For Water Spots On Outside Of Windows
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 quart warm water
Vinegar is a mild acid that may also remove rust or
lime deposits on the outside of windows.
For All-Weather Cleaning
1 pint rubbing alcohol
1 tablespoon ammonia
1 tablespoon liquid detergent
Water
Mix the ingredients in a gallon container. Add enough
water to fill the container and use it as a window spray.
This helps prevent steaming and freezing.
References
Inexpensive Cleaning Recipes, New Mexico Extension
Service.
Housecleaning on a Shoestring, Utah Cooperative Extension Service.
ALABAMA COOPERATIVE EXTENSION SERVICE I AUBURN UNIVERSITY, ALABAMA 36849-5612
Do-lt¥ourself Home Cleaners
Georgia Aycock
Extension Resource Management Specialist
Do-IT-YOURSELF cleaners are inexpensive and
easy to make. They can be made from ingredients
commonly found in your home or that can be bought
at any grocery, hardware, or drug store. Ammonia,
vinegar, baking soda, whiting, kerosene, mineral
spirits, turpentine, and boiled linseed oil are a few of
the ingredients you can use to make your own home
cleaners.
If an accident does occur while you are using a
dangerous substance, refer to the label on the product for the correct first aid procedures. It may be necessary to go to the hospital or to a doctor's office. If
so, take the product container with you. The information on the label can assist the doctor in giving the
proper treatment.
Think Safety
Most home cleaners are dangerous only when
they are misused. Many times, children accidently
swallow household cleaners. To help prevent this,
never store cleaners in soft drink bottles or in other
containers that may appear harmless to children. Also
remember that the poorest places to store cleaners
are under the kitchen and bathroom sinks. For more
information about poisons, call the Poison Control
Center at 1-800-462-0800 or 1-800-292-6678. It will
be a toll free call.
Cleaners can also be harmful to the adult using
them, especially when they are mixed improperly, or
when they are not used carefully. When making your
own cleaners, remember never to mix chlorine bleach
or any cleaner with chlorine in it with ammonia, toilet
bowl cleaner, or rust remover. Such a mixture will
produce a harmful gas.
Products that contain flammable liquids like turpentine, kerosene, boiled linseed oil, and mineral
spirits should never be used near an open flame such
as a pilot light on a kitchen range or gas clothes dryer,
a lighted cigarette, or a furnace. Boiled linseed oil contains dryers and you should never try to boil it yourself.
E
The
•1Alaboma
W7Cooperative
Extension Service
AUBURN UNIVERSITY·
CIRCULAR HE-554
Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and home economics, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914,
in cooperat.ion with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The Alabama Cooperative Extension Service, Auburn University,
Ann E. Thompson, Director, offers educational programs and materials to all people without regard to race, color, national
UPS, 10M07, 5:91, HE-554
origin, sex, age, or handicap and is an equal opportunity employer.
Keep strong acids like rust remover, oxalic acid,
and toilet bowl cleaner away from your skin and eyes.
Strong alkalies like trisodium phosphate (TSP), washing soda, ammonia, borax, and lye can also be harmful. When using these products, wear protective
clothing such as gloves and an apron. If you do splash
or spill any of these products on your skin, wash it
off immediately.
CIRCULAR HE-554
General Household Cleaners
All-Purpose Spray
Use this to clean kitchen countertops and the outsides
of ranges and refrigerators.
1 'tablespoon ammonia
1 tablespoon liquid detergent
1 pint water (2 cups)
Mix ingredients and put in a spray bottle.
Soap Jelly
Use it as a cleaner or combine it with other ingredients.
1 cup soap shavings or soap flakes
1 quart boiling water
Mix ingredients in a wide-mouth quart jar. Stir until
soap dissolves and let cool until it jells.
Kitchen And Bathroom Cleaners
For Butcher Blocks And Cutting Boards
a. Wash cutting boards or butcher block surfaces exposed to food. Scrub the surface with a brush, hot
water, and detergent. Then rinse and immediately
wipe the surface dry.
b. Sanitize the surface by washing it with a solution
of 11/2 teaspoons of chlorine bleach in 1 gallon of
water. Rinse and dry. Sanitizing is especially important after cutting meats.
c. To preserve the wood and to prevent cracking, apply a generous amount of mineral oil to the surface.
let it stand 5 to 15 minutes, then rub it dry with a
soft, lintless cloth or paper towel. Repeat if dry areas
appear. The amount of treatment will depend on how
much you use the cutting board or butcher block. Several thin coats will protect better than one heavy coat.
d. To remove onion, garlic, and other odors, rub the
board with a slice of citrus fruit, sprinkle lightly with
salt, and wipe immediately with a soft cloth or paper
towel. Remove stains by sanding lightly with a fine
grade of sandpaper, then oil it again.
For Ceramic Ide And Porcelain
Ceramic tile and porcelain are used in many tubs
and sinks. They can be scratched by commercial
scouring powders. When damaged, porcelain tubs
and sinks collect soil easily and cannot be repaired.
If you have new ceramic or porcelain fixtures, use
granular or liquid detergents or one of the following
cleaners:
a. 1 cup whiting or baking soda
1/2 cup pine oil
Mix and store in covered jar;
b. 2 tablespoons ammonia or kerosene
1 cup soap jelly (see 'recipe)
Mix and store in covered jar.
To remove stains on porcelain or ceramic tile,
make a stiff paste by mixing whiting with a little ammonia, rub on stained surface, wash with soapy water,
and rinse well. This also works well as a stain remover
for chrome faucets, aluminum window frames, and
plastic countertops.
For Drain Pipes
Flush with 1/2 pound of washing soda in 2 cups
of boiling water, then rinse. Do this once a month.
For Removing Rust Stains
Brown rings and rust spots around faucets and
window glass can be removed with an acid. A light
stain can be removed with a mild acid such as lemon
juice or vinegar. For stubborn rust stains, it is best to
use a commercial rust remover that you can buy from
a grocery or hard ware store.
You can make your own rust remover with oxalic
acid, which can be bought at most drug stores. But
you should remember that oxalic acid is a strong poison. There is a danger of swallowing oxalic acid if it
is transferred from sinks, cleaning cloths, and brushes
to food, dishes, and toothbrushes. The area being
cleaned should be thoroughly rinsed with water, and
cleaning cloths and brushes should be thrown away.
To make a rust remover, dissolve 1 teaspoon of
oxalic acid in 1 cup of hot water. Apply oxalic acid
with a cloth. Rub the area with a brush and repeat
if needed. Dispose of any leftover oxalic acid.
Furniture Cleaners
Polish
Shake this before using. Apply it with a clean, absorbent, lintless cloth. Rub the furniture and polish it with
a dry, woolen cloth.
Denatured alcohol
Strained fresh lemon juice (not canned or frozen)
Olive oil or boiled linseed oil
Gum turpentine
Mix equal parts of these ingredients in a screw-top
jar.
Dustless Cloth
Keep furniture clean with treated cloths that gather
dust instead of scattering it. When the treated cloth
becomes dirty, wash and treat it again. Try the following treatments:
a. Pour a few drops of furniture polishing oil or wax
into a jar. Place a clean, lintless cloth in the jar. Cover
the jar tightly and leave it overnight. The cloth will
absorb enough oil or wax to dust and polish at the
same time. On waxed furniture, use a cloth treated
with wax instead of oil. Oil will soften the wax.
b. Mix 1 tablespoon of mineral spirits or turpentine
with 1 quart of hot water. Dip a clean, lintless cloth
into the solution. Wring it out and let it dry. Store the
cloth in a covered container.
c. 1 tablespoon mild soap powder
1 quart warm water
1 tablespoon household ammonia
2 tablespoons boiled linseed oil or good furniture
polish
Mix the ingredients well, then dip a soft cloth in the
solution. After a few minutes, squeeze out the cloth,
let it dry, and store it in a covered container.
Wall And Woodwork Cleaners
Use the dust brush attachment of a vacuum
cleaner to pick up dust and cobwebs from woodwork.
You can also cover a broom or yardstick with a clean
cloth (a clean, old sock works well when placed on
a yardstick). Lift cobwebs instead of pushing them into
the wall surface. They can stain the walls or ceiling.
Painted Surfaces
To prevent streaking, wash walls by starting at the
baseboard and working upward. If soiled water runs
down on the clean surface, clean it up immediately.
Gloss and enamel painted walls are easier to clean
than flat painted walls because they will withstand
stronger washing solutions.
For general cleaning, use a mixture of soap jelly
or liquid detergent and warm water. Add enough
water to make light suds. Dust all painted surfaces
thoroughly before washing, then wash with a soft cloth
dipped in the cleaning solution and wrung out. Rinse
well and then dry with a soft cloth. Wash only a small
area at a time.
Whiting paste will remove fingerprints and clean
heavily soiled places. Make it by mixing four parts of
whiting with one part soap jelly. Keep it in a small
jar. Apply with a soft cloth, rubbing lightly, then rinse.
To remove a heavy film of grease and dirt, use
a strong cleaning solution. You can make one from
the following ingredients:
1 cup washing soda
1 cup ammonia
1 cup vinegar
1 gallon water
Add the soda, ammonia, and vinegar to the water,
then mix thoroughly. Apply to walls with a sponge
or cloth, working in a small area. Rinse with clear
water and wipe dry. Wear rubber gloves because this
solution can dry your skin.
Varnished Surfaces
Clean and polish surfaces with this cleaner:
3 tablespoons boiled linseed oil
1 quart hot water
1 tablespoon mineral spirits or turpentine
Mix ingredients. Dip cloth in mixture and wring it out.
Wash surface and wipe dry with a clean cloth. Polish
with a soft cloth and protect other surfaces from solution. Do not heat this mixture. It is flammable.
Window And Mirror Cleaners
Before cleaning windows and mirrors, remove surface soil with a paper towel or soft cloth. Then apply
the cleaning liquid with a cloth or sponge. Rub dry
and polish with a newspaper or cloth. On windows,
rub the inside in one direction and the outside in
another to determine which side the streaks are on.
Avoid spilling the cleaner on painted or varnished
woodwork because it can damage the finish. Try the
following cleaners:
For Heavy, Greasy Soil
4 tablespoons ammonia
1 quart warm water
For Light, Greasy Soil
1 tablespoon kerosene
2 quarts warm water
For General Oeaning
1 pint rubbing alcohol
7 pints water
3 tablespoons rottenstone
1 squirt automatic dishwashing rinse aid
1 squirt ammonia
Mix ingredients.