DIY Cleaning Supplies: Should You Be Using Them?
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This blog post was originally written on my former blog. I have updated it and reposted it.
Should you be making your own cleaning supplies? Well, before I embarked on the project of making my own DIY cleaning supplies, I needed to know more.
To answer this question, I came up with 4 main criteria. Let's look into whether DIY cleaning supplies save money, reduce your exposure to toxins, do they actually clean well, and is it a great effort to make them?
1. Does it save money?
Let's compare the prices. Here are some of the cleaning products I usually buy compared to the cost of making the DIY cleaning product alternative.
Let's compare the cost of 5 common cleaning products and an alternative DIY cleaning product recipe you could easily make at home.
Shower Cleaner
Seventh Generation Tub & Tile Cleaner, 32 oz, $2.99-$3.99.
An alternative recipe: Use an old spray bottle from your commercial cleaner, then add 2 cups white vinegar + 2 Cups water (32oz total), $0.75 (on average)
Ummm, yeah. Quite a difference. I think DIY is the way to go.
Tub Scrub
(I used to clean our tub every other day before I run a bath for my son because I'm a tub-a-phobe...dirty tubs scare me! When my son was little, we lived in a house with one shower/bathtub.)
In conjunction with the shower cleaner, I use Bon Ami Powder Cleanser, 14oz can, $4.99.
An alternative recipe: Baking Soda and Dish Soap Scrub -This is a great cleaner to use once a week. It works as a scrub, to break up any residue that sprays don't wash away. Pour 1.5 cups of baking soda into a bowl, and slowly stir in drops of liquid dish detergent until you reach the desired consistency. You want a firm cream with a little baking soda grit left behind. About $1.60. Thanks to eHow.com for the recipe.
My strategy to save money with DIY cleaning supplies is slowly starting to make cents 🤣.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Seventh Generation Toilet Bowl Cleaner, Emerald Cypress & Fir, 32 oz, $3.16.
An alternative recipe: 1/4 cup baking soda + 1 cup vinegar, pour into basin, let sit for a couple minutes and clean with a brush and rinse. 32oz of this recipe would cost about $0.65.
Done!
Window and Glass Cleaner
Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Window Spray, 24oz, $4.99.
An Alternative recipe: 1.5 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol + 1.5 cup water + 2 Tablespoons white vinegar. 24oz of this recipe would cost less than $2.00.
Wow! Looks like I can cut my cost by more than half!
All-Purpose Surface Cleaner
BioKleen All Purpose Cleaner Super Concentrated-16 oz, $6.05. I use this on almost everything from floors to kitchen and bathroom counter-tops, walls and other surfaces. 16oz of this solution makes about 16 gallons, so if you were to whip up 32oz of this it would only cost about $0.10.
An alternative recipe: DIY All-Purpose Surface Cleaner:
In a spray bottle mix: 1 cup distilled water, 1 cup vinegar, essential oils as preferred- I use 15 drops lemon, 15 drops lavender. Cover bottle and shake well. Use as needed as bathroom cleaner, floor pre-treater, kitchen cleaner and on toys to disinfect.
32oz of this alternative recipe would cost only pennies, so they are fairly even in cost. I guess it depends on which one you prefer. DIY or store-bought then dilute.
2. Are there fewer chemicals?
It depends...on what you would buy for a commercial cleaning product. There are many great natural cleaning supplies available now but most of the cleaning products you find in your average grocery store, Costco or elsewhere contain hundreds of chemicals. Some companies have even had litigation brought forth for not disclosing many harmful toxins in their cleaning products sold to the unsuspecting public. Read the article here.
Bottom line, when you make your own cleaning supplies, you KNOW what's going into them and therefore what you and your family are breathing in, sleeping on or eating off of.
3. Does the cleaner really clean well?
So far, I have only used a few homemade solutions but I have been very happy so far! I will keep posting about my results in the future after having some time to use my new homemade products.
Based on all the blogs, comments, and Facebook posts, the general consensus among the users of DIY cleaning supplies is an overwhelming YES! These natural alternatives DO work, and sometimes even better than their commercial counterparts.
4. Is it a huge undertaking?
Nope. In fact, you may even save time when you don't have to traipse up and down the cleaning aisles at the grocery store. Most of the homemade solutions can be made in a sizable amount and stored for many uses down the road before you have to (quickly) whip up another batch. These recipes listed above are so easy I'm pretty sure my children could make them (with a little guidance and some cleaning up afterward...ha ha!)
More Reading
The following websites were incredibly helpful in writing this blog and are great resources to further your research on homemade cleaning supplies, going green and saving money!
EarthJustice.org
OrganizedHome.com
EWG.org
WellnessMama.com
The Conclusion
In all fairness, I was already pretty strict about shopping around for non-toxic cleaning supplies, so by making my own, I'm not sure I am actually reducing the toxins introduced in my home. And with great delivery services and online shopping at stores like Vitacost.com and Amazon, I think it's safe to say that it's fairly easy to procure non-toxic cleaning supplies. I'm not saving a HUGE amount of time there.
However, I have come to find that DIY cleaning supplies often times do a better cleaning job than the store-bought versions! And it's clear to me that I can save some money. So, I think I will continue to use mostly DIY cleaning supplies.
I would love to hear what your favorite DIY or non-toxic cleaning supplies are. Please leave a comment below!
