Recipezaar: Inexpensive,Household/Cleansers recipes

Homemade 'Oxygen' Cleaner

Sun, 30 Jun 2002 17:54:25 -0400

The name brand is expensive but this is an inexpensive alternative and less harmful to your clothes than bleach! -- posted by Tish

Playdough

Sat, 27 Jul 2002 00:28:02 -0400

Easy inexpensive one. -- posted by Teresa M

Window cleaner

Sat, 27 Jul 2002 00:41:43 -0400

Good, inexpensive & easy window cleaner! -- posted by Teresa M

The Smart Girl's Way to Clean Silver

Mon, 06 Jan 2003 20:01:34 -0500

Now how come no one mentioned this snazzy little trick in high school chemistry all those years ago? -- posted by Missy Wombat

Country Garden Liquid Soap

Tue, 04 Feb 2003 20:00:17 -0500

A wonderful homemade liquid soap recipe. Let me know what you think of it! -- posted by KitchenCraftsnMore

Cheap Homemade Furniture Polish

Sat, 12 Apr 2003 20:10:32 -0400

From the Thursday magazine; this was submitted by Jyoti S. Mehta. -- posted by Charishma Ramchandani

Easy Silver Polish

Mon, 14 Apr 2003 20:04:41 -0400

From last week's Thursday magazine; this was submitted by Jyoti S. Mehta. -- posted by Charishma Ramchandani

Easy Homemade Aluminium Utensil Cleaner

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 20:03:10 -0400

"From the chef's hat" column of the Thursday magazine dated May 1-7'03! Please do not DRINK! -- posted by Charishma Ramchandani

Bye Bye My Clogged Kitchen Sink

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 20:03:27 -0400

There can be no easier way to unclog a clogged kitchen sink! ENJOY! This is one recipe that has me really impressed with results. -- posted by Charishma Ramchandani

Refreshing Fishy Smelly Fish Mix

Thu, 12 Jun 2003 20:03:57 -0400

Easy, inexpensive and effective! -- posted by Charishma Ramchandani

Wall Cleaner

Mon, 30 Jun 2003 20:07:14 -0400

Get that swiffer out and attach an old clean rag to it and use this to mop down those walls... -- posted by Missy Wombat

Gardener's Friend Molasses Spray

Tue, 05 Aug 2003 20:05:01 -0400

Use this spray on plants that are being attacked by caterpillars and other chewing pests. Caterpillars would rather starve than eat leaves sprayed with this. this also has been used by some as a possum repellent. From "Organic Vegetable Gardening" by Annette McFarlane and the Gardening Australia team -- posted by Missy Wombat

Gardener's Friend Oil Spray Concentrate

Tue, 05 Aug 2003 20:05:07 -0400

Oil based mixtures can be used to suffocate mites, scale and other soft-bodies insects. They help to repel leaf miner moths and sometimes even grasshoppers. Avoid using on plants with hairy leaves and during very hot weather. From Gardening Australia. -- posted by Missy Wombat

Vinegar of the Four Thieves

Fri, 08 Aug 2003 20:05:56 -0400

A basic version of his antiseptic brew so named because the four thieves used to apply this to themselves to protect themselves from the Bubonic Plague while plundering those who had died from it. -- posted by Missy Wombat

Gardener's Friend Garlic Spray

Fri, 08 Aug 2003 20:19:43 -0400

Anti-fungal, anti-bacterial...and also an insect repellent. This is an organic recipe. -- posted by Missy Wombat

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Fri, 29 Aug 2003 20:03:19 -0400

Make your own laundry detergent! This is really easy and really does save money! Great for people with allergies or fragrance sensitivity. This lasts a long time! -- posted by Daphne2002

Homemade Spray Starch

Tue, 21 Oct 2003 20:00:11 -0400

Posted by request. Add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch for a ligher starch and 3 tablespoons for stiffer. -- posted by Roosie

Nonstick Cookware Stain Remover

Wed, 22 Oct 2003 20:00:10 -0400

Have you ever got something baked hard on your Nonstick cookware? Here is a way to possibly get it off that pan without scratching the surface! -- posted by Tish

Homemade Liquid Laundry Detergent

Mon, 17 Nov 2003 19:59:59 -0500

Got this recipe off a do it yourself site. It really works and is much cheaper than buying detergent at the store. Add a small amount of essential oil to give it a good smell! -- posted by Tish

Laundry Detergent Powder

Mon, 17 Nov 2003 20:01:13 -0500

Found this on a MYO cleaners website and love how cheap it is to make! It's so easy to make, too! I keep mine in a quart sized jar and it takes up so little room on my shelf. -- posted by Jellyqueen

Homemade Wipes

Wed, 14 Jan 2004 20:00:19 -0500

This is a very cheap way to make wipes to use around your home. Great for the pocketbook! -- posted by Loves2Teach

Cheap and Easy Homemade Window Cleaner

Thu, 29 Jan 2004 20:00:31 -0500

From the Thursday magazine, this works like a charm and is so easy to put together! Enjoy! -- posted by Charishma Ramchandani

Easy Homemade Microwave Cleaner

Thu, 29 Jan 2004 20:00:33 -0500

Cleaning your microwave couldn't get any easier than this! -- posted by Charishma Ramchandani

Cleans Everything Cleaner (Even Grout!)

Tue, 03 Feb 2004 20:00:39 -0500

This cleaner is great. I use it for everything. Laundry (1/2 cup per load) Dishes (a squirt in the sink) Dishwashers (in the prewash only)Bathroom. It is a combination of many recipies for laundry soap I have discovered on the web, but it will clean everything! One batch will last a long time and will cost way less than $1. I just discovered a new use for this awesome stuff... It cleans grout! Just pour some on your floor (My kitchen grout was nasty!) and scrub the grout lightly. Rinse it and enjoy clean grout with no nasty chemicals!!! -- posted by Sully7

Dishwasher Soap

Wed, 11 Feb 2004 19:59:54 -0500

Make your own dishwasher detergent.I found this on a DIY site. -- posted by jt*s_mom

BSV -Unusual but GREAT grease cleaner

Mon, 05 Apr 2004 19:59:49 -0400

This is one of my most "precious" recipes that I am so proud to be sharing with my friends on Zaar and the rest of the world. This recipe was born on the 23rd of February at close to midnight(isn't that somethin'!). It just happened that my kitchen was sparkling clean, but I had several of these horrible grease marks all over my cooking unit which were not taking the name of going, no matter how much I scrubbed them using baking soda and vinegar(the combo generally works very well to cut through grease). I was slogging like crazy trying so very hard, when it just occured to me that I could try using washing soda to fight these grease marks. When I looked at the washing soda box, it didn't mention that washing soda works to fight grease. So, I looked up the borax box and that said it does work to fight grease. Well, then, I just took the box straight into my kitchen and called my dad to help me(cos my arm was so tired with the 30 minutes of scrubbing). When my dad got to the kitchen, he saw the box of borax and got an idea. He said, why not try using some vinegar, some borax powder and some Surgical spirit..and then trying to scrub! We did and guess what - It worked like a charm plus it hardly costs few pennies!!! Now, I have the best grease fighter right here!!! I hope it will do you as much good as it did me:) Please note: The number of servings really depends on how much grease you got to fight! The cooking time is how much time it took me to get rid of all the horrible grease. -- posted by Charishma Ramchandani

Essential Oil Room Air Freshener Spray Recipe

Mon, 07 Jun 2004 19:58:51 -0400

Essential Oil Room Air Freshener Spray Recipe Make your own essential oil air freshening sprays with this fun and easy recipe! You can bottle this and give it as gifts, or just enjoy using it in your own house every day! -- posted by JustaQT

Super Drain Cleaner Recipe

Thu, 10 Jun 2004 19:58:09 -0400

Perfect to prevent drains from clogging. -- posted by JustaQT

Tile and Grout Cleaner

Mon, 14 Jun 2004 19:59:35 -0400

A great and inexpensive substitute to commercial cleaners. -- posted by JustaQT

Vanilla Room Spray Recipe

Tue, 15 Jun 2004 19:59:05 -0400

My favorite room freshner! -- posted by JustaQT

Charishma's Amazing Plastic Shower Curtain Cleaner

Mon, 05 Jul 2004 19:59:51 -0400

I made this all by myself and it works like a charm! This was actually put together last weekend when I was trying my hardest to clean my brother's bath tub's plastic shower curtain that had mildew and alot of dirt all over it. Now, it's shining like it's brand new; thanks to this! -- posted by Charishma Ramchandani

Miracle Spray

Fri, 30 Jul 2004 19:59:26 -0400

I think this is quite an old recipe, it's been used in my family for a long time. I like it because there are no chemicals, it's inexpensive and it smells good! This can be used as an air freshener or as a personal freshener on a hot day. Try spraying your poor hot feet after a hot day of shopping. I use it to spray on my hands after dishes or housework, the vinegar is a natural skin softener. -- posted by Barefoot Beachcomber

Amazing Homemade Weed Killer

Thu, 05 Aug 2004 20:00:21 -0400

Highly effective! This recipe was shared with me yesterday by my neighbor, Kathrine. I had to ask her what she put on the weeds at the corner of her lot that adjoins my garden because although her weeds had turned brown and died, so did a large patch of my green grass. That's when she shared this recipe, and let me tell you....IT WORKS! Recipe can be doubled or tripled easily. -- posted by txgammi

Stir up Spray Starch

Thu, 23 Sep 2004 20:00:07 -0400

This recipe comes from a book by Jerry Baker and is his favorite for spray starching. I've not tried this one yet but will soon. There are several ways to make your own laundry starch, but they all include the same secret ingredient: Stirring the bejeebers out of them to make sure they end up lump free. -- posted by txgammi

Sweaty Stain Solution

Mon, 27 Sep 2004 20:00:00 -0400

Another helpful tip from a book by Jerry Baker. Here's a laundry challenge that's been around as long as laundry itself: getting yellow perspiration stains out of shirt underarms. To treat white shirts, there's nothing better than this recipe. -- posted by txgammi

Keeping White Socks White

Tue, 28 Sep 2004 20:00:02 -0400

I love Jerry Baker's helpful tips and household recipes, and here's another from his book. Dirty white socks will come clean as a whistle if you try this: -- posted by txgammi

Organic Fly Spray

Wed, 29 Sep 2004 20:00:03 -0400

From Grassroots magazine #160 -- posted by Missy Wombat

Charishma's Bathroom Tub Cleaner

Fri, 24 Dec 2004 20:00:10 -0500

This is what I came up with yesterday morning when cleaning my bathroom tub and it worked like a charm! Enjoy! -- posted by Charishma Ramchandani

Goodbye Burnt Food Stains in Pans

Thu, 02 Jun 2005 13:13:26 -0400

To rid your pan of burnt food stains, this is an easy trick I learnt here in Mumbai from the Asian Age newspaper's article "Rid your kitchen of mess" by Rupali Nayar. Enjoy! -- posted by Charishma Ramchandani

Lime Scales Remover from Kettles

Mon, 06 Jun 2005 14:25:28 -0400

This is a wonderful way to remove stains from the kettle. A good trick I learnt from the Asian Age newspaper. -- posted by Charishma Ramchandani

Blender Cleaner

Mon, 06 Jun 2005 14:25:38 -0400

This is a fun and effective recipe from the Asian Age newspaper. This works very well. Enjoy! -- posted by Charishma Ramchandani

Air Freshener Gels

Tue, 04 Oct 2005 14:33:50 -0400

This is a good way to soak up smells. It is fragrence free and really works! The activated charcoal soaks up the odors and the gel, as it dries, reveals a bit of charcoal at a time so the odor removing properties last a long time! Please don't use bbq charcoal! You won't get the same results at all! -- posted by Sully7

Air Freshener

Mon, 16 Jan 2006 15:05:04 -0500

This is a quick, simple, and inexpesive way to freshen your home. No toxic chemicals, all natural recipe from another informative website. -- posted by Lauralie41

Cleaning Silver

Fri, 10 Feb 2006 18:16:57 -0500

A few household items that amazling cleans silver. I had a badly tarnished dish that these few items cleaned right up. -- posted by DoryJean54

Drip Coffee Maker Cleaner

Tue, 21 Feb 2006 11:03:51 -0500

Use this recipe to clean your coffee maker. A clean machine makes better tasting coffee! -- posted by Hadice

Deer Repellant

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 14:13:42 -0500

I've been using this for years on my fruit trees, and it hasn't failed me in this deer-infested area of Western Pennsylvania. As an added bonus, the garlic helps repel insect pests. -- posted by Kays

Eyeglass Cleaner Refill

Tue, 20 Jun 2006 16:59:57 -0400

So, you've bought one of those nifty little squirt bottles of cleaner for your glasses, and now it's empty. Should you spend another small fortune on name brand refills or another bottle full? Absolutely no need. For less than $3 you can have a lifetime supply of refill at your fingertips. -- posted by Roxi

Liquid Dishwasher Detergent

Sun, 19 Nov 2006 20:57:35 -0500

I searched for a long time and couldn't find a good liquid dishwasher detergent recipe, so I played around and invented this one. It was inspired by the many powdered detergent recipes. It rinses well, but if you have hard water, you might want to use some vinegar in the rinse cycle. -- posted by TRushforth

Vasili's White Oil Spray

Fri, 03 Aug 2007 16:34:20 -0400

From the SBS gardening show "Vasili's Garden" -- posted by Missy Wombat

Easy Weed Killer

Fri, 24 Aug 2007 23:23:40 -0400

Our HOA is a stickler about grass/weeds in the expansion joints of the driveway, but I am extremely leery of herbicides (or any commercial 'cide'). This easy mixture is also safe enough to let my 10 yr old help out when we are sprucing up the yard! How many lawn care products can say that?!? =) -- posted by SeaDawn

Family Safe Insecticide

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 20:57:00 -0400

Once in a while it seems we /must/ bite the bullet and actually use a '-cide'. While we seem to be able to usually manage household and plant pests with care and nature's remedies, after bringing home a potted jade plant that went from vibrant and robust to 3 short stalks with only 2 leaves each due to teensy little buggers, I tried this concoction from www.garlic-acres.com. The jade recovered, I didn't worry about the cats if they nibbled, and it got rid of the munchers that were feasting on my pomegranate tree, too! Who knew??? -- posted by SeaDawn

Pre-Wash Spray

Mon, 08 Oct 2007 23:09:58 -0400

As the mum of a toddler I use a LOT of pre-wash spray. This is a recipe I found on CD Kitchen on one of the days I had run out of store bought. -- posted by **Mandy**

Silver Cleaning in 15 Seconds!

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 01:36:06 -0500

Learned this while I was living in Mexico. You tend to learn tricks like these when you don't have things readily available! Not for use on antiqued silver. -- posted by AniSarit

Pet Urine Remover

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:09:16 -0500

I have used everything on the market including vinegar and dish soap. Nothing worked especially on cat urine. I have been using this recipe for years now. It works! I have 4 cats and 2 dogs, and when one has an accident I use this and it takes the smell away instantly! No more having to buy expensive removers from the store. -- posted by Purrheart #562343

Natural Produce Wash

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 01:36:06 -0500

I heard this idea on a radio program long ago and decided to try it when I ran out of the wash I bought at the health food store. This produce wash seems to work as well as the store bought versions, and I know for sure what's in it . -- posted by Blessed*One

Homemade Ant Killer

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:10:36 -0400

The best way I have found to get rid of ants both inside and out is the following recipe: -- posted by Shabby Sign Shoppe

Homemade Vegetable Wash/Preserver Produce Wash - Make Your Own a

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 15:52:03 -0400

Easy and economical. Ideal for rinsing produce when you cannot get or afford to buy Organic. Removes a lot of residue like chemicals, pesticides and other matter quickly and easily. I saw this on Oprah and had to share! NOTE: Make sure to mix this in a DEEP pitcher. The baking soda and vinegar will react and foam everywhere if you do not. (just ask any elementary school kid who has ever made a volcano for science class) -- posted by mama's kitchen

Polish for Wood Flooring

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:15:50 -0400

I got this neat new book called 1001 Secret Household Formulas and this one was in it...thought I'd share :) Preparation time is sitting time on floors. -- posted by Tish

Earth Friendly Polishing Cleanser

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:01:43 -0400

This cleanser is so simple. You probably already have the main ingredient in you cupboard. It leaves your sink and your pots sparkling clean without the use of harsh chemicals or perfumes. -- posted by Dreamer in Ontario

Homemade Shower Cleaner

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 17:50:36 -0500

I found this recipe online and am giving it a try. I am posting it here so I can find it when I run out of this first batch. -- posted by Rubies

Homemade Fabric Softener

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 02:56:09 -0500

If you check the dangers of fabric softner you will appericate this simple recipe that is much safer. -- posted by barefootmommawv

Sparkling Fireplace Glass

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 12:49:45 -0400

We have a fireplace with glass doors. "How beautiful!" we thought when we bought the place. It didn't take long to figure out it was a curse rather than a blessing. They fog over with only one fire and within a week can be black and opaque. We tried many different techniques and even resorted to scraping it with a razor blade at times. I think I read this tip in a book full of similar tips. I didn't really believe that it would work but was pleasantly surprised! Cleanup has gone from a several hour affair to about 15 minutes. You can disregard the amounts... the recipe was rejected for lack of quantities originally so I had to add them to get it accepted. -- posted by Chef Tweaker

Organic Garlic Fire Spray for Gardens

Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:27:02 -0400

This is an organic solution that will take care of all the pesky creatures in your garden; insect or four legged. I found it on an organic gardening site recently, and it worked so well, I had to share it! Evaluate the pest situation after applying and adjust the water dilution as necessary. It will be pungent when first applied, but the smell will dissipate. Spray every few days until pests are gone. Respray after rain, and about every week to ten days thereafter. -- posted by Miss_Elaine

Windex

Sun, 19 Jul 2009 13:07:24 -0400

A little different than the other homemade window cleaners posted here, this solution works great and I've saved a lot of money over the years using it! -- posted by Deb's Recipes

Homemade Laundry and Dishwasher Detergent

Wed, 22 Jul 2009 01:45:12 -0400

It's cheap and does the job! -- posted by Llamatron

Simple Homemade Fabric Softener

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:36:17 -0400

The most inexpencive and easiest recipe of all. The simplest way to soften fabrics and control static. Makes towels more absorbent. -- posted by Dee Coonhound