12 Cleaning Items You Should Stop Buying at the Supermarket

12 Cleaning Items You Should Stop Buying at the Supermarket

Buying cleaning products at the supermarket is extremely convenient, and also tremendously expensive. In fact, up to 25% of your weekly grocery bill will be spent on cleaning products for your home. So if you want to save money and the environment, make your own cleaning products at home and stop buying these products at the supermarket!

It’s impossible to make your home completely free of harmful chemicals, but you can make little decisions and those little efforts will eventually add up. Making your own cleaners is a great way to start!

If you want to keep your house clean while reducing your family’s exposure to harmful chemicals, try these homemade cleaners:

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1. Cleaning Wipes

I use wipes for everythaaang. But even though I find it extremely useful, I also feel like I’m throwing bills away whenever I use it. Which is why I’ve resorted to making my own cleaning wipes instead.

YOU WILL NEED:

• full-sized paper towels
• Round plastic food storage container with firm fitting lid
• A drill to poke a hole through the top of the container or a knife to slice an opening.
• A bread knife
• Measuring cups
• 1/2 cup Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol
• 2.5 cups water
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar

How to make homemade cleaning wipes:

1. Drill a hole on top of the lid. Place a block of wood underneath the lid to support it and drill a good 1cm hole at the center. Make sure the hole is nice and clean and doesn’t have any sharp plastic bits on top otherwise it might tear the paper towel. If it does, use a small piece of sandpaper to get rid of the sharp bits.

3. Get a roll of paper towel and cut it into two toilet paper-sized rolls. Use a bread knife to do this. It will take a minute or two to get through the roll, but try and cut it as neatly as possible.

4. Place one of the halves into the bottom of the container. The other half is for a refill later on.

5. Mix the rubbing alcohol, water and white vinegar together then using a measuring cup, gently pour the cleaning solution over the top of the paper towels. You will usually need about two cups of the solution depending on the thickness and quality of the paper towels you are using.

6. Place the lid on top and leave it to absorb overnight.

7. In the morning, open your container and gently pull out the cardboard middle of the roll.

8. Find the end of the roll in the middle where you just pulled out the cardboard.

9. Thread it through the hole in the lid and pull gently and you’re done!

2. Air Fresheners

Here’s why I decided to make my own air fresheners. The one I buy at the supermarket irritates my nose so much, I end up sneezing the entire day!

YOU WILL NEED:

• a spray bottle (preferably 8oz)
• 3/4 cup water (tap or distilled water)
• 2 tbsps vodka (or rubbing alcohol or real vanilla extract)
• 2-3 essential oils

To make the air freshener, just pour all the ingredients into the spray bottle and shake! Check out really great essential oil combinations here!

3. Drain Cleaner

I’ve tried this drain buster recipe from Popsugar and it’s amazing! The things you need can be easily found in your home, too!

YOU WILL NEED:

• 2 cups boiling water
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup cream of tartar

How to unclog the drain:

1. Mix the salt, baking powder, and cream of tartar in a jar or any container. Shake together.
2. Before pouring the drain cleaner, make sure you have removed the drain tap, gave it a good clean and free of particles like food bits and hair.
3. Wipe the surroundings of the drain with a paper towel. Pour the drain Sprinkle the drain cleaner down the clogged drain.
4. After that, pour down boiling water on the drain. Then leave it without using the drain for an hour. Rinse with cool water.
5. To keep your drain free-flowing, do this every week leaving the drain unused overnight.

4. Dishwashing Liquid

REMINDER: This one’s for the sink, not the dishwasher!

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1/4 cup soap flakes
• 2 cups hot water
• 1/4 cup glycerine
• 10 15 drops lemon or orange essential oil

How to make your own dishwashing liquid:

1. In a glass jar, just mix the soap flakes and hot water together and stir until the snowflakes dissolve.
2. Add glycerine when the water has cooled down a bit and then add the essential oil while stirring.
3. As the liquid cools it will turn into a gel-like texture so make sure to stir it well.
4. Pour into an old empty shampoo or dishwashing liquid bottle.

5. Laundry Liquid or Powder

Laundry liquid or powder? We have recipes for both!

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 box of Lux flakes
• 1 cup of Bicarbonate of soda
• A couple of drops of eucalyptus or tea tree oil
• boiling water (for the laundry liquid)

How to Make Homemade Laundry Powder

1. Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix until the ingredients are really fine.
2. Store the mix in a sealed air-tight container.
3. To wash, dissolve a teaspoon in a 1/2 cup of boiling water and add to the laundry section of your washing machine.

How to Make Homemade Laundry Liquid

Now this recipe makes a whopping 25 litres of laundry liquid and will last you an entire year! It is suitable for both top loaders and front loaders.

1. Put the Lux Flakes, Bicarb, and essential oils into a large bucket that is preferably 25 litre-sized.
2. Add a liter of boiling water and using a bamix (or similar) blend the mix really well and let stand overnight. The mixture should go very gloopy and thick.
3. The next day two litres of boiling water, blend and sit.
4. Keep adding water until the bucket is full. Use a tablespoon of the gloopy mix per wash.

6. Window Cleaner

I can’t stress how easy it is to make your own window cleaner. You only need 3 things and the steps are effortless!

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1/2 tsp cheap hair shampoo
• 3 tbsps white vinegar
• 2 cups of water

Mix everything in an empty spray bottle and shake well. Done!

7. Fabric Freshener

Now, don’t expect something that smells exactly like Febreze. This one doesn’t. But it works amazing at making my home smell sweet! It makes fabrics smell really good, too! Plus, it doesn’t do anything to my nose. You can definitely customize this to smell like any fabric softener you like.

YOU WILL NEED:

• 30ml of your favourite smelling fabric softener
• 2 tbsps of bicarbonate of soda
• enough water to fill a spray bottle
• A spray bottle

Add all the ingredients to the spray bottle and shake well. Make sure to label the spray bottle!

8. Homemade Cream Cleanser

Two ingredients to make your basins squeaky clean. You’re welcome!

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 and 3/4 cups of bicarbonate of soda
• approximately 2/3 cup of dishwashing liquid (the amount may vary depending on the type of detergent so add slowly)

How to make a homemade cleaner:

1. Mix the ingredients together to make a creamy substance.
2. This one is optional. You can add about 10 drops of your preferred essential oil. Tea Tree Oil and Eucalyptus Oil are great as they are natural disinfectants.

9. Carpet Shampoo

Carpet shampoos are incredibly expensive and sad to say, it doesn’t always get the job done. I’ve given up on buying from the supermarket ages ago. If I’m going to rely on luck to get the carpet cleaned, I should just use something cheaper and less harmful! This is also great for those who have allergies.

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 bar of Sunlight Soap
• 2 litres boiling water
• 2 tablespoons Cream of Tartar

How to make a homemade carpet shampoo:

1. Grate sunlight soap into a half filled bucket of warm water.
2. Add two litres of boiling water then mix with the cream of tartar.
3. Shampoo carpet without saturating and dry with a clean cloth or towel. Make sure you turn on your ceiling fans or open all the windows to allow air to circulate and dry the area.

10. Carpet Deodoriser

If the smell of fresh carpets makes your day, then you’ll find this tutorial useful!

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 cup bicarbonate of soda (sifted well)
• 10 drops of lavender or eucalyptus essential oils

How to make a homemade carpet deodoriser:

1. Sift the bicarb first or else you will just get glumps of bicarb on your carpet. Bicarb can be very lumpy straight from the box and it won’t mix properly if not sifted. Then place the bicarb into a container that can be sealed well.
2. Add the essential oil, seal and give it a really good shake for a minute.
3. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the carpet. Leave for at least 30 minutes or an hour so that the bicarb can absorb the smells.
4. Then, vacuum well.

11. Stain Remover

This stain remover works more amazingly than the ones you buy at the supermarket!

YOU WILL NEED:

• 1 cup cloudy ammonia
• 2 teaspoons eucalyptus oil
• 1 cup shampoo
• 1 cup water

Just combine all the ingredients and place them in a labeled spray bottle. Spray stains and marks then give it a rub just before placing it in the washing machine.

12.  Fabric Softener

This tutorial for fabric softener makes a lot so if you’re trying to cut on the grocery budget, don’t buy! Make your own!

Another reason why I make my own fabric softener is that it’s safe to use for sensitive skin. My boys have sensitive skin and so far they didn’t have problems with this homemade one.

YOU WILL NEED:

• 5 cups hot water
• 3 cups vinegar
• 1 cup hair conditioner (cheapest one

Steps:

1. In a bowl mix the conditioner and water.
2. Mix the vinegar afterward and then pour the mix into an empty container.

Here you go! 12 ways to make your home non-toxic as possible! And 12 ways you can cut down on your grocery budget as well!

Watch out for another article on foods you should stop buying at the supermarket and another one for beauty and hygiene products you should make at home.

Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney, she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

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