10 DIY Frugal House Cleaners

On a quest to save money while cleaning your home? Do you want to use less chemicals when you clean? This is a compilation of 10 DIY Frugal Cleaners that I use in my home. You can easily make them with common household ingredients. Soon your home will be clean and your wallet fat!

Super Frugal Laundry Detergent

Frugal House Cleaners Detergent Ingredients:

1/4 bar of Fels Naptha soap
2 Tablespoons Borax powder
1/4 cup (4 Tablespoons) Arm and Hammer Washing Soda (not baking soda)
2 empty laundry detergent bottles or 1 – 2.5 gallon water jug

Frugal House Cleaners Detergent Instructions:

Grate the 1/4 Fels Naptha Bar using a cheese grater.
Put the Fels Naptha shreds and 1 cup of water into a pot and melt over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Continue stirring until all the soap has dissolved. Pour 2 1/2 quarts (10 cups) of water into a large container or bucket and add the cooked soap mixture.
Add 2 tbsp. of Borax and 1/4 c. of the washing soda and stir.
Add 2 1/2 quarts more water and stir.
Cover the mixture and let it set overnight.
The next morning, your soap will have thickened and gelled considerably. Stir it up. Add the mixture to your empty container(s) filling only half way full. Fill the rest of the container with water.
Shake the bottles to mix before use. Use 1/4 cup per load.

Inexpensive Fabric Softener Sheets

1 bottle of Liquid Fabric Softener
1 bucket
4 sponges (cut in half to make 8)

Pour liquid fabric softener into bucket. Fill empty softener container with water and add it to the bucket. Repeat to give you a 2:1 mixture of water to fabric softener. Drop sponges into the mixture. Grab a sponge and wring out the excess liquid. Add it to the dryer with your wet clothes.

(Straight cheap fabric softener also makes a great wallpaper remover!)

Miracle Stain Remover

1 scoop of Oxi-Clean
1 scoop of Liquid Clorox 2
1 scoop of Cascade powder dishwashing detergent (or another powered brand.)

Fill your basin with warm water then add the oxi-clean, clorox 2 and dish detergent. Give it a swirl and mix until the powders dissolve and bubbles form. Place the stained garment into the mixture, being sure the stain is submerged. Let soak for about 2 hours.

For tougher stains, let it soak overnight. Remove the clothing to behold the miracle! Normally I will throw the garment into the wash, but you could simply rinse and dry it. This formula is also safe for colors as well!

Drain Cleaner

Hot Water
Salt
Vinegar
Baking Soda

For light drain cleaning, mix 1/2 cup salt in 1 gallon water, heat (but not to a boil) and pour down the drain.

For stronger cleaning, pour about 1/2 cup baking soda down the drain, then 1/2 cup vinegar. The resulting chemical reaction can break fatty acids down into soap and glycerine, allowing the clog to wash down the drain. After 15 minutes, pour in very hot water to clear residue.

Caution: only use this method with metal plumbing. Plastic pipes can melt if excess boiling water is used. Also, do not use this method after trying a commercial drain opener as the vinegar can react with the drain opener to create dangerous fumes.

Sink Cleanser and Hard Water Stain Remover

Baking soda
Vinegar

Make a paste with baking soda and water. Dip an old tooth brush into the paste and scrub your sink with the paste. Pour straight vinegar into a separate container. Dip toothbrush into the vinegar and go back over the backing soda paste. The fizzing chemical reaction of the backing soda and vinegar will aid in removing hard water stains. Repeat if necessary. For tougher stains, grab this power tool!

Stainless Steel Sink Shine

Baby oil
Paper towels

Squirt a small amount of baby oil in a clean stainless steel sink. Spread it around and wipe with a paper towel until shiny.

Mold remover

1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide (3%)
1 cup water

Mix in a spray bottle. Spray on mold and wait at 1 hour. Rinse clean.

Magic Soap Scum Dissolver

1 cup vinegar
1 cup blue dawn dish detergent

Microwave vinegar until hot! Mix with blue dawn dish detergent in a spray bottle. Spray it on your toughest soap scum. Then wipe it off with ease!

Window Washing (Exterior and Interior)

2 gallons of warm water
1/2 cup vinegar
2 tsp liquid dish detergent

Tools: Sponge/Squeegee, Sponge, Dry lint free rag

Mix ingredients in a bucket. Dip the sponge/squeegee into the mixture and scrub the windows. Use the squeegee to remove all liquid from the windows. Wipe clean with a dry rag.

Carpet Stain Remover

vinegar
water
corn starch
salt
borax

Mix equal parts white vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Spray directly on stain, let sit for several minutes, and clean with a brush or sponge using warm soapy water.

For fresh grease spots, sprinkle corn starch onto spot and wait 15 – 30 minutes before vacuuming.

For a heavy duty carpet cleaner, mix 1/4 cup each of salt, borax and vinegar. Rub paste into carpet and leave for a few hours. Vacuum up the mixture.

I hope you found some of these home cleaners helpful. Please share if you have any great recipes for cleaners in the comments below.