Inexpensive Household Cleaners You Can Find Right At Home

August 26, 2020

Oftentimes, our grocery list would include some kind of cleaner—dishwashing soap, laundry soap, or any of the different varieties of household cleaners. But did you know you can find items that are just as good as these chemical cleaners right there in your pantry? A lot of them are even food items that we all use every day. Some are things that’d normally go straight to the trash. They’re all inexpensive and the best part is that they’re a lot better for the environment and your health than those harsh chemical cleaners we’re all fond of using.

1. Lemon

You’ll find lemon in every alternative household cleaner list and that’s because they’re useful for so many things and they’re highly effective. Lemons can remove stains from marble countertops, plastic containers, dishes, and clothes. They can also polish glass vases, mirrors, windows, or any aluminum, chrome, steel, or copper ornaments. Lastly, they can kill bacteria and odors from cutting boards. Lemons are also great for cleaning coffee makers and tea kettles.

2. Baking Soda

Next to lemon as a wonder cleaning product is baking soda. You can use this to get rid of different odors in your home. And you can also use it to scrub away that nasty soap scum in your bathroom. If you need to soften up some new clothes, you can add in a cup of baking soda to the rinse cycle of your laundry.

3. Ketchup

More than making your hotdogs and fries a lot tastier, ketchup is also good for polishing silver, brass, and copper cookware and jewelry. If you’ve had an unfortunate encounter with a skunk, this can also help neutralize that putrid odor.

4. Cornstarch

If you have a problem with grease, cornstarch can be your number one ally. It can remove oil stains from concrete floors and patios. It can also absorb grease stains on clothes, upholstery, and carpet. You can also use cornstarch to freshen up your pillows, mattresses, and stuffed animals.

5. Lemonade Kool-Aid

Sometimes, there are just some corners we can’t get into with our dishwashers. To clean up the lime deposits and iron stains from those little nooks and corners, get yourself a packet of lemonade Kool-aid. Pour this into the detergent cup then run the empty dishwasher. The citric acid it has wipes out all the stains so you won’t have to.

6. Olive Oil

Olive oil goes a long way not only in cooking but also polishing up various items in your home. You can use this to shine stainless steel appliances, your shoes, and even your furniture. It’s also great for disguising or lightening scratches on leather surfaces. And if you ever have any kind of zipper stuck, just rub a cotton swab moist with olive oil along the zipper teeth.

7. Tea

Who needs all those different household deodorizers when you have tea? Simply place and leave dry tea bags in your refrigerator and stinky shoes and they’ll be smelling pretty fresh the next few days. Aside from that, you can also use a tea solution to polish your hardwood floors and make your mirrors and windows sparkler. It’s also great for steeping away toilet bowl stains.

8. Coffee Grounds

If you’re more of a coffee lover, you’d be glad to know there are more ways you can use your coffee grounds. Much like tea, coffee grounds can absorb the odor from your garbage disposal. It can also get rid of onion odor on your hands and cutting boards. This is also great for exfoliating your skin. Aside from that, coffee grounds can also help you keep away any unwanted pests. Simply sprinkle it on your grounds.

9. White Vinegar

Much like lemon, white vinegar’s benefits come from its acidity. It’s the perfect thing for brightening white clothes and cleaning up grease on countertops, cooktops, and small appliances. It’s also great for cleaning your dishwasher and killing weeds.

10. Mesh Vegetable Bag

Instead of throwing it straight to the trash, repurpose the bag that held your precious veggies into a dish scrubber. It’ll get rid of all that caked-on food better than your usual sponge and it’s basically free. You won’t feel guilty tossing it out after a few uses to avoid bacteria growing on it.

Before rushing out to the store once you run out of a cleaning item, better look around your home first. The thing you need might just be in your pantry. Using these things will save you on a lot of money, time, and effort and you’ll be able to enjoy just as clean a home.