Homemade Cleaners: For Carpet, Floor, Glass, Drains

Here is advice on how to make homemade cleaners and stain removers for your home. If you have any great tips, please post your own comments below!

Floor Cleaners and Polishes

• Need to polish the floors? Try polishing with baking soda to make them sparkle.
• Wash away grease spots and dull, greasy film on no-wax linoleum floors with a solution of 1/2 cup of white vinegar and 1/2 gallon of water. Your floor will look sparking clean.
• For linoleum, damp-mop using a solution of a mild detergent and water for day-to-day cleaning. Keep water away from seams and edges to prevent loosening of the tiles. To preserve the floor, add a capful of baby oil to the mop water.
• For brick and stone floors, mix 1 cup of white vinegar into 1 gallon of water. Scrub floor with a brush and vinegar solution, then rinse.
• For ceramic tile floors, mix 1/4 cup of white vinegar into 1 gallon of water. This solution removes most dirt without scrubbing. Soap doesn’t work well if you have hard water.

Carpet Cleaners

• Blood: Sponge the stain immediately with cold water or club soda, and dry it with a towel. Repeat as necessary.
• Ink: Soak ink stains in lemon juice.
• Muddy footprints: Sprinkle salt on the mud and let it dry before vacuuming.
• Urine: Dab the area with a towel, wash it with suds of liquid hand-dishwashing detergent, and rinse it with 1/2 cup of vinegar diluted in one quart of warm water. Lay towels over the spot and weigh it down to absorb excess moisture. Let it sit for 6 to 8 hours; then remove the toweling, brush up the nap, and let the carpet dry completely.
• Vomit: Mix one part white vinegar to eight parts water in a bucket or spray bottle. Spray onto the stain and allow it to set for one to two minutes. Then blot up the remaining vinegar with absorbent paper towels until no more moisture comes up. 
• Soot: Sprinkle the area generously with salt. Allow the salt to settle for a least 15 minutes before vacuuming.

Furniture Polish

• Mix 2 parts vegetable or olive oil and 1 part lemon juice. Apply and polish with a soft cloth. This leaves furniture looking and smelling good.

Glass and Window Cleaners

• 1/2 cup vinegar to 1 gallon water (or 2 tablespoons per quart)
• 1/2 cup ammonia to 1 gallon water (or 2 tablespoons per quart)
• To clean cut glass, sprinkle baking soda on a damp rag and clean the glass. Rinse and then polish with a soft cloth.
• Remove stains on glass by rubbing them with toothpaste. Polish with a soft cloth.

Grease Removers

• For grease on kitchen floors, immediately pour salt on the spot to absorb the grease and prevent staining.
• If you spill grease on a wood floor, immediately place ice cubes or very cold water on the spot. The grease will harden and then can be carefully scraped off. Finally, iron a piece of cloth or folded paper towel over the grease spot to soak up any remaining grease.

All-Purpose Cleaners

• Mix together vinegar and salt for a good surface cleaning.
• Dissolve 4 tablespoons of baking soda in 1 quart of warm water for a general cleaner. Or, use baking soda on a damp sponge. Baking soda will clean and deodorize all kitchen and bathroom surfaces.

Drain Cleaners and Openers

• To avoid clogged drains, use a drain strainer to trap food particles and hair, and collect grease in cans rather than pouring it down the drain.
• Weekly, pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain to melt fat that may be building up, or pour some vinegar and baking soda down the drain to break down fat and keep your drain smelling fresh.
• To open a drain, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain. Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar and cover the drain if possible. Let it sit for a few minutes, then pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain to flush it.
• Another way to open a drain is to pour 1/2 cup of salt and 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain. Follow this with 6 cups of boiling water. Let it sit overnight and then flush it with water. The hot water wil help dissolve the clog, and the baking soda and salt serve as an abrasive to break through the clog.