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Home » Cleaning

How To Clean Almost Anything With Next To Nothing

September 1, 2022 Filed Under: Cleaning, Printables

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As a minimalist, I am always looking for ways to simplify all aspects of my life. Unfortunately, as a mom of three boys and two fur babies, I find myself needing to clean way more than I’d like to! I’ve been doing my best to reduce the number of cleaning products I keep in my home. I’ve conducted extensive research, and have learned how to clean almost anything with next to nothing. Now, if only I could put these ideas into practice…

minimalist cleaning supplies | how to clean your home without a lot of stuff | #homemadecleaners #diycleaners #cleanhome #cleaningtips

How to Clean Almost Anything With Next To Nothing

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Eco-Friendly {Minimalist} Cleansers

When it comes to cleaning, you simply can’t beat the power of steam. If used properly, steam is not only a natural disinfectant, it also effectively cleans mold, mildew, pet messes, grime, and all things sticky. When used at the proper temperature, steam will also kill bed bugs. Additionally, when you clean with steam, there’s no need to add any additional cleansers.

I use this steam mop to clean all of the hard floors in my home. {From hardwood to tile}. I love the fact that it uses water and nothing else. Plus, the floors dry super-fast, no fans or towels needed.

I have been looking for a way to duplicate the cleaning power of my Bissell mop, and I have settled on this handheld steam cleaner. With this inexpensive, handy gadget, I will be able to clean and disinfect all of the surfaces which my mop can’t reach.

Related post: Spring Cleaning for Messy People

Homemade/Natural/Green Cleaners

While steam is wonderful for cleaning almost anything, it does have limitations. For example, it won’t clean and soften your clothes, dishes, or inside the toilet bowl. Luckily, you can clean all of these things {and more} with just a handful of natural cleansers. Here’s what you’ll need.

  • White Vinegar
  • Baking Soda
  • Washing Soda
  • Zote Bar Soap
  • Borax
  • Rubbing Alcohol
  • Peroxide
  • Salt
  • Essential Oils {if you can’t stand the smell of vinegar}

You can use the products listed above to clean almost everything in your home. Here are a few recipes to get you started.

Laundry Detergent: 

Baking soda (4lb box)

Washing soda (3.7lb box)

Borax  (4.1lb box)

2 bars grated Zote bar soap

scented laundry crystals (if desired)

Mix ingredients in a large container. This recipe makes approximately 2 gallons of laundry detergent. Use 2-3 TBS. per load. Safe for use in HE washing machines.

Did you know: You can use white vinegar as a natural fabric softener? Just add to the fabric softener cup in your washing machine when you add your laundry detergent!

Multi-Purpose Cleaner:

8 oz. white vinegar

8 oz. water

2-10 drops of Essential oil (if desired)

Mix in a spray bottle. Use as needed.

Glass Cleaner:

1 cup rubbing alcohol

1 Tablespoon white vinegar

one cup water

Mix well and store in a spray bottle. Use as needed.

 *Tip: use glass spray bottles with labels to store your liquid cleansers. 

How to Clean Almost Anything with Next-to-Nothing
16 oz. glass spray bottles with chalkboard labels from Amazon.

Scouring Powder:

1 cup baking soda

1/2 cup salt

1/2 cup borax

Mix and store in a jar. Drill holes in the top to create a shaker.

I’ve created printable recipe tags for the homemade cleaners above. Just click on the graphic or the link below to download!

How to clean almost anything with next to nothing

Download free homemade cleaner tags

You can laminate these tags, punch a hole through the top, and tie them to your cleaning bottles with a pretty ribbon. This way, you won’t have to search for the recipe when it’s time to make more! Alternately, you could print up these homemade cleaner recipe tags on sticker paper, cut them out, and apply them to the outside of your bottles.

I have been unable to find an effective homemade dish detergent. It would have to be really cheap and work really well to get me to part with my Dawn dish detergent! Which, by the way, is not just for dishes. In fact, I use Dawn to remove stains from carpets, to eliminate fleas on my dogs, and to wash my van.

If you’re not into making your own cleaners, you can use the four products below to clean almost everything in your home.

Commercial Cleansers

  • Dawn Dish Detergent
  • Dow Scrubbing Bubbles
  • Comet Cleanser
  • Windex

I recommend stocking up on some microfiber cloths. You can use them on any surface. Microfiber cloths are non-abrasive, lint-free, and durable.

There you have it. How to clean almost anything with next to nothing. Proof that you don’t need a lot of stuff to get your home squeaky clean.

Homemade Cleaner Recipes Free Printable #greencleaners #homemadecleaners #cleaningtips #minimalist

READ MORE:

  • 12 Super-Secret Cleaning Tips Straight From The Pros
  • 16 Things People With Clean Houses Do Every Day
  • Free Printable Deep Cleaning Checklist For Your Entire Home

About the author

cheryl-uncluttered-simplicity

Cheryl is a mother of three (already big) boys and in 2016, she founded the Uncluttered Simplicity blog. Since the start of her blog, she has travelled a personal (and sometimes very challenging) journey to become a minimalist and even went tiny for six months. She has paid off large amounts of debt and experienced the joy and simplicity of decluttering and organizing her small home and entire life.


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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amber says

    January 3, 2019 at 10:59 PM

    Have you tried half and half vinegar and classic blue dawn dish soap on the hard water stains. Leave it set for a half hour. I dont have hard water, but this has worked miracles on some pretty funky rental tubs.

  2. Cheryl Lemily says

    September 8, 2017 at 11:06 AM

    Kimberly,
    I so wish there was an unscented version of vinegar…

  3. Kimberly McGraw says

    September 5, 2017 at 6:05 PM

    These are great! I love the smell of vinegar but my husband can’t stand it so I either use essential oils or Thieves Cleaner. Love it! I also started using Norwex, have you heard of it? They mostly only use water, too; I think you’d like them! 😉

  4. Cheryl Lemily says

    September 5, 2017 at 5:59 PM

    Diane,
    I use Dawn for so many things (maybe I should write a post about that) :). As far as hard water stains, I too have been unable to find a natural alternative. Scrubbing Bubbles works wonders as does Lime Away (if you can take the stench). Maybe one good dose of either of these products and then regular cleaning with natural cleaners? If I hear of anything, I’ll let you know.

  5. Diane says

    September 5, 2017 at 12:22 PM

    I love my microfiber cloths! I also love dawn for treating greasy laundry stains.

    The hardest thing for me is getting the hard water stains out of the fiberglass shower. I haven’t found any natural solutions that work for me there yet.

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