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spray bottles in a bucket filled with cleaners you can make yourself that better than store bought and lots cheaper too

Here are the Best Homemade Cleaning Recipes

/Updated /7 Comments/in /by Mary Hunt

I pretty much hate to buy things I know I can make for less money—to say nothing of the time required to find them in a store. Take cleaning products for example. Knowing I can make homemade cleaners for pennies that cost dollars in a store just makes me happy. It’s a no-brainer.

Here are my top five homemade cleaning recipes to help you get started saving all that money you’ve been spending on cleaning products.

spray bottles

Eyeglasses Cleaning Solution

To make this homemade cleaner, you will need:

  • 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
  • Blue Dawn
  • distilled water

Fill a spray bottle of any size 3/4 full of  70% isopropyl rubbing alcohol (91% or 99% are fine to use here, but more costly and not necessary). Add 2 drops of mild Blue Dawn dishwashing liquid and fill the rest of the bottle with distilled water*. Gently shake or roll the bottle to mix, so as to not create a lot of bubbles.

To use: Spray both sides of your lenses and gently rub them clean with a microfiber cloth.

NOTE: For years, my husband and I have been using this cleaner on our eyeglasses, which have anti-reflective coating—without any issues. However, in an abundance of caution, please run this by your optician if you are at all hesitant.

Windshield Washer Fluid

For this frequently requested cleaning recipe, you will need:

  • 3 cups isopropyl rubbing alcohol
  • 1 tablespoon Blue Dawn
  • 10 cups distilled water

Pour alcohol, Blue Dawn, and distilled water* into a one-gallon-size container with a lid. Shake thoroughly to mix. Use in place of commercial windshield washer fluid in your car’s windshield washer reservoir. Always shake prior to adding to the reservoir.

The alcohol cleans well because it is a solvent, speeds the drying time, and keeps the fluid from freezing in winter.

Kitchen Counter Cleaner

Countertops made of granite, marble, and stone are tricky because these materials are porous and stain easily. You never want to clean them with anything acidic, which means vinegar and lemon juice are both out.

Here is a homemade countertop cleaner that will not stain nor is it acidic. This homemade cleaner works like a champ to clean and shine ALL types of counters—granite, marble, stone, quartzite, quartz, and Formica, too.

You will need:

  • 1/4 cup 70% isopropyl (rubbing) alcohol
  • 3 drops Blue Dawn
  • 5 to 10 drops essential oil (optional)
  • distilled water

Pour rubbing alcohol into a 16-oz. spray bottle. Add Blue Dawn liquid dishwashing detergent,  essential oil (this is optional, but will add a nice fragrance) plus enough distilled water* to fill the bottle. Apply the spray top and shake to mix. You can use this cleaner along with a good microfiber cloth to clean and shine your countertops and appliances, too. Be sure to label this product clearly.

Hardwood, Laminate, Vinyl Floor Cleaner

You will need:

  • rubbing alcohol
  • distilled water
  • Blue Dawn

One part rubbing alcohol to four parts distilled water (example: 1 cup alcohol, 4 cups distilled water or multiples thereof) plus 3 or 4 drops blue Dawn dishwashing liquid.

Mix this up in a spray bottle each time you clean the floors. Or if you make it up ahead, be sure to label it well and keep it out of the reach of children.

To use: Sweep or vacuum the floor. Spray the cleaner in a small area, scrub well with a cloth or sponge and immediately wipe the area dry with a microfiber cloth. The secret is to spray, scrub, and wipe dry immediately.

If you do not want to do this on your hands and knees, I recommend this Hardwood Floor Spray Mop for both wood and laminate floors. It sprays the cleaner from its removable bottle that lets you make your own.

This mop is fabulous because it has a large surface with an even bigger detachable microfiber cleaning pad that swivels for really easy handling. It makes scrubbing wood and laminate floors a breeze.

I just got a message from my dear reader Cliff who wrote,

“About a year ago I clipped your column from the local newspaper as I was interested in your distilled water, alcohol, and Blue Dawn recipe for cleaning hardwood floors. Recently I tried it and it’s great. Far better than anything I have ever used.”

Homemade Carpet Shampoo Cleaner

This is an ideal shampoo to be used in your Hoover SteamVac or other carpet cleaning machine.

You will need:

Into the machine’s reservoir, pour Febreze, OxiClean, and white vinegar. Add hot water to the fill line. This is the solution I use in my Hoover SteamVac for challenging situations, like my office that gets a lot of traffic. Once I’ve cleaned the carpet thoroughly I fill Hoover with clear hot water and go over the carpets again to rinse.

This homemade solution should not leave a sticky residue on your carpet fibers (I rinse just because I’m especially paranoid about removing all residue) and will not cost a fortune to shampoo the whole house.

Commercial carpet cleaning solutions can be expensive. A small bottle that normally cleans one to two rooms is approximately $15 to $20. This cleaning recipe should cut that cost down to $5 or less.

*Distilled water is not mandatory in any of these recipes, but a good idea for this reason: Tap water can leave hard water marks on eyeglasses, floors, windshields, and countertops. Distilled water will not. You can buy distilled water in any supermarket or discount department store. It’s cheap.

First published: 7-13-17; Revised & Updated 3-1-21

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7 replies
  1. hospitality supplies nz says:

    This is a very informative blog, thanks for sharing about five fabulous super cheap homemade cleaner recipes for eyeglasses windshields counters floors and carpets. It will help a lot; these types of content should get appreciated.

    Reply
  4. Carol Sampson says:

    Years ago I asked our optician what solution they use to clean glasses, and she said 1/3 water, 1/3 alcohol, and 1/3 Glass Plus (Not Windex. It has ammonia.) The important thing is to not use ammonia, as that will damage the anti-glare coating.

    Reply

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