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Homemade Cleaners - Finding the Ingredients
Common basic
ingredients used for most homemade cleaners can be bought in
the grocery store. If you want some of the more uncommon ingredients,
here is a list of where you can usually find them. Not all paint
or hardware stores will carry them; phone to find one that does,
as some ingredients are not much in demand today.
- Acetone---hardware and drug store
(is in nail polish remover)
- Art Gum---art supplies
- Boiled
Linseed Oil---hardware
or paint store
- Denatured
Alcohol---hardware
or drug store
- Fuller's
Earth---hardware
or drug store
- Gum Turpentine---hardware or paint store
- Neat's-Foot
Oil---shoe
repair shop or hardware
- Oxalic
Acid---hardware
or drug store
- Pumice
Powder---paint
or hardware store
- Raw Linseed
Oil---hardware
- Rottenstone---hardware
- Stick Shellac---hardware
- Tung Oil---paint store
- Whiting---hardware (or school
athletic department--used to mark white lines on fields)
Painted
Walls and Woodwork
Use one of
the following to wash painted surfaces: 1/4 cup ammonia and 1
gal warm water, OR 1 tbsp trisodium phosphate and 1 gal warm
water, OR 1/4 cup liquid dish detergent and 1 gal water. To prevent
streaking, begin washing at the bottom of the wall and work toward
the top; wash ceiling last. Rinse thoroughly and change rinse
water frequently.
Windows and Glass
Use one of
the following mixtures to clean glass and windows: to remove
soil and grease, use 1/4 cup ammonia diluted in 2 qts warm water;
to remove hard water deposits and soil, use 1/4 cup vinegar diluted
in 2 qts warm water; to remove extra heavy soil and grease build-up,
combine 1/2 cup ammonia, 2 cups rubbing alcohol and 1 gal water.
Tips- When
washing windows, wash sills and cross- pieces first wipe windows
with lintless cloth, paper towels or crumpled newspapers to prevent
streaking, wash windows out of direct sunlight for touch-ups,
keep any one of the above preparations in a spray bottle, spray
on dirty area and wipe.
Upholstery
(Note: Commercial
upholstery shampoos do a good job and are easy to use. However,
if you wish you can use the following homemade preparation.)
Combine 1/4
cup liquid dish detergent or laundry detergent and 1 cup warm
water. With a hand mixer, whip until dry suds form (the suds
will look like whipped cream). Test upholstery in an unnoticeable
area by applying dry suds with a cloth or soft brush and lightly
scrubbing. Allow to dry. If the area looks the same but cleaner,
the entire piece of upholstery may be cleaned in this manner.
Shampoo only a small area at a time and use a spatula or rubber
scraper to lift off dirty suds. Repeat if necessary, then wipe
area with a clean cloth dipped in clear water and wrung nearly
dry. Dry completely.
Tips-Keep upholstery
as dry as possible while shampooing to prevent damage. For quick
drying, open windows or turn on an electric fan, a dehumidifier,
or an air conditioner in the same room.
Household
Odors
To freshen
room air, dampen cotton balls with oil of wintergreen and place
out of sight but where air will touch them.
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Author:
Anne Field, Extension Specialist,
with credit to MSU Extension
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