Daisy and I have taught many a class on DIY cleaning products. And after years of trial an error, I find that I’m a halfsy at heart. I still keep spray bottles of alcohol and vinegar around for general spray down, but when there’s something that might really require elbow grease, I still go for the store-bought multipurpose spray and a magic eraser. I favor the lavender scented ones. I prefer Method, but it’s never at my store when I want it.
Also, I don’t use the spray at full strength. I divide it between two to three spray bottles and dilute with water. Does that count as DIY? Probably not.
My go-to scouring powder is baking soda. I never buy real scouring powder. We use this stuff for teeth, scouring, deodorizing, facial scrubs….everything. However, I have NEVER found a good substitute for dishwasher detergent. I don’t have sodium silicate and that appears to be the KEY ingredient, so I just buy it at Aldi.
Have you ever tried blue dawn and vinegar together I have a very very old tub and the ONLY thing that gets it sparkling white is that mixture, it is amazing! You have to give it like 20 seconds do do its magic once you spray it on, but when I first got the house they tub was awful- tan at best, I tried Everything out there, method which I love, didn’t even get it all up. Washing it with the vinegar and dawn spray brought it back to white, with less elbow grease, and it makes the fixtures shine without any streaks. I use it at my grandmothers when I clean for her, she says she has never seen her bathroom sink look so good.
I have given up on diy dishwasher detergent. And I think I will give Liz’s bath cleaner a try. Guess I’m a halfsie too.
Hi Liz,
Is that equal parts of Dawn and vinegar? And does it have to be the regular blue kind?
people have been using vinegar to clean windows for years, no news to me, but with dawn that is news!!! can’t wait to try it! also i bet instead of expensive glass stovetop cleaner this would work just as well, if not better!!! thank you for the tip!!!
I usually use 1 part dawn to 2 parts vinegar. But feel free to expirement with the amounts, sometimes I use a lot more vinegar- especially when I use it on the shower curtain to cut the soap scum. I think the Blue Dawn works the best, but I’ve tried it with whatever I’ve had on hand and it still works very well. It’s a little thicker than a spray cleaner, so I usually put it in an empty dish liquid bottle, not a spray bottle. Enjoy!
Hi! Does the Dawn/vinegar solution require rinsing? With what do you apply it? Thanks in advance!
I use Costco brand dish soap & vinegar 50/50ish. The first time I tried this mixture I got smaller dish soap bottles from the $1 store & put it into a spray bottle, it was a little thick for the spray bottle but then I had these empty smaller dish soap bottles that work perfectly! This lets me squirt the mixture all over the shower, sink & toilet. For the monthly super scrub I’ll use some baking soda too. It needs to be rinsed off of the shower/tub because it is REALLY slippery.