Homemade Cleaners Tip Sheet

http://oldfashionedhomemaking.com

I have found several goodies worth keeping in my files at Old Fashioned Homemaking.
What tips or uses have you found for these homemade cleaners?

Homemade Cleaners Tip Sheet

Tea Tree Oil
1.  All purpose cleaner.  Combine 3 to 4 drops tea tree oil with 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 1 tablespoon borax.  Add mixture to a 12 ounce spray bottle and fill with warm water.  Shake and use as you would a store-bought cleaner.  
2.  Add a couple of drops to soap dispenser in dishwasher (before adding soap) to clean and disinfect.
3.  Add a few drops to each load of laundry to disinfect and freshen.
4.  Discourage ants and roaches.  Find the line of ants, follow the line back to the point of entry.  Place a few drops of tea tree oil where they are entering the house.  This will deter them. 
Wash down cupboards with a mixture of tea tree oil and water to deter roaches.
5.  Dilute with water to clean and disinfect your floors, toilets, and all areas of your kitchen

Baking Soda
1.  Unclog drains.  Pour 1 cup of regular table salt, 1 cup baking soda, and 1/2 cup white vinegar down the drain.  Leave it for 15 minutes, and then pour 2 quarts of boiling water into the sink.  Follow this by running hot water into the sink for at least one minute.
2.  Scouring powder.  Mix 1 cup baking soda with 1 cup salt.  Use like any other scouring powder.
3.  Sprinkle baking soda on carpet.  Let sit 10 minutes.  Vacuum away stale odors in carpet.
4.  Add a little baking soda along with dishwasher detergent for an extra cleaning boost.
5.  Make a poultice of baking soda and water to put on a bee sting to ease the pain.
6.  Add 2 teaspoons baking soda to lukewarm bath water to ease the pain of chicken pox.
7.  Toss baking soda on a grease fire on the stove to safely put it out.
8.  Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom of a clean cat litter box.  Add litter.  Baking soda will help absorb odors.
9.  Make an equal mixture of baking soda and laundry detergent.  This helps stretch detergent and freshens laundry.
10.  Place an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator to absorb odors.  Change once a month.

Vinegar
1.  Clean coffeemaker.  Fill reservoir with vinegar.  Run through brewing cycle.  Follow up with  running a rinse cycle of water.  (maybe 2 rinse cycles)
2.  Boiling a solution of one-fourth cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of water inside the microwave will help clean and deodorize your microwave. The moisture from the boiling solution will loosen the splattered food and make it much easier to remove with a soft cloth or sponge.
3.  Clean brass, copper, and pewter by creating a paste.  Dissolve 1 teaspoon of plain salt in a 1 cup of vinegar.  Stir in enough flour to make a paste.  Then use the paste on any metal surface and let it stand for about 15 minutes. Make sure you rinse with clean warm water and then polish until it's dry.
4.  The cheapest and most effective way to clean windows is to combine half water and half vinegar.  Put it in a mister, and spray it on the windows. Dry the window with a soft, lint-free cloth. Your windows will sparkle and be streak-free.
5.  Remove stubborn toilet bowl stains by spraying them with vinegar.  Use a little elbow grease and the stains will come off.  You can also add 3 cups of vinegar to your bowl to help deodorize it.  Let it sit for one-half hour and flush for a fresh-smelling bowl.
6.  Do you have baby clothes that aren't as clean and soft as they used to be?  Add one cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle of the load the next time you wash.  The vinegar will help break down uric acid and soapy residue.  Clothes will come out soft and fresh.
7.  You can also add a cup of vinegar to the last rinse cycle of your normal load of clothes to help dissolve the alkaline base of soaps and detergents.
8.  If the softener holder on your washer clogs up after time, pour vinegar in instead of the softener, and run a load of clothes through the wash and rinse cycle.  This will get rid of the old liquid softener that is plugging it up.  If it is very clogged, you may have to do this twice.  
9.  Deodorant and antiperspirant stains on your clothes?  Before laundering, lightly rub white distilled vinegar onto the areas where the stain would be.  Toss it in the wash as usual.
10.  Soak clothes that have never been washed before in white distilled vinegar to help set the colors.

Borax
1.  Do you need to clean the stains from your carpet?  Make a paste of water and Borax and rub it into the stain.  Let the paste dry then vacuum the paste.  You will be left with a clean and fresh smelling carpet.  (Test a hidden spot to check for fading.)
2.  Kill ants by mixing together a spoon of Borax and a spoon of powdered or regular sugar. (Make sure you use different spoons when measuring this.)  You can leave small piles of this mixture wherever you see ants, but not within the reach of children or pets.  
3.  Not only will Borax kill ants and roaches, it can also be used to help kill fleas that have gotten in your carpet.  Sprinkle the Borax onto the carpet and let it set for at least an hour.  When the time is up, vacuum away the fleas, and maybe carpet odors as well.
4.  Has your refrigerator developed odors?  Add one tablespoon of Borax with one cup of warm water.  Use a sponge and wipe down the walls, shelves, and drawers in your refrigerator.  Rinse with clean water.
5.  Another place that often develops odors is your toilet bowl.  Sprinkle one-fourth cup of Borax into your toilet bowl.  Swish the bowl with your toilet brush and let stand for a minimum of a half hour to overnight.  Swish again and then flush the odors away