- Homemade Cleaners - Finding
the Ingredients
-
- Homemade Cleaners - Finding the Ingredients | Painted
Walls and Woodwork | Windows
and Glass
| Upholstery | Household
Odors
| Candles,
Telephones
| Carpet
Freshener
| Cobwebs | Pet
Urine
|
Ovens
| Homemade
Window Glass Cleaner | Pots
and Pans
| Discolored
Aluminum
| Grease | Stained
No-Stick Cookware
| Drains | Disinfectant/Mildew
Remover
| Fixtures | Rust
Stain and Hard Water Deposit Remover | Soap
Scum
| Toilet
Bowl
| Combs
and Brushes
Common basic ingredients used
for most homemade cleaners can be bought in the grocery store.
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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) |
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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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