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!
the start of a good life 
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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