Homemade Cleaners {free printable}

Hi there lovely readers!
How is your 2014 going so far? Our family is settling into our new home at our latest Army post- we're glad to be back a bit north and getting all four seasons again! After being down south for the past 2 1/2 years, we're ready for fall and winter :)

So I know I've been a bit quiet here this month (and the past, oh, year!), but we're finally down to the last few boxes to unpack! I'll have some fun organizing tips coming up in the next few months as I get everything settled in its final places in closets and whatnot! But for now, I thought I'd share with ya'll a free printable that I use myself!

{click here to download PDF}

So here it is! A free printable for keeping track of all those homemade cleaners! We love using vinegar, baking soda, castile soap, and hydrogen peroxide for nearly all our cleaning needs. I've started writing down all the combinations of solutions with this handy printable, and wanted you all to take advantage of it too, if you'd like!

As I wrap up the unpacking, you'll be sure to see me more around here posting and whatnot, as well as over on my card making blog! Be sure to stay tuned ;)

God bless,
Shauna

the power of baking soda

Ewwww! Yup... that's what happens to cups when you drink a LOT of tea and they're only handwashable. But, do not despair, there's baking soda!

So what exactly am I rambling about? Well, I have a lot of coffee/tea mugs that are not dishwasher safe. No biggie- I just wash them by hand... but the stains don't always come off by a simple sponge and soap. Now when I found out about baking soda as a stain remover, the above mug {and a few others} had about 2-3 years of stains on them! So take the above staining at the bottom of the mug, and imagine the entire mug stained like that. Ewww! I know....

Enter the baking soda!! Just sprinkle a little in the bottom of stained coffee mugs {or most any normal dish... double check about special surfaces though}, put in enough baking soda to make a bit of a paste, scrub it around the cup, and voila!
Presto, chango, clean cup-o! Yup, baking soda instantly washed away years of stain build up! {OK, so maybe not "instantly" as it did require a few minutes of scrubbing!} Again, if you have special surfaces, double check that baking soda won't do them any harm before you sprinkle away. As far as I know, most surfaces should be fine, and I use it on all of my dishes that need a little extra scrubbing power :)

bathroom cleaning & crafting

So here's a recent project I wanted to share with you! It started with the above "ingredients"... baking soda, vinegar, label maker, and old containers. It ended with what you see below!

Here's the backstory... in recent months I switched over to using just straight vinegar and baking soda to clean our toilets {well, our whole house really!} You can see my post {here} about all the awesome uses for baking soda around the house, and {this article} for awesome uses for vinegar! Anyhoo, so using little dixie cups to sprinkle the two around the toilet bowl just hasn't been working the best. So I took two old containers, added some scrapbooking paper and mod podge, and there ya go! I was originally going to use the label maker, but the old containers were hanging onto their stickers pretty well, so I decided to cover them up instead of spend the extra time removing them.

Feel free to take a peek at my blog post {here} on my crafting blog to see a bit more of the process for crafting the fun labels and why I stamped "merry & bright" on them... :)

So above are the "ingredients" that I use for cleaning our bathrooms.... my new baking soda and vinegar containers which I use for cleaning out the toilet bowl, the bigger bottle of vinegar and the white rag for wiping down surfaces, the blue microfiber for dusting, and the tan rag is for wiping down the toilet lids and seats with vinegar. Even though vinegar kills 99% of germs, I'd rather keep my toilet rag separate from my sink rag ;) I have toilet bowl brushes in every bathroom, so those coupled with my above arsenal get the job done!

So that's my bathroom cleaning collection! Do you have any neat tricks for cleaning??

.: linking up at :.

Works for Me Wednesday @ We are THAT family

All Things Inspired @ All Things Heart & Home

Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts

Show and Tell @ Blue Cricket Designs

Show Me What Ya Got @ Not Just A Housewife

Strut Your Stuff @ Saturday Mornings

Weekend Wrap Up Party @ Tatertots and Jello

anti-antibacterial

After learning about anti-bacterial products' propensity to breed super-bacteria {which are resistant to anti-bacterial and other products}, I make every effort to avoid using such products in my home. I choose to use other products, such as those below::

.: in the car/purse :.

Those times where I don't have ready access to soap and water, I use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. I keep a small bottle in my car, for using after pumping gas or before having a snack-on-the-run. I also keep a small bottle in my purse, for use when I'm out and about.

.: at home :.

There are a variety of items I use in our home, ranging from store bought products to homemade solutions! Some of these will be eliminated in the future, in favor of even more homemade solutions, but for now these are the products you can find in our home!

.: Method :. this natural, non-toxic, environmentally friendly product line graces our home in the form of hand soap, bathroom cleaners, and all-purpose cleaner

.: GreenWorks :. this 95% natural, environmentally friendly product line can be found as our toilet bowl cleaner and all-purpose cleaner I use in the kitchen

.: Seventh Generation :. this non-toxic, environmentally responsible product can be found in our kitchen as dishwasher detergent. Many of their other products are natural as well

.: baking soda :.

This one gets its own category! It is one of THE best natural cleaners, and SO multi-purpose-mix it with some vinegar, and it can clean even more! Click on each of the headers to be brought to Arm & Hammer's page where it tells the proportions to mix :)

bathroom

.: deodorize shower curtains, floors, tubs, drains, oral appliances, and wastebaskets

.: wash away residues in brushes, combs, even yourself!

.: use as a bath soak, facial scrub, body exfoliant, antacid, deodorant, hand cleanser, mouth wash, toothpaste, or foot soak

.: use to keep your septic system working smoothly

.: mix with vinegar to unclog drains too!

laundry

{I have an extra box of baking soda in my laundry room}

.: gentle enough to use for baby's laundry

.: boost your bleach or laundry detergent

.: deodorize pet bedding, cat litter, tough wash jobs, towels and sheets

kitchen

{I have an extra box of baking soda and bottle of vinegar under our sink just for cleaning use}

.: clean lunch boxes, pots & pans, coffee & tea pots, floors, plastic containers, dishwashers, and microwaves

.: great as a surface cleaner, veggie scrub, and as a silver polish

.: perfect for use when hand washing dishes, pots, and pans

.: deodorize fridges, freezers, garbage cans, drains, garbage disposals, and recyclables

.: let's not forget its use as a fire extinguisher!

.: mix with vinegar to unclog drains too!

garage

.: deodorize cars, camper water tanks, and sports gear

.: bring along on camping trips as a go-to product

.: great for cleaning batteries, cars, and oil or grease stains

living & bedrooms

.: clean upholstery spills, pet toys, carpet spills, walls, and painted furniture

.: deodorize carpets, upholstery, gym bags, sneakers, closets and sheets

nursery

.: safe for cleaning baby toys, combs, and equipment

.: deodorize baby bottles, stuffed animals, and diaper pails

outdoors

.: great for pool care & maintenance

.: clean grills, pool toys, and lawn furniture

.: use as a dry bath for dogs

:: please note: I have mentioned products and brands that I personally choose to use, nothing more- I have not been reimbursed in any way for mentioning these brand names ::

linking up at::

Kitchen Stewardship's Spring Cleaning Carnival