Even if you don’t really care what chemicals are in the cleaning products on the shelves of your friendly – or not so friendly – store, this DIY cleaner is a huge money saver! And that is something I think most everyone can appreciate! I have LOVED having these ready to go when I need to do a quick swipe or an intense clean. Let me give you an example :
we have been overrun by ants. They started out a few at a time and now you can hear a thwak-smack of us killing them consistently throughout the evening. Disgusting. So a few days ago,, I grabbed one of these pre-soaked cloths and wiped down every inch of our bedroom walls. The vinegar, lemon and rosemary oil make for a great cleaner and smells so fresh and clean. The rest of the house is going to get similarly wiped down as soon as I can!
I found a great list of DIY cleaners – from everything from tub cleaner to fruit and veggie wash on Popsugar’s site. Fabulous list. I plan on making several more of these cleaners but for now, this one I am a fan of!
I did make a few adjustments to the original ‘recipe’ . I cleaned an empty peanut butter jar to use for this project. Added 3 cups water and 1 cup vinegar. I peeled a lemon, tossed the peel in and dropped 10-20 drops of rosemary essential oil. (feel free to use what scent you prefer!). Then I grabbed some small towels and smooshed them in. =) So simple and quick. And the best part?? Use one, wash it and smoosh (a great word, that) it back in the jar. Being OCD, I pushed them down to the bottom of the jar so they could soak longer.
And there you go! A chemical-free super cheap cleaner! Here’s the original link.
http://www.savvysugar.com/DIY-Dusting-Spray-32429125/
here’s the link for the whole list of cleaners!
http://www.savvysugar.com/DIY-Cleaning-Products-28901279/#photo-33362792
Another fun project I did recently was transfer our loose leaf tea (it’s mostly what we use anymore. We have this great tea shop here, Townshends Tea house ( http://www.townshendstea.com/ ) that we love getting our teas from) to containers. I don’t know about you but I really do not like trying to scoop tea from a little bag. Frustration.
I had saved some tins from hot chocolate months before , so after rinsing and drying those out. This is what I came up with.
They aren’t very pretty to look at but they are so much better than the bags! one day I will get some better (i.e. prettier) paper to cover them with rather than the printer paper.
Happy Cleaning Friends!
This will definitely save money on buying more wipes! I’m always looking for better cleaning tips ❤
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I still love those too – i just keep adding more vinegar and water… ran out of the essential oil though so it doesn’t smell near as pretty. love how quick they are to grab
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Nice!! I feel like I am ALWAYS dusting!
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ahhh yes. it really is one of those never-ending-thankless jobs…especially when you live in the desert and your ‘yard’ is dirt. bleck
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Love this! I’m going to start making my own right away, thank you!
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oh yay!!! you will LOVE them!!
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Great idea! I could use these in my home. I hate the smell of chemicals in the OTC cleaners. In fact, some cleaners make it difficult for me to breath. I’m excited to try these!
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you will love them! i have noticed that now, when i (randomly) use ‘chemical cleaners’ i start coughing bad. just shows how bad that stuff really is for our bodies
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How simple I am surprised the paper towels will last for more than one use!
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i actually cut up some worn out shirts of my hubby’s into squares and used those. you’re right, paper towels wouldn’t last! you could put the liquid bit into a spray bottle and clean that way with paper towels.. =)
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So many interesting ideas! Maybe when I’m making enough money to justify ingredients for baking, I’ll go on to ingredients for diy cleaners. 😉
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i’m with ya there! i just happened to have everything i needed for that craft!! there’s so many others i want to try once i have the money =)
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Creative! Thanks for sharing!
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Awesome! I feel like I’m constantly dusting so these would come in handy!
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Ooo I love this!! Thank you so much for posting this! Going to do this on the weekend when I do my weekly weekend cleaning!
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I love a good natural cleaner for the home. Especially helpful if you have pets or little kids around that are much more sensitive to chemical cleaners than we are.
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i agree. i want to switch all my cleaners to natural – i love how much better the house smells (and feels) after i’ve used it versus chemical-laced cleaners!
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Ugh, I’m too lazy to make my own wipes (honesty is the best policy) however I buy the safest products I can.
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hehe – honesty is the best! what wipes have you found to be safe??
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I do worry about the chemicals in cleaning products, so I am excited to try this! Plus it’s always nice to save money.
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i love knowing exactly what’s in my cleaners – i will admit to missing ‘scrubbing bubbles’ sometimes though.
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Cute! I love these little home tips! We go through so many wipes, I don’t know i reusable ones are practical for us but it’s something fun to try! And yay tea!
xoxo
The Accidental Mama
http://www.theaccidentalmama.com
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hmmmm you could always make a huge ‘batch’ ? =) i agree, sometimes homemade stuff isn’t too practical.
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This definitely looks like a saver. We use a spray and cloths to clean.
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I LOVE helpful tips like this! This will come in so handy!!
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Thanks for sharing these reusable dusting wipes with us! And I love the word “smoosh,” by the way. 😉
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hehe it just comes out – so many years of working with kids will do that to you…..
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thanks for sharing these! we used to coupon so we have way too many cleaning products now.. but once they are out.. i know i’ll be looking for some cheap diy options. an that’s awesome that you are reusing those! 🙂
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i love knowing i have back up cleaners! there’s something reassuring about it =)
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This is a fab idea! This combination is so perfect for so many different things too, they clean off everything!
Katie ❤
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they really do! I love being able to grab one thing for whatever i’m needing to clean off
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This is very cool! I would love to try this someday
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I need to just hire someone to dust my house every monday. Any takers?
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haha, sure!!! =)
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Thanks for these cleaning tips, I must get on top of my dusting!
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i agree, i do too! seems like i do it, and then the next day i realize i missed a whole table! sigh
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Great tips! I will have to give this a try because I feel like I am always cleaning! 🙂
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Such a great idea! Thank you for sharing!
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This is awesome and definitely needed at my house. Those darn ants are everywhere and I would rather use a chemical free product in the house. Thanks for sharing.
Thrifting Diva
http://www.thriftingdiva.com
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ugh – i hate ants in the house. nasty little things. hope these help!!
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I am on a serious “good for you” kick (I hope it lasts) and have been searching for something like this!! Thank you!!
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i definitely go through phases where i do really good and then….. not so good. I’m thinking next time i’m just going to do this in a spray bottle, see if i like that any better
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This is so helpful! I feel so wasteful buying dust wipes but I love them so these are perfect!
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This is a great post. I spend way too much money on cleaning products.
Especially considering the fact that I never clean. Ha.
That’s not entirely true, it’s just my efforts are not marginally correlated to the expense.
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i feel like, considering the layer of dust on my furniture, it certainly looks like i never clean! and it could have been just days ago that i did! pbbt. but these are wonderful. i just scrubbed my bathroom down from ceiling to floor with them. love it
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