Monday, August 16, 2010

Cheap-o but effective surface spray

I use this stuff for all surfaces except for marble (cause I don't have any, but it wouldn't be good for it anyway) and mirrors. Not sure about granite either.

All purpose-surface cleaner
-1 spray bottle. Spend a little bit more money and get an industrial strength one. Something like this. I've had ours for years. Before that I was replacing them every few months.
-White vinegar. Buy it at a bulk store for the cheapest rates. We get ours at Costco - 2 gallons for like $4.50.
-Dish soap. I hope you already have this...
-Essential oils. I like Plant Life oils because they're really well-made, and inexpensive. Essential oils are a little bit of an up-front investment, but they last forever. I've had the same bottle of Sweet Orange for maybe 2+ years. Any essential oil should work, but stuff that is a bit more cheaply made might require more product to achieve the desired scent. Tea Tree oil has great anti-bacterial qualities, but I can't get past the fact that is smells like Sasquatch's balls.

Fill half of your bottle with water, and half with vinegar. Put 10-20 drops of dish soap in. I usually add the dish soap after the water and vinegar so that the top of my bottle isn't just full of suds. Then put as many drops of essential oils as you'd like on top of the dish soap. Shake, and use as needed.

Now a few things to note - a weaker essential oil scent won't be great for masking the vinegar smell. Vinegar will dissipate about 10 min after you use it as long as you aren't using straight vinegar. Worst case scenario, your house smells like you douched it for a few hrs.

I like a combo scent of sweet orange, lemon, and grapefruit. Right now I'm digging peppermint.

We have two 12-pack of washcloths from Target that we use like bleach wipes. We use them once or twice, then throw them in the wash pile. We use old cut up towels for bathroom cleaning so that we're not mixing poo germs with pho.

10 comments:

  1. Can I request your recipe for diaper pail cake/deodorizers?

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  2. Ask, and it will be granted! See post above.

    If you don't already have peppermint essential oils, I can bring some on Saturday. Let me know.

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  3. I just found your blog and I have to say you are hysterical! I laugh out loud reading things about cleaning solutions and folding your sheets. I love your humor and look forward to reading more or your blog posts!!

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  4. You're amazing! I love your honesty and creativity. Great job! You've really helped further my desire to make all my own products.

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  5. bahaha smells like sasquatches balls!

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  6. so do you have a recipe for dish soap??..great blog love it!!

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  7. Just want to add that citrus can scratch granite, so if you're using this for granite (I have a similar cleaner with rubbing alcohol instead of vinegar, the smell goes away faster), don't use a citrus essential oil. I use vanilla cause then it smells like I've been baking...

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  8. I have read several of your posts just to see what funny thing you would say in them and this one takes the cake. I have laughed harder reading about surface cleaner than I have about anything in a LONG time. Thanks for the great information and the incredible laughs!!!

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  9. I make something similar for my pergo floors. in a spray bottle I use equal parts white vinegar and wintergreen rubbing alcohol so you are filled about 3/4 of the way. Top off with water and about 5-6 drops of dish soap. Since water is really bad for Pergo, this allows the vinegar to clean, and the alcohol evaporates quickly so the floors are dry in minutes.

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  10. According to this website, vinegar can cause irritation in the eyes, nose, throat and lungs due to it releasing acetic acid vapors. http://www.branchbasics.com/faqs

    I personally still use my cleaning solution of vinegar, water & essential oils but if you have asthma or something of that nature, you might want to select a different option.

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Comments make me more excited than Jessie Spano on caffeine pills!

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