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Jul 19 2012

Homemade All Purpose Cleaner

Category: Cleaning • Recipes for homemade cleaners

I have started making my own household cleaning products.  I have been using this all purpose cleaner recipe, using vinegar and a few other items for awhile now.  I must say it works really well, I wish I tried this long ago and it’s kind to our budget, saving us money.  I use this cleaner in the kitchen particularly and general wipe downs around the home.  

Step 1:  Gather all ingredients.  Jug, spray bottle, hot water, detergent, vinegar and borax.  Borax can be found at ‘some’ supermarkets, however  I found mine at Bunnings.  I purchased the Jug and Spray Bottle from Howards Storage World.  The jug is perfect for household cleaners (as well as drinks in the fridge as it has a no spill lid).  I make up a batch of the ‘all purpose cleaner’ in the jug and refill the spray bottle  when needed.  Both these items can be found at your local Howards Storage World Store.

Step 2:  Measure ingredients and place into jug, mix to combine

 Step 3:  Fill jug with tap water.  Use a funnel to pour into spray bottle. 

Step 4:  Don’t forget to label jug and spray bottle

 Find recipe for homemade all purpose cleaner below

Home Made All Purpose Cleaner
 
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Prep time

Total time

 

Ingredients
  • 2L jug
  • spray bottle
  • 4 cups hot water
  • ½ cup detergent
  • ½ cup vinegar
  • 4 tsp borax

Instructions
  1. Place hot water, detergent, vinegar and borax into jug, mix to combine
  2. Fill jug with water (room temp), stir
  3. Pour into spary bottle

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  • Rachael

    Hi Katrina

    3 Quick Questions:

    1) Does this leave any type of residue? 
    2) Also how does it work on hard to move stains such as baked on food on the top of the stove? 
    3) Finally is there any odours associated with this home made product?

    Thanks :)
    Rachael

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=648247202 Hazel Wade

      Sorry to jump in here, hope you don’t mind.  Re: your 2nd query Rachael, for my cooker top when there is baked on food, I just use salt and lemon juice or white vinegar and it comes up a treat.  Pour salt onto the food debris once cold, pour some vinegar or lemon juice straight on top and rub with a damp sponge or cloth.

      Hope it works for you xx

      • Rachael

        Thanks Hazel – so regular salt is fine – that is I don’t have to use rock salt?  I’ll give it a try :)   Do you use the same to clean the inside of your oven also?

        Thanks again! x

  • Mel

    Hi Katrina,

    I am wondering if you could also use this as a floor cleaner? Or do you use something else for that?

    Thank you

    Melissa

  • tanya

    If you have a nut allergy, I have seen sunflower seed paste/butter in the health food section. I haven’t tried it yet but might get some for day care lunches as my little one goes to a nut free centre.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=648247202 Hazel Wade

    Hi Katrina,

    I love homemade cleaners and thought you might be interested in this one as it is SO safe and SO effective (I know, I’ve tried it myself!) - http://poppyjuice-poppy.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/vinegar-orange-peel-homemade-cleaning.html

  • Rwect

    So funny you should say that the jug you bought would also be good for drinks…my mum loves to tell me the story about my grandfather who came in from cutting the grass, saw a cordial bottle on the sink, glugged half of it down before he realised it was metho!!!

    • http://www.theorganisedhousewife.com.au Katrina

      Ooh no that’s awful. I have our jug clearly labelled and currently on the top shelf in the pantry.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jacqui.pearson Jacqui Pearson

    Would it be a good idea to add a few drops of food colouring to the cleaner (like a blue) so that is not mistaken for water?

    • http://www.theorganisedhousewife.com.au Katrina

      No I wouldn’t, I used this on the carpet the other day the cat wasn’t well and marked the carpet, I used the all purpose cleaner and it didn’t leave any marks behind, if it had food colouring in it would limit what I would use it on.

  • http://www.facebook.com/hayley.rayfield Hayley ‘Fame Excess’ Rayfield

    Hi Katrina, just getting organised for the 20 day challenge, however I have no idea what BORAX is or where i would get it… pls help!!

    • Elsp

      I’ve looked in my local IGA, Woolworths and Coles and I can’t find Borax in any of them. Any ideas where I could get hold of some Borax?

      • http://www.theorganisedhousewife.com.au Katrina

        I found my Borax at Bunnings.

        • Elsp

          I’ll look there today….Cheers!

  • Elle

    Can it be used as a floor cleaner? Looking something that doesn’t make glossy tiles slippery…currently recovering from a torn Hamstring due to wet slippery tile.

  • Jodzadam

    I have had trouble finding the borax, is there something else you could use to replace it?

    • http://www.theorganisedhousewife.com.au Katrina

      I had trouble too, I did find it at Bunnings.

      • http://www.facebook.com/amy.reinhardt Amy Reinhardt

        I’m trying to get my cleaning kit ready to roll for the 20 day challenge, but couldn’t find Borax at Bunnings, Big W or Woolworths today. I looked with the cleaning products/chemicals at Bunnings… would it be in a different location?

  • Amber

    I may not be seeing it, but what kind of detergent?

  • Amber

    A friend just ‘liked’ the 20 day challenge and i saw it today, glad i did, im going to do it too!!

  • Shireen

    @ Elle. Put one cup of white vinegar in the bucket with hot water only and do the floors. Beautiful.

  • http://www.facebook.com/amy.reinhardt Amy Reinhardt

    Hi Katrina, I haven’t been able to find Borax at Bunnings, Woolworths or Big W… is it essential for the all purpose cleaner? Thanks, Amy.

    • http://www.facebook.com/emma.mills.10 Emma Mills

      I found some today at the IGA in the cleaning aisle

      • http://www.theorganisedhousewife.com.au Katrina

        Perfect!

        • http://www.facebook.com/amy.reinhardt Amy Reinhardt

          Thanks Emma… I’ll try and get to IGA during the week to see if I can find it.

          • http://www.facebook.com/kimmie.fuss Kimberley Jane Fuss

            I get mine in Coles, I asked in Woolies and they told me they had stopped that ‘line’…I make my own Washing powder and so use it all the time…In the 3 different Coles shops I have found it on the top shelf, next to Drain cleaner etc…

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  • http://www.facebook.com/dagmar07 Dagmar Schnappinger

    Hi Katrina,

    can you – or someone else – please tell me, what Borax does within this recipe?
    The reason of my question: I live in Germany and here it is forbidden so sell Borax to households … they say, it’s dangerous to newborn life …
    So – if I know what function Borax does have, I could get something to replace it.

    Thanks!

    Dagmar

  • Meriam

    Hi Katrina,

    I’m just wondering why you add the Earth detergent; is it only for the nice smell?

    Thank you!
    Meriam

  • http://www.facebook.com/weenzling Saskia Greis

    Your home made cleaner ist the best cleaner I ever used!

  • TanyaTK

    Hi,

    I looked up Borax in response to the comment from Dagmar. this is what I found on wikipedia

    Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. Powdered borax is white, consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.

    Borax has a wide variety of uses. It is a component of many detergents, cosmetics, and enamel glazes. It is also used to make buffer solutions in biochemistry, as a fire retardant, as an anti-fungal compound for fiberglass, as a flux in metallurgy, neutron-capture shields for radioactive sources, a texturing agent in cooking, and as a precursor for other boron compounds.

    However, I found this link as well.

    http://www.crunchybetty.com/getting-to-the-bottom-of-borax-is-it-safe-or-not

  • Ann

    Kat do you have a natural good cleaner for wooden floors?? Thanks

    • http://www.theorganisedhousewife.com.au Katrina

      Ann I use hot water with a splash of vinegar to clean my floors, does a great job. The vinegar smell does not linger but will pick up all dirt and germs.