Homemade Cleaning Solutions

IMPORTANT NOTE:  never clean natural stone of any kind with vinegar.  It will leave permanent marks on the stone!

Stone/granite, car paint, stainless steel

• 1 ¾ cups water, 

• ¼ cup rubbing alcohol

•  1 tsp dish soap 

Windows, quartz, vinyl, Formica

• 2 cups water

• ¼ cup 5% white vinegar

• 1 tsp dish soap 

Wood cabinets & wood floors

• 2 cups water

• ¼ cup 5% white vinegar

• 1 tsp dish soap

• 10 drops essential oil (lemon, orange, tea tree, etc)

Laminate & vinyl floors

• ½ cup water

• ½ cup 5% white vinegar

• ½ cup rubbing alcohol 

Disinfectant cleaner

• 1 1/4 cup water

• 1/4 cup 5% white vinegar

• 1/4 cup isopropyl alcohol

• 15 drops essential oil (lemon, orange, tea tree)

Clothes washers:

Run 2 cleaning cycles:

• 1st cycle: 2 cups of 5% white vinegar in the soap dispenser

• 2nd cycle: 1 cup baking soda directly in the tub

Dishwasher:  

• Place 1 cup 5% white vinegar in a container in the top rack

• Sprinkle 1 cup baking soda sprinkled in the tub

• Run on sanitary/hot/steam cycle

Toilet:

• Mix 2 cups of baking soda + 1 tbsp tea tree oil

• Sprinkle 1/2 cup in the toilet bowl & scrub to spread around (save the rest in an airtight jar)

• Spray/pour the entire inside of the bowl with 1/2 cup of 20% white vinegar (if you can't get 20% vinegar, use 2 cups of 5% vinegar) 

• Let sit for 15-30 minutes

• Flush several times

Drain & garbage disposal

• Dump 1/2 cup of baking soda into the drain

• Pour 1 cup of 5% vinegar into the drain

• Plug the drain and let sit for 1 hour

• Rinse with a pot of boiling water