The season of cleaning is upon us! For some, spring might be all about picnics, soaking up the sun and BBQing, but when those sun rays start shining a light on the dust in all the nook and crannies of your home… It’s definitely clean o’clock, whether you like it or not!
Want to make spring cleaning an inexpensive but successful endeavor? We’ve got you covered with instructions for 3 natural, efficient, and budget-friendly cleaners you can make at home.
1. Natural Streak-Free Window Cleaner
Mix 2 cups of white or apple cider vinegar into a bucket of hot water and rinse away! Use a cotton cloth both for washing and drying, and make sure neither of them is soaked (wring them out often). Although the nasty smell of vinegar will air out quickly, you can add a few drops of essential oil, e.g. lavender or lemongrass, if you want to improve the scent of the cleaning solution.
2. Homemade Bathroom Disinfectant and Cleaning Solution
Tea tree oil has antibacterial and antifungal properties, and it’s 100% natural, which is why it’s the key ingredient for this DIY disinfectant. Add 20 to 30 drops of tea tree oil to a mixture of 1 cup pure white vinegar and 3 cups of warm water and scrub away! For persistent grime, skip the water in the recipe and add a cup of baking soda instead, and watch as the fizzy solution melts away all the dirt.
3. DIY Cleaner for a Shiny Kitchen
When life gives you lemons… Use it them to clean your kitchen! Mix 1 parts lemon juice with 3 parts water and 1 part vodka (or rubbing alcohol) and spritz the mixture on your countertops. Scrub with a soft cloth and marvel at the shiny surface! And, if all that holiday baking over the winter has left your oven in need of a makeover, mix lemon juice, salt and dish soap to get a paste-like mixture to rub over the grime. Leave the oven “soaking” in the paste for a few hours and simply wipe away the grime!
Of course, no spring cleaning would be complete without decluttering. Whether you want to minimize the number of things you have to dust and clean next year, or just want to welcome spring in a light, decluttered home, getting rid of unnecessary items should be the first thing on your to-do list.
Sell the things you don’t need anymore on VarageSale and supplement your budget while you’re at it. Who knows, maybe all that vigorous spring cleaning and decluttering means you get to save a few bucks to spend on a little weekend getaway and genuinely enjoy the loveliest season of the year!
