How to Make Your Own Vinegar Based Cleaning Solution

Before I talk about how I made my own cleaning solution (!), I have to share a few important things from the weekend.

• Aziz Ansari’s Buried Alive comedy special on Netflix is hilarious!  WATCH IT!  This was my favorite part.  Vishnu and I couldn’t stop laughing!
• 21 Jump Street is also super funny!  I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to watch it.  Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum may be my new favorite comedic duo.
• Katie’s Chickpea Blondies are so good.  So good in fact that you and your husband may end up eating half the pan in one sitting.  Oops!
• While it’s officially summertime now, it’s also officially hurricane season in Miami.  This means on-again/off-again crazy stupid rain all day long.  I’m not complaining though…at least it’s not snow!  AND the off-again part is pretty beautiful!

Now for the cleaning solution…

My mom mentioned a month or two ago how she made her own vinegar cleaning solution.  She said that it cleans and gets rid of stains and stuck on grease beautifully.  When my sister found out that my mom was trying to convince me to jump on her homemade cleaner bandwagon, she texted and said something along the lines of “That stuff mom made smells so bad.”  Haha.  Because of her comment, it took me a while to finally get on board with the whole thing.

Well, I finally bit the bullet and gave it a go this weekend…with a few tweaks.  I knew there was no way Vishnu (or I) was going to be happy if the whole apartment smelled like vinegar, so decided to add some essential oils to the mixture.  And luckily it worked.  There is still a slight vinegary smell (not sure if you can completely eliminate that), but Vishnu hasn’t said a word…and that’s saying a lot.

Why vinegar you ask?  First of all, it’s non-toxic, which means  you’re not breathing in a million chemicals while cleaning and even afterwards.  It’s also an all purpose cleaner, so you can use it in every room.  For example, I used it to clean the entire bathroom, the kitchen counters/ appliances/floor, and even my full length mirror (it doesn’t streak!).   Another obvious one is that It’s environmentally friendly.  And finally, it’s dirt cheap compared to the cleaning solutions you buy in stores.

Note: Always test a small area to ensure no color change or damage occurs.

Tip: Buy the vinegar at a wholesale club.  I found a 5 liter jug of distilled white vinegar at Costco for $3.

First up, the ingredients…

+ water of course.

Next, the magic formula…

1/3 cup vinegar 1.5 cups water 10-15 drops tea tree oil 10-15 drops lavender oil (or essential oil of your choice)Add vinegar, water, and oils to a spray bottle. Shake well to combine. Clean to your heart’s desire!

This little experiment now has me thinking about what else I can make myself.  I’ve heard that water + vodka + essential oil makes a great air freshner.  Maybe that’s next!As far as the spray bottle goes, I bought mine at Target.  However, I’m not too happy with it and need to look for a new one.  I’m thinking Bed, Bath & Beyond may have what I’m looking for.

Happy Monday!

Do you or have you ever made your own cleaners?