One of the simplest I've found is to use rubbing alcohol (that's right, 70% isopropyl alcohol that you can buy at any drugstore or megamart) as a household cleaner. It's remarkably good at cutting through greasy dirt and it's a great disinfectant. Its only drawback? Its smell. It smells like. . . rubbing alcohol.
I like fresh, clean smells. Like citrus, for instance. Especially orange. Something about the smell of a freshly-peeled orange just makes me happy.
And so one day it occurred to me that I could infuse rubbing alcohol with orange peel. Eureka!
I dropped the peel from an orange into a container of rubbing alcohol. I then left it alone for several days. The alcohol took on a bit of the orange color and a lot of the orange fragrance.
I poured my infused alcohol into an old spray bottle and voila! A fragrant all-purpose cleaner!
I've used this straight and I've combined equal parts alcohol and water with a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid added. Both work well for cleaning countertops, etc.
An inexpensive, good-smelling cleaner that cuts through grease and disinfects? Yes!
Do you have any cleaning tips? Please share!
I'm joining Beth at Home Stories A to Z for Tutorials and Tips.
I love a good homemaking/housecleaning tip! Thanks for sharing, Richella. :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea...and way cheaper than those expensive good smelling cleaners:) I always want to clean with vinegar but the smell is just so bad! I wonder if this would work with vinegar too?!?
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great idea. I might try it with lemon.
ReplyDeletelove it- totally trying this!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea, Richella. I use water and white vinegar on my hardwoods but, like Kelli W said, the smell is less than fragrant. Any ideas? Other than that, the vinegar and water work well on the wood.
ReplyDeleteMy other nifty trick is to use non-gel toothpaste to get rid of scratches on DVD's and CD's. It won't mend deep, deep grooves but it has fixed some of the kids' favorite ones.
What a great idea, Richella. I use water and white vinegar on my hardwoods but, like Kelli W said, the smell is less than fragrant. Any ideas? Other than that, the vinegar and water work well on the wood.
ReplyDeleteMy other nifty trick is to use non-gel toothpaste to get rid of scratches on DVD's and CD's. It won't mend deep, deep grooves but it has fixed some of the kids' favorite ones.
Richella- GREAT idea. I wonder if will still clean windows/mirrors without leaving a residue from the orange? xo Diana
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that you could clean with rubbing alcohol! I remember you posted some cleaning formulas a while back. I printed them and never made them but I still intend to do so.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great idea. I have heard of using vinegar but not rubbing alcohol. I will have to give this a try... with the good smelling fruit added.
ReplyDeleteI love the smell of citrus for cleaning! I use a similar recipe for granite/stainless steel/countertops and love it.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea!!
ReplyDeleteI use a 50/50 combo of rubbing alcohol and vinegar...it sure makes the bathrooms shine purty :^)...I will add the orange peel!!
Great idea!!
ReplyDeleteI use a 50/50 combo of rubbing alcohol and vinegar...it sure makes the bathrooms shine purty :^)...I will add the orange peel!!
I just started using rubbing alcohol, Richella, and you're right ~ the smell does leave a lot to be desired! I love this idea and will have to try it with either orange or, as Heather said, lemon.
ReplyDelete