Pinterest Challenge: Homemade Cleaning Products

Technically, the Spring Edition of the  Pinterest Challenge hosted by Sherry of Young House Love, Katie of Bower Power, Emily of Sparkle Meets Pop, and Renee of Red Bird Blue happened last week on Wednesday. I just could not swing a project or a post just a few days after we moved. My philosophy, however, is always better late than never. So, here is what I have for you this time. 

 

There is nothing like moving into a brand-new, squeaky-clean home. My Pinterest Challenge project is all about keeping our new space fresh and clean and looking like new. It's fitting I guess for all you spring cleaners out there! 

I was inspired to revamp my cleaning style after purchasing a Bona hardwood floor cleaner. I had heard about them on a few blogs and did a little research of my own. I decided it would be the best thing to clean my hardwood floors. I loooove it! Yes, I just said that I love a cleaning tool so you know it's gotta be good. The pads are reusable so you just have to throw them into the washing machine. The cleaning solution is eco-friendly so I don't have to worry about the kids crawling around a floor covered in stinky chemicals. My goal was to see how else I could incorporate some more eco-friendly products into my cleaning regimen while also saving a few bucks.

 

That brings me to the Pinterest part of this project. I had seen several homemade cleaning recipes floating around and decided to throw a few together to see how they would work. I didn't necessarily go completely natural because I did make a couple of things that included Dawn dish soap. Still, that's a lot better than some of the stuff that is included in your typical store-bought cleaners.

 

The first thing that I whipped up was a stainless steel cleaner. I love our new stainless steel appliances but already they were filled with fingerprints and smudges so I've been looking for a way to clean them quickly and easily. I bought some stuff at the store and it was awful. It left streaks and a white film all over my refrigerator.  My homemade cleaner, however, worked wonders! Look how shiny my fridge looks!

 

 

The mixture for the solution is as follows from Doughmesstic:

• 3/4 cup of olive oil
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1 1/2 cups of white vinegar
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon

By the way, I think the key to making it look this good is using a microfiber cloth. 

Next on the agenda was to make a glass cleaner. I have a glass cooktop so I knew I wanted something to clean that, as well, windows and mirrors. Here's the recipe also from Doughmesstic:
 

• 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol
• 1/4 cup of white vinegar
• Juice from 1/2 a lemon
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 cups of warm water

 

 

 It also does a really nice job cleaning. I did not have the cornstarch so I just made it without and it still worked fine. When I have more time on my hands, I may even make my own labels and use some prettier bottles. Yes, I know I'm a dork! 

                               

Finally, I love wipes. Even Audrey gets involved in cleaning up when we use them. To make my own version I filled an old wipe container with this recipe from A Slob Comes Clean:

 

• 1/4 cup of white vinegar
• Some Dawn dish soap
• Warm water to fill container

I then cut up an old white T-shirt into rectangles rolled them up and put them in the container overnight. They are really great! I love that I can just throw the rags into the washing machine and reuse them and I was also able to clean all of my countertops with just one wipe. 

 

My little experiment may have just converted me to using homemade cleaners forever.

Be sure to check out all the other awesome projects by following the links at the beginning of this post. And, just for kicks, click here and here for some of my previous Pinterest Challenge posts. 

Thanks for sticking around during this crazy time for me and my family. I'll be checking back in when I can. I am going to be an organizing mad woman over the next couple weeks, though. Oh, and not that I'm counting but we only have 12 days of school left! Summer, I love you and I'll see you very soon!