting worse and worse.  It’s depressing I tell you!  It’s a good thing we don’t have to buy so many of those pricey cleaners.  Yep, that’s right.  Remember that the greenest method of cleaning your home isn’t with an expensive natural formulated cleaner that you would buy at the store.  If you really want to be green (in your home and in your wallet), make your own cleaners.  I have gone over this before but was so excited to find some new “recipes” and facts to spur my little MEEPs onward and upward.

Here’s my next challenge for MEEPs and anybody else who wants to try.  Do not purchase any of the new “green cleaning” products from the store.  Make your own using some simple ingredients.  You will not be contributing to the energy costs and wastes created throught the processing of store bought cleaners.  You will not be supporting the production and use of yet another plastic container.  You can reuse one that you already have. 

More importantly to most of you, you will save on your grocery/home budget in a HUGE way!  For example:  A typical bathroom cleaner would cost $3.19 and the homemade version costs $.15.  That’s a 95% savings.  Window cleaner costs about the save.  That would be another 95% savings.  How’s that for a start?  You can use the savings that you get from making your own cleaners to buy increasingly costly food and gas.

A “Less Streaky” Window Cleaner:  1/3 Cup White Vinegar, 1/4 Cup Rubbing Alcohol (aids in evaporation to prevent streaking), 3 1/2 Cups Water, 1 Clean Plastic Spray Bottle (reuse an empty one).  Mix all ingredients in the spray bottle.  Shake well.  Spray on glass surface.  Wipe with a crumpled already read newspaper. (when done, throw the damp newspaper out in the recycle bin to dry) 

Citrus Disinfectant:  Comparable to those commercial orange cleaners.  Peel from 1 orange, lemon, grapefruit, or lime.  3 cups White Vinegar.  1 clean quart jar with lid (such as a ball canning jar).  1 clean 32oz spray bottle (reuse an empty one).  Combine the citrus peel and vinegar in the quart jar.  Place lid on jar and store in a cupboard for 2 weeks (yes, you will need to plan in advance.  Convenience really does cost a little in some situations)  Shake occasionally.  Remove the peel from the jar and strain the vinegar.  Put the vinegar back into the jar.  To use as a spray cleaner, put 1 cup of vinegar into spray bottle and add water to fill.  To clean linoleum floors:  add 1 cup of the vinegar mixture to 2 gallons of water.

Fresh Smelling Multipurpose Cleaner:  Nice clean smell and inexpensive.  3 1/2 cups water.  1/2 cup white or apple cider vinegar.  1 teaspoon Borax (in supermarket detergent section).  1 teaspoon washing soda (in supermarket detergent section).  1 teaspoon liquid castile soap (at health food stores).  1 clean 32 oz spray bottle (reuse an empty one).  Fill spray bottle with hot water.  Then add the other ingredients.  Shake well.  Spray on countertops, appliances or fixtures, and tile or painted surfaces.  Wipe with a clean cloth (I like to use old burp cloths) or a damp sponge.