Homemade Cleaning Products

Always on the lookout for the best way to cut my budget, I kept hearing how people were making (aka: hacking) their own cleaning products. At first, I was skeptical anything made at home would work as well, much less better, than any product made commercially. Face it, all those big companies have teams of researchers and tons of money to find the best ingredients, even if I couldn't pronounce them! I resisted what I'm calling the "Home Hacking Movement" for as long as I could. When gas prices soared well past $4.00/gallon, I had no choice but to join the movement!

My first task was to switch from commercial spray cleaners (409, Fantastic, Windex, etc) to a vinegar/water solution. To my surprise, it worked better than the others without the nasty odor. A big plus-I didn't need a different cleaner for each surface. Vinegar works on glass, mirrors,walls, sinks, counter tops, stoves, microwave, floors, and many other surfaces. Vinegar has become my universal cleaner/disinfectant/deodorant. Making the switch to vinegar saves me at least $20 a month in commercial spray cleaners. It saves me time since I no longer shop for all those different products as well as space in my pantry. I've been full on board the home hacking train ever since.

Most recently I switched to homemade laundry & dishwasher detergent. We have extremely hard water in our home which makes it difficult to get anything clean. The built in water softener helps but I found only the most expensive brands of detergent were working. We simply can't afford the astronomically high prices of products like Cascade or Tide if I can make a product at home for pennies on the dollar that work just as well or even better. After a little research and chatting with many folks who've worked out the bugs, I gave it a whirl. To my husband's shock and surprise, our clothes and dishes are cleaner and brighter than before. It works so well, I bring my detergent with me when we travel. My family absolutely loves the luxurious soft feeling my detergent gives their clothing. Here's the recipe if you'd like to give it a try.

The one tip I should mention regarding automatic dish washing & laundry detergent-Read the owner's manual for those machines-particularly the dishwasher. Many dishwashers only require a small amount of detergent, generally a couple tablespoons. Often times we're using too much detergent filling up the wells in the doors assuming that's the required amount to clean your dishes. Too much detergent can leave your dishes cloudy, too little and they don't get clean so be sure to read the manual to find the right amount for your machine.

I'm hacking all sorts of products now. I'm making my own gel air fresheners next week plus a few other similar items. I already have non-abrasive heavy duty cleaner, home-hacked febreeze, carpet stain remover and carpet freshener in the pantry. Next on the list is hacking convenience foods-you know Pop Tarts, Hot Pockets, Potato Chips, etc.

I'd love to know what kind of products you've hacked or which ones would you want to hack?