Harsh chemicals can be harmful to use around the home, but some of the best cleaners can easily be made at home instead of buying them in the store.

1. DIY Household
Products
P R O D U C T S T H A T C O S T L E S S
Susie Almaneih

2. H A R S H C H E M I C A L S C A N B E H A R M F U L T O
P E T S , S M A L L A N I M A L S A N D , W E L L , J U S T
A B O U T E V E R Y B O D Y . T H E W A Y T H A T W E
H A V E B E C O M E O B S E S S E D W I T H S T E R I L I Z I N G
E V E R Y T H I N G H A S D O N E M O R E H A R M T H A N
G O O D , D O I N G D A M A G E T O O U R B O D I E S A N D
I M P A C T I N G O U R W A T E R S U P P L Y A N D F O O D
C H A I N .
T H E H O U S E H O L D P R O D U C T I N D U S T R Y I S A N
A G G R E S S I V E O N E T H A T H A S C O N V I N C E D U S
A L L W E N E E D A P R O P R I E T A R Y C L E A N S E R F O R
E V E R Y A S P E C T O F O U R H O M E – N O T O N L Y I S
I T I M P R A C T I C A L , I T ’ S A L S O N O T T R U E .

3. Bleach-Free Laundry Booster
You do not need chlorine to get your whites really white and
clean. This mixture eliminates stains by blending 2 cups washing
soda and 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide in a container until it is
granular. For dingy whites and tough stains, let the whole load
soak overnight with a quarter cup of your mix added.

4. Garbage Disposal Refreshers
You know that drain funk? Here’s the remedy for that.
You’ll need:
3/4 cup baking soda
Sheet pan
Parchment paper
1/2 cup salt
1/2 teaspoon liquid dish soap
1 lemon
Small spoon or scoop
Sealable glass jar
Combine salt and baking soda in a bowl
completely and grate in the peel from the
lemon, then add the soap. Squeeze in juice
from half a lemon. Blend it all together
thoroughly, and then make little spoon-sized
scoops on parchment paper to dry over night.
The next day when these little guys are dry,
pop them in the container and drop one in the
sink every week.

5. Green Carpet Cleaner
If you have wall-to-wall, you know how gross it can get. Rather than renting a carpet cleaner, you
can sprinkle this stuff on the carpet overnight and it will actually do the job for you. Here’s what you
need:
2 cups baking soda
Blender
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup cornmeal
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1 tablespoon Borax (optional)
Sprinkle-top container
We recommend blending these
ingredients in a blender before adding
them to a sugar container or something
similar so you can disperse the cleaner
easily. Shake it all over the rug and let it
sit overnight. The next day, vacuum it up!
You’ll have clean, sweet smelling, anti-
bacterial carpets with little fuss.

6. Homemade Furniture Polish
Get your wood looking beautiful again with this easy-to-make polish.
3/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Measuring cup and funnel
Small plastic container
Shake all these ingredients together and
funnel them into a sealable container.
Use a soft cloth to smooth onto wood.
Let it dry and then buff it out. You can
store the polish in your fridge for future
use.

7. Dusting Wipes
W H E N Y O U R E A L I Z E H O W S I M P L E A N D
I N E X P E N S I V E D U S T W I P E S A R E T O M A K E ,
Y O U ’ L L N E V E R G O B A C K . C U T U P S O M E O L D
T O W E L S A N D S T U F F T H E M I N T O A C O N T A I N E R
W I T H S O M E L E M O N P E E L S A N D A S T I C K O F
R O S E M A R Y . T H E Y S M E L L W O N D E R F U L A N D A L L
Y O U H A V E T O D O I S W A S H T H E D I R T Y O N E S
A N D P O P T H E M B A C K I N T O T H E C O N T A I N E R .