A friend texted me the other day about a product to clean her leather furniture. The one she was interested in was a little out of her price range, so I told her to do an internet search on making a cleaner for leather.
I was sure there had to be cheap cleaning products you could make home for your leather furniture! Normally, I just wipe mine down with my Norwex cloths, but then I thought they needed to be cleaned and conditioned. So, I did a little search and found a pretty good cleaner.
You can make a cheap cleaning product for anything by looking around your house. Many household staples, such as hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, and alcohol, have antibacterial properties. There is really never any reason to spend extra money on store-bought cleaners.
The Dirty Truth About Cleaning Products
There is a reason that the government requires warning labels on many cleaners.
Don’t let the nice smell fool you! Those are toxic chemicals. The truth is that clean does not have a smell. We have been conditioned to believe that all those floral scents smell clean, and that is just not the case!
Those fragrances you smell are called phthalates and are reported to be known and labeled as “probable carcinogens” by the EPA and the Department of Health and Human Services.
According to GreenFacts.org, probable carcinogens are “Chemicals or other agents in the environment assessed by US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) are classified into five groups based on the existing scientific evidence for carcinogenicity.” Which means they are linked to cancer.
Non-Toxic Leather Cleaner
I need a substance that cleans and a substance that conditions. I thought white vinegar was something I use all over my house. It cleans and sanitizes. Then, an oil base needs to be used for conditioning.
I read that many people use olive oil, but I was worried about its absorbency. Then I thought about coconut oil, and although I think that would work well, it would need to be a two-step process instead of just one because coconut oil is in a solid state.
I thought about jojoba oil, and although I have some on hand, I wanted to make it easy and cost-effective for you guys to make this.
So, I tried the oil and vinegar combination. I mixed a couple of tablespoons of white vinegar and a tablespoon of olive oil. I grabbed my Norwex and…
Oh. My. Gosh. You guys… it looked GORGEOUS!
But it smelled like a salad!!! And the amount didn’t go far, so I mixed another batch. Each half-cup added a little wild orange essential oil from my favorite (20-plus years certified) Aromatherapist to break up the smell of vinegar. My couches look new again.
I can tell you, it has been a while since I last wiped them down, so they were pretty dirty, but they look terrific! They were dull before, but now they look like new! I kept going back to touch them to see if they felt oily, and they did not!!
Homemade Wood Cleaner
So I wondered about the wood I also have in my home. I have heard that wood, even if it has been sealed, needs to be conditioned to keep it from drying out.
So I took that same Norwex cloth and wiped down all the tables and shelves. I then returned with a dry one to remove any excess. They look beautiful.
I do not purchase Pledge and have never bothered with conditioning furniture, but this will work into my cleaning routine.
Streak-Free Stainless Steel Appliances
Did you know olive oil works brilliantly on stainless steel appliances as well? I had a heck of a time trying to get my stainless refrigerator streakless.
It was making me crazy, honestly.
I even bought Method cleaners specifically for that purpose, only to be disappointed. I was reading a blog (I wish I could remember which one to give her credit), and she suggested olive oil.
When you do that, you need to buff it all with a soft microfiber cloth to remove as much of the excess as possible. It doesn’t soak in like wood or leather—another cheap cleaning product.
Then I thought about other homemade cleaners I use all over my house. Everyone knows about vinegar and water for windows and mirrors. And again, my Norwex clothes are the bomb.
Homemade Toilet Cleaner
At this point, my thoughts went straight to the toilet. I like Method liquid toilet bowl cleaner mainly because it smells like peppermint.
But so many of those natural cleaners are just so pricey. So again, I thought about what I wanted in a toilet cleaner. It needed to be semi-thick with clinging properties.
I wanted a cheap cleaning product to throw together in a few minutes. It also needed some abrasive properties to scrub it with, and I wanted to disinfect its properties.
Baking soda, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, liquid soap. You can’t combine baking soda with vinegar or hydrogen peroxide without a chemical reaction, so that won’t work.
There is a recipe for homemade liquid laundry soap that seems pretty thick and slimy, so I gave that a try—at least something very similar.
Two tablespoons of baking soda, a few tablespoons of borax, and a 2-inch by a 2-inch block of Fels Naptha soap dissolved in about 2 cups of boiling water.
I chopped up the soap into the tiniest pieces I could get so they would dissolve better. I bet you can also use castile soap, too.
After it cooled it got thicker and better consistency, I added a few drops of tea tree oil and a lot of herb mint essential oil. I think it works great! And it smells awesome!!
So there you have it! A couple of chemical experiments to make cheap cleaning products that only take a few minutes to throw together! Let me know if you try them and how they work!
Final Thoughts
Making your non-toxic cleaning products is not only easy but incredibly budget-friendly! With just a few simple ingredients like vinegar, baking soda, and essential oils, you can create effective cleaners for every corner of your home without worrying about harsh chemicals. Plus, it feels good knowing you’re doing something healthier for your family and the environment while saving a few extra dollars.
The best part is, you probably already have most of these ingredients in your pantry, which makes getting started a breeze. Once you’ve made your own cleaners, you’ll wonder why you ever spent money on store-bought versions. And the customization options are endless—whether you prefer a fresh citrus scent or the calming aroma of lavender, you can tailor each recipe to your liking.
So, if you’re ready to ditch the expensive and toxic store-bought cleaners, try these DIY recipes! You’ll save money, reduce waste, and enjoy a healthier home. Not to mention, something is empowering about taking control of what goes into your cleaning routine.
Have you tried making your cleaning products before? If so, I’d love to hear your favorite recipe or hack in the comments! Let’s continue the conversation and inspire each other to live more frugally and naturally!
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