Homemade Cleaners

Homemade Cleaners

To clean your house without cleaning out your wallet, try using a few basic ingredients that you probably have on hand already.

For a disinfectant spray that costs just pennies, mix a quarter cup of chlorine bleach with a little less than two cups of water in a spray bottle. You can make an effective glass cleaner by mixing 1/3 cup each of ammonia, rubbing alcohol, and water.

Soapy ammonia is the best all-purpose cleaner, says Consumer Reports’ How to Clean and Care for Practically Anything. “Soapy ammonia is a versatile cleaning agent,” Consumer Reports states. “It can be used in place of a commercial all-purpose cleaner for everyday kitchen and bathroom cleaning.”

The Tightwad Gazette recommends mixing a half cup of ammonia, a third cup of vinegar, and two tablespoons of baking soda into a gallon of water for an all-purpose cleaner.

To spot-clean carpet, use club soda to remove dirt spots. Pour enough to soak and then pat dry with a rag. If you have food or pet stains, try white vinegar. Rub it in until it is wet and then use a dry rag to get it as dry as possible.

You can make a good stain pretreater by mixing equal parts of ammonia, liquid dishwasher detergent, and tap water. Store in an empty dishwashing liquid bottle.

Mary Hance writes a newspaper column on saving money.

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