Tag Archives: Borax

Homemade Window Cleaner with Peppermint oil

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Window cleaner

Ingredients for window cleaner 4/26/13

Homemade window cleaner is great for the environment, inexpensive and easy to make with just a few ingredients. Use this homemade window cleaner for outside or inside, mirrors and car windows.

Ingredients for homemade window cleaner:

  • 2 c. warm water
  • 1 c white vinegar
  • 1/2 c rubbing alcohol
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 10 drops peppermint essential oil
  • 1 tsp. borax
  • plastic spray bottle
  • funnel

Measure out one cup of warm water and dissolve the borax. Stir to dissolve, once the borax has dissolve pour through the funnel into the spray bottle. Add the other cup of water, white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, lemon juice and peppermint essential oil. Shake to mix thoroughly.

Now find a dirty mirror and clean with cotton diapers, or paper towels and polish with black and white newsprint if desired.

The cleaner will last some time, but the essential oil will lose it properties unless stored in a dark spray bottle or store in a dark place. Light is hard on essential oils. If using plastic spray bottle, try and find one that is thick and dark in color for best results. The essential oils can react negatively with thin plastics. If available, store the cleaner in a glass spray bottle, remember the old glass spray cleaners.

Breakdown of ingredients for homemade window cleaner:

Peppermint oil is known for keeping away those pesky critters. Use peppermint oil especially if planning on washing outside windows. Inside homemade window cleaners, try other essential oils if desired. Peppermint oil is great to help keep away mice.

Citrus juice has degreasing properties and it smells nice especially if you find the vinegar to strong. Lemon essential oil may be used, but more essential oils can react with plastic. Lemon juice has natural antibacterial properties and a natural bleaching agent as it deodorizes.

Vinegar is great for cleaning and is biodegradable. Vinegar is safe for stainless steel, relatively non-toxic, stable, and safe for handling. Vinegar is also a grease cutter and will help to get rid of mold.

Alcohol cleans as it sanitizes, also good for cutting the grime and mold found around the outside edge of windows.

Borax is known to aid cleaning agents and help cut grease and grime.

The spray bottle shown in the picture is thin, but it is spring cleaning time and I have several windows. Any leftover homemade window cleaner will be stored in a glass bottle.

Happy Cleaning as you save money!

 

 

Orange All Purpose Cleaner

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This orange All Purpose herb cleaner is easy to make and great for the environment, and does not contain harsh chemicals. So it is great for a greener world.

Ingredients for Orange All Purpose cleaner SK

Ingredients for Orange All Purpose cleaner SK

Ingredients:

  1. Orange peels, any kind
  2. White distilled vinegar
  3. Water
  4. Borax
  5. Essential oils 5-10 drops each Peppermint and Lavender
  6. Spray bottle
  7. Glass jar with lid
  8. Wax paper
  9. Labels
  10. Jar or container with plastic lid

Tear pieces of orange peel and place in glass jar and cover with white distilled vinegar. Using a small piece of wax paper place over jar opening between the vinegar and the lid. Attach lid.

Infused Orange White Vinegar

Infused Orange White Vinegar

The wax paper helps to keep the vinegar away from the metal lid. Vinegar will cause the metal to break down after a period of time. Using a canning lid does seem to offer more protection than a regular lid. A pickle jar might work well for this because at one time it contained vinegar.

Shake each day for two weeks. Place it somewhere you will see it every day such as in the bathroom. After two weeks stain the vinegar and compost the orange peel.

Draining orange peel

Draining orange peel

Heat two cups of water and 1 tsp. borax and whisk until melted.

Borax and Water

Borax and Water

This step is important when using a spray bottle to keep the sprayer from clogging.

Allow the water to cool and pour into spray bottle.

Mixing the cleaner

Mixing the cleaner

Mix in the infused orange vinegar and essential oils. Mix in five to ten drops each of the essential oils. Don’t forget to label. Pour the remaining orange infused vinegar into a bottle with a plastic lid, label or write on the bottle the contents.

Finished cleaner

Finished cleaner

This cleaner works great on most surfaces which can handle vinegar. Avoid surfaces such as soapstone or other porous surfaces.

Orange is antibacterial, and vinegar’s acidity cuts through grease. It cleans stove tops, microwaves, cutting boards, dirty dishes, bathroom surfaces and more.

Lavender and Peppermint are the two essential oils I used in this cleaner. Lavender essential oil is an aromatic, antiseptic, antibiotic, antiviral, and antibacterial.

Peppermint essential oil inhibits microorganisms and it smells good too. We have a tendency to put off cleaning, at least with this cleaner it smell good.

Borax cleans, deodorizes and helps to remove stains.

Happy Cleaning. HA HA. SK