General All Purpose Spray

 
Add all ingredients to a clean empty spray bottle and fill almost completely /w/ hot tap water.Shake to dissolve.
 
 
Bleach Anywhere Spray
Add to clean empty spray bottle and fill with water.
 

Glass Cleaner (Windex)

 Add to a clean spray bottle and fill with water. This one works great on really dirty windows but for my
everyday smudges and mirror cleanings I use the General All Purpose Spray.
                                                     

Lemon Oil Furniture Polish

 
Mix together in a small clean glass jar (with a lid) and label.To use dip a slightly dampened cotton cloth (or a mateless clean sock) in a small amount of polish.This is a classic recipe and won't irritate your lungs like a sprayed lemon cleaner will.
                                                      

Carpet Freshener

 
 Mix and store in a clean empty  parmesan cheese jar or recycle a coffee can and punch holes in the top.To use sprinkle liberally onto carpets.Vacumn it up after 15 minutes or so.  ** To use this recipe as a deep cleaner for a steam vac follow the above directions but instead of vacumning it up with your regular vacumn you fill the tank of your steam vac with 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 hot tap water.Spray this mixture from the steam vac onto the baking soda and watch as it foams up a ton of crud from the carpet and pad beneath.You may want to follow with straight hot water to remove all recidue although that step isn't necessary.The vinegar smell completely evaporates as it dries and this vinegar/baking soda combo is completely harmless to your babies and pets.

 

 Soft Scrub Cleanser
 
Mix baking soda with peroxide to make a paste.Great for scrubbing bathtubs.  Use all immediatly or discard leftovers.  Peroxide will eventually turn back into water when exposed to oxygen.
 
Floor cleaner
Add above ingredients to a bucket and fill with hot water.

 

Miscellaneous Cleaning Tips

 To prevent spots on dishes fill the jet dry dispenser in your dishwasher with white vinegar.
 
To get a sluggish drain going or to freshen a funky smelling drain pour one cup of baking soda down drain.Follow that with a couple of cups of vingar.Let set for a few minutes then flush the drain with hot tap water.
 
To sharpen your garbage disposal blades (about once a month or so) or to remove a funky disposal smell turn on your cold water and then add orange or lemon rinds and a tray of ice cubes.Let water run until disposal is empty.
 
To remove tarnish from silver tableware or silver jewelry line a casserole dish with aluminum foil. Place silver on top of the foil.Add 1/2 c baking soda and 2 tsp of vinegar or lemon juice.Pour a large pot of boiling water over the top covering silver completely.All tarnish magically disapears.

 

Laundry

To remove ink stains try rubbing alcohol.

To remove bloodstains or other organic stains from white carpet or upholstery dab on peroxide.Blot and reapply until stain is completely gone.

To pretreat clothes turn on the washer and run the item with spots under the water of the filling tub.When the stain is soaked rub a bar of fels naptha or zote over the stain until its sudsy.Toss in and wash as usual.

 

Pour 1 cup of peroxide into delicate whites (such as lingerie or vintage linens) after washer tub is full.Soak if you have any yellowing or stains.This is perfect for delicate items that have yellowed but shouldn't be bleached.For vintage linens follow this treatment by hanging them in the sunshine to dry.This will bring them back to their original snowy white beauty without damaging their fibers.

 

                                                 Homemade Laundry Soap

 
 
Mix all together.Use only 1 Tbsp per load.  2 Tbsp. for heavily soiled laundry.It dissolves best in hot water.  This cleans great and is perfect for babies and those with sensitive skin.  This does not suds up so it works great in HE washers.  Suds are created in regular soaps by adding Sodium Laureth Sulphates.  They are added for consumer perception of cleanliness and do not actually clean.  They do however add to phosphate pollution in our water system.
 

Christmas Pomander Pot Purri Bowl

Make Pomander Balls by studding oranges,apples and lemons with whole cloves.Place these in a crystal bowl and tuck in cinnamon sticks,bay leaves and pine or spruce (christmas tree) clippings.This smells heavenly and looks really pretty too.
 
Fine jewelry cleaner          
Mix together in a clean glass jar with a lid.Soak your jewelry a minute or so in this mixture then scrub with an old toothbrush dipped in this cleaner.Rinse off jewelry with water over a closed sink before wearing.Do not use on emeralds or opals.Store remaining mixture labeled and out of reach of kids.
 
All Natural Unscented Baby Powder
 
Pour one box of cornstarch into a shaker container.You may scent this with 1-2 drops essential (NOT scented) oil
 
If your child looks rashy or has an itchy skin irritation try bathing them in a lukewarm bath with one cup of cornstarch or baking soda.Try handing them the cup full of cornstarch to play with.This pretty much insures they'll get it all over themselves
 
 
Fizzy Mama Bath