These do-it-yourself recipes for basic household cleaners are easy to make out of common household ingredients. See the six recipes below as well as more resources in the right-hand column.

ALL PURPOSE CLEANER Recipe 1

2 cups water
2 tablespoons castile soap
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Mix ingredients in a spray bottle. Spray on surface. Wipe with a damp cloth. The damp cloth will remove the thin soap film. This is excellent in the kitchen to wipe the counter and cabinets, as well as inside the microwave oven. This recipe was tested by the TURI Lab and found to perform on the same level as Formula 409 All Purpose Cleaner.

ALL PURPOSE CLEANER Recipe 2

2 tablespoons baking soda
2 cups warm water

Dissolve baking soda in warm water and pour into spray bottle. Spray and wipe with a damp cloth. soap and waxes. You can use it on aluminum, brass, ceramics, chrome, copper, fiberglass, glass/quartz, plastic, and steel.    

GLASS CLEANER

1 cup vinegar
1 cup water

Mix in a spray bottle, spray on glass surface, and wipe with a paper towel. This recipe has been tested by the TURI lab. It is effective on dirt, films, fingerprints, and soaps on both glass surfaces and chrome. It can also be used as another all purpose cleaner, but do not use on natural stone surfaces (e.g. marble, granite, slate), as vinegar can etch the surface.

TOILET BOWL CLEANER

1/4 cup baking soda
1 cup distilled white vinegar

Mix 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 cup vinegar and pour the fizzy mix into the toilet bowl. Let it sit for a few minutes then scrub the bowl and flush to rinse. This recipe both cleans and deodorizes.

FURNITURE AND FLOOR POLISH

2 cups water
1/4 cup vinegar
1 teaspoon light oil (like olive oil)

Mix in a spray bottle. Shake bottle before spraying on a cloth or directly on furniture. Dry immediately. The oil is the conditioner and the vinegar is the cleaning agent. Use to clean kitchen cabinets and furniture.

FLOOR CLEANER

2 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup vinegar

Mix in a spray bottle. Spray the mix directly on the floor that you’re going to clean and wipe with the mop or cloth. It works well on wooden floors, ceramic floors, and also on linoleum-type floors. This product is also recommended to clean surfaces after the use of another product that contains soap, such as the All Purpose Cleaner.  For stains, use a small amount of baking soda on the surface first before spraying the stain, letting it sit for a couple minutes before blotting.