Household Cleaners - Natural Alternatives

How many cleaners do you have in your cabinet? If you're like I used to be, you probably have upwards of a dozen or more. I had window cleaner, dishwasher and washing machine detergents, fabric softeners, bleach, spot treatments, lysol wipes and sprays, counter cleaners, bathroom cleaners, mopping solutions, and much more!

Over the years, I've managed to convert all those chemical cleaners in my cabinet to natural alternatives that don't clog up  your lungs or the environment and they're safe to use around children. They're also a cheaper alternative to the dozens of dollars I used to spend on brand name cleaners, even though I was a savvy couponer!


DISCLAIMER - *While these are "safe for use around children" you still don't want them drinking any of your cleaners, so make sure you keep the bottles away from your kids! 

Per Sean's request here's some wood cleaner.


Wood Cleaner/Polisher
1/2 cup of the cheapest olive oil
1/4 cup of vinegar or lemon juice
1/4 cup water


Shake well and use a soft rag to polish and clean your wood. This works best on non-laminate surfaces (actual wood) You can use regular all purpose on laminate.


Window cleaner: 

• 1/2 cup of isopropyl alcohol 
• 1/2 cup of vinegar
• 2 tsp of liquid soap (if you make your own laundry soap, you can use this!) 
• 6 cups of warm water

Just mix the ingredients together, and shake well before each use. Feel free to rinse out an old Windex bottle and fill it with your newly made cleaner!

If your windows are not all that dirty, you can use the following as just a "clairifier" to get rid of streaks from say, rain or condensation.

• 1 cup of white vinegar
• 2 TBSP of isopropyl alcohol

Once again, just store in an old spray bottle.

Spray on fabric cleaner 

• 1 cup of water
• 2 TBSP of liquid soap
• 1 TBSP of white vinegar
• 1/2 tsp of baking soda 

Mix ingredients well and pour into an old spray bottle. Just remember to shake well before use, and if you want to, test a spot on your fabric in an inconspicuous spot for colorfastness.

All purpose cleaner 
You can use this for an all purpose cleaner for both your bathroom and kitchen, on the counters, stove, appliances, etc.

• 1/4 tsp of baking soda
• 2 TBSP of isopropyl alcohol
• 1 cup of liquid soap 

Pour into a spray bottle.

To clean your dishwasher (not for use on washing dishes)

• 1 tsp of borax 
• 1 tsp of cream of tartar (found in the spice section)
• 2 tsp of baking powder

Just run an empty load in your machine to clean your dishwasher.

Laundry pretreater

You can just use your homemade laundry detergent and an old toothbrush for regular stains. If you have hard stains, use the following

• 4 cups of warm water
• 1/4 cup of baking soda
• 1/2 cup of white vinegar
• 2 TBSP of your liquid laundry soap

Remember to shake before each application. Just pretreat and let sit for a bit and then wash as normal! As always, trying to treat the stains as soon as they happen will yield the best results.

Bleach alternative

• 7.5 cups of water
• 1.5 TBSP of lemon juice 
• 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide 

Use as  you would normal bleach; just put it in your machine in the bleach spot. You'll want to only use this on "bleach safe fabrics" (in other words, no delicates!).