DIY Frugal Floor Cleaner

If you're anything like me, you hate spending money on unnecessary things. 

I hate buying floor cleaner. 

I feel like floor cleaner is basically a combination of the other cleaners I already purchase, but in a bottle labelled 'floor' just to get you to buy it.

So, I decided to make my own.

And let me tell you. 

It works wonders. 

Living in an apartment has its perks, but what is the most annoying about our apartment is that the entry way leads right into the kitchen. 

And this is Canada. 

We get a lot of snow. 

So we are constantly tracking in snow, slush, dirt, salt, and who knows what else!

I needed a super cleaner that was going to get the job done the first time.

Ingredients;

4 cups hot water (*if your tap water doesn't get hot enough, boil some or use water directly from the keurig!)

2-3 tablespoons of Dishsoap (I prefer sunlight for this!)

1/2 cup of vinegar 

1/8 cup of baking soda

the juice of 1 lemon

Febreeze

This recipe is simple and frugal.

It uses items that you probably already have in your house and it works wonderfully. 

Save some money and make your own febreeze! 

You will be amazed how great it works! 

{ All You Need }

1 Part Fabric Softener (I recommend using your favorite scent!)

5 Parts Water 

2 Teaspoons of Baking Soda 

Mix the above ingredients together and put in an empty spray bottle. 

Shake well before spraying! 

 This spray covers regular household odors and works great on children, pets, and cooking smells! 

Get spraying lovelies!

They may be small but they smell pretty bad sometimes!

DIY ~ Powder Laundry Detergent

The cost of laundry detergent these days is getting ridiculous. 
You can cut costs by making your own. 
This makes a very large batch, so before starting make sure you have a container big enough to store in. 
I only make half a batch at a time because I don't have a container big enough. 

~ note; prices next to items are approximate and for my area (Canada) ~

What You Need; 

• 1 Box of Borax (4 lb) $6.00
• 1 Box Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (Make sure it is washing soda-not baking soda) (3 lb) $5.00
• 2 Boxes of Baking Soda (Small - regular size ones) $1.98
• 1 Container of Oxy Clean (3lb) (I used the store brand of this) $5.00
• 2 Bars of Laundry Soap (I used Linda brand) (Found in laundry aisle) $4.00
• Bottle of Purex Crystals (Optional but smells yummy!) $5.00

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
 

First, in a large bucket carefully stir together borax, washing soda, baking soda, and oxy clean. I recommend only doing parts of each product at a time to ensure everything is mixed together well. 

Then add grated laundry soap bars and purex crystals(if wanted). Mix extremely well. It's hard on the arms! 

 Store in large airtight container. 

I also store the laundry powder in the empty purex crystal container for easy use in the laundry room. 

Use 1 - 2 tablespoons per load. That's it. 

    You barely need any of this mixture to get you clothes clean. 

And believe me, it will get them clean! 

This stuff is like magic! 

I have notced since using it that my white are much whiter than with store bought liquid detergent and bleach. 

~ * remember this is a no suds detergent. So when you don't see any bubbles forming, don't worry. It is still doing its job! * ~

Ant Killer Spray

Lately, I have noticed a big ant problem around our dog dishes lately. I have tried every home remedy I could think of to get rid of them. I refused to buy any ant poison because I don't want to spray that stuff when we have pets. 

I finally came up with a combination of three ingredients that I already had, and I bet you have too. They are common household items and when combined together they create a great ant spray that works wonders! 

INGREDIENTS ; 

- Hydrogen Peroxide 

- Mouth Wash 

- Dawn Dish Soap 

I mixed a tablespoon on each in a spray bottle and swirled it. Don't add any water. 

Generously spray the area and leave fore 10 - 15 minutes. 

Wipe the spray and ants up after letting it sit. 

I recommend washing your floor afterwards.

Ew.

This stuff worked so great! I am very pleased to say that since doing this 3 days ago we haven't had any more ants! Hip hip horray!

Make Your Own All Purpose Cleaner

All You Need ; 

- Mason Jar 

- Orange Peels (2 oranges worth) 

- Vinegar (enough to fill jar)

- Spray Bottle 

What To Do ; 

- Place two oranges worth of peels into your mason jar 

- Pour enough vinegar into the jar to cover everything

- Make sure the peels are completely covered 

- screw on lid and leave at room temperature for two weeks 

- After two weeks, place a large bowl with a strainer over top

- Pour contents of jar into strainer to get rid of peels 

- Fill spray bottle with half orange mixture and half water 

- Use in place of your regular all purpose cleaner 

:)

Air Deodorizer ~ Make it Yourself

What You Need; 

- Baking Soda 

- Old Jar 

- Essential Oils 

- Hammer And Nail 

~ Wash out jar and dry completely. I pulled the label off and added some decorative paper. I then nailed some holes in the lid of the jar. I put in 3/4 of a cup of baking soda and 10 to 15 drops of essential oil. I stirred it up and put the lid on. ~ 

~ Shake the jar every couple of days and add oil as needed ~ 

Reusable Dryer Sheets

Looking for a more frugal, eco-friendly alternative to store bought dryer sheets? 

These make it yourself sheets are cheap, easy to do and actually work. 

Here's what you need: 

~ Old Shirt or Towel

~ Fabric Softener 

~ Bucket or Basket for Storage 

Steps: 

First, take your old shirt or towel and cut it into pieces. Make sure these pieces are not too small. 

Next, put all your sheets into a large bowl and cover with a combination of 2 parts fabric softener to 1 part water making sure everything is covered. 

Leave in bowl over night.

Squeeze out sheets individually and lay out in a single layer to dry. 

Once completely dry, store in a container. 

Throw a few of these sheets into the dryer with your wet clothes. 

Pull them out of your laundry when its finished and put them back in the basket. 

These sheets can be used a bunch of times before you have to re-soak them. 

Frugal and Reusable! 

My kind of project!

Steam Clean Your Microwave

I seriously hate cleaning my microwave. 

It is the one thing in my kitchen that gets neglected on a regular basis, so when I saw a post on Pinterest for how to steam clean your microwave, I decided to try it out. 

All you need is equal parts vinegar and hot water. 

Place in a bowl together and pop it in the microwave for 10 minutes. 

I used 3/4 of a cup of each. 

Once it is done in the microwave, remove the bowl (be extremely careful! the bowl will be very hot) and gently wipe all sides with a rag. 

Voila! Sparkling clean and so simple! 

It's Magic!