Quarantine-clean: Cleaning Supplies You Can Make at Home

Here’s how to take a natural approach to cleaning supplies.

The kiddos are home and they are making a mess like it’s their job. You’ve run out of store-bought cleaning products. What are you going to do? Why not try these natural cleaning alternatives with supplies you’re likely to have on hand?

Believe it or not, you probably have the ingredients for some seriously awesome cleaning supplies right in your cupboard. The key is knowing how to mix the right things—and know what should never go together—to stay on top of your cleaning during this unusual time.

The team at First Dental Associates knows all about the importance of proper sanitation.

Read on for our top favorite DIY cleaning supply mixtures and how to use them. We’ve even thrown in some instructions for DIY hand sanitizer.

A Quick Note on What Not to Combine

Before we get into our DIY household cleaners, it’s important to discuss the fact that you should always do some research before coming up with your own cleaning supplies. While our suggestions are not a comprehensive list of all possibilities, there are some combinations that can create a very dangerous gas. For example, you should never combine any cleaners that contain ammonia with bleach.

Believe it or not, there are some natural-sounding combinations that can also threaten your health. Do not combine bleach with vinegar or rubbing alcohol. You should also never combine hydrogen peroxide with vinegar.

What to Look for in Your Cupboard

It’s more than likely that you won’t have to run out to the store to collect the ingredients we use for our homemade cleaners. You probably have them at home already. It’s okay if you don’t have everything on our list as many of them can be used on their own or in combination with one or two other ingredients.

Baking Soda

This is one that can be used on its own with a little bit of water. Normally you use it for baking but now you can use it to cut through grease and other stuck-on substances. Plus, it makes a great deodorizer.

White Vinegar

Distilled white vinegar is great for eating away at stains, soap scum, and more. The higher the concentration of vinegar, the better.

Rubbing Alcohol

You probably keep rubbing alcohol in your medicine cabinet. Rubbing alcohol is a great addition to spray-on glass cleaners and it’s essential for our DIY hand sanitizer.

Essential Oils or Lemon Juice

These are just extras, although lemon juice does have antibacterial properties. Add these natural ingredients to your cleaners to enhance their smell.

How to Make Your Cleaning Supplies

Now that you’ve gathered your ingredients, let’s start mixing.

All-Purpose Green Cleaner

For this all-purpose cleaner, you will need one part vinegar and one part water. To add a fresh scent, you can also toss in the rind of a lemon or a few drops of your favorite essential oil.

Combine the ingredients in a clean spray bottle and shake them up. If you’re adding a scent, it’ll take about three or four days for the scent to infuse with the mixture.

You can use this cleaner on everything except for granite countertops. Acidic cleaners have a tendency to etch into the stone.

Baking Soda Paste

Baking soda paste is an absolute marvel. It will eat away at stains that even the strongest chemical cleaners can’t touch. Use it to clean your stainless steel appliances and they’ll look brand new.

Take a 1/2 cup of baking soda and combine it with a few tablespoons of warm water, mixing it and adding more water until you have a spreadable (but thick) paste. You can apply this paste to any surface and let it sit for up to 20 minutes. Then, use a damp cloth to wipe it away.

Glass Cleaner

This is another cleaning solution that works best if you mix it in a spray bottle.

Combine two cups of water, 1/2 cup of vinegar, and 1/4 cup of rubbing alcohol in your spray bottle. Once again, you can add some lemon juice or essential oil to improve the smell. Shake the mixture thoroughly before spraying onto windows and mirrors.

Try to avoid using this glass cleaner on particularly hot days. If it dries too quickly, it will be hard to remove the smudges.

How to Make Hand Sanitizer

For this recipe, you’re going to need an extra ingredient—aloe vera. This will help give your hand sanitizer that gel-like substance we’re used to and keep your hands from drying out. Add some lemon juice or essential oils to cut the alcohol smell that tickles the nose.

Make sure that your rubbing alcohol has a 99% alcohol volume. Most pure rubbing alcohol does, but double-check before you rely on your homemade hand sanitizer.

The key is to use two parts alcohol for every one part aloe vera. This ensures that you’re sticking around the 60% alcohol ratio the CDC says is necessary to kill viruses. Then, add as much of your added scent as you’d like.

Don’t forget to clean your teeth.

Whether you’re running low on store-bought cleaning supplies or you’re looking for greener alternatives, these recipes are a great solution.

While you’re keeping your house squeaky clean, don’t forget to keep your gums and teeth squeaky clean, too. Good oral health is one of the keys to a healthy, high-functioning immune system. As long as you tackle your plaque twice a day, your immune system can regulate the rest of your body, rather than fighting off run-of-the-mill oral bacteria.

As always, we’re here for you at First Dental Associates, although we’ve had to make some adjustments just like you. We have a new protocol to ensure your safety during this time and we are back offering regular dental appointments, so go to our contact page and call our office phone number to book in a visit.