Homemade cleaning products

It's important to me to keep the house looking nice, but more important that the concoctions I use to do the job not be poisonous to the toddler playing next to me or the cats scurrying around.
So, what's a girl to do?

She's to make her own concoctions. It's easy, and they work pretty well. Don't get me wrong - they aren't going to erase the dirt with the wave of a wand. You're going to have to scrub a bit more than you would if you were using the super powerful, toxic goo from the store. It's a trade off, and you have to decide which is more important for your family.

So, here are the recipes that I've used so far -

All-Purpose Cleaner for every room

1 tablespoon of Dawn per 8 ounces of water

Heavy Duty Cleaner

Make a baking soda paste by sprinkling a few gobs of baking soda on the surface and applying just enough water to moisten it

Bathroom cleaner

I'm not sure what makes this a bathroom cleaner, exactly. It would work all over the house.

Make a paste from Dawn and baking soda

Glass cleaner

1 part white vinegar and 1 part water OR 1 part rubbing alcohol and 1 part water

Floor cleaner

Add ½ c white vinegar to a gallon of water, and a little essential oil to give it a nice scent

Toilet cleaner

You can use full strength white vinegar to scrub your toilet. Don't worry, the smell will dissipate once it dries.

Garbage disposal cleaner

Pour a few quarts of boiling water down the drain. You can also grind up a whole lemon to make it smell nice.

You can use these cleaners anywhere in your house. If you take some time to find really good prices on large containers of baking soda and white vinegar, you will cut your cleaning expenses to pennies per week.

Do you have more recipes for homemade cleaners?