Hi, Leah from Simple.Home.Blessings. here. I am back with a confession for you. As much as I like cleaning (and I really like cleaning), I actually don’t like a lot of household cleaners. I tend to question their effectiveness and dislike their various scents. And I don’t like to have the “clutter” of a whole bunch of specific household cleaners languishing in a cabinet. So, in most places in my home, I use simple soap and water (and a once-a-year deep cleaning, like on my granite counter tops) or a super simple recipe for pour-and-clean cleansers. These recipes require me to use what I already have on hand for other household uses and take seconds to throw together when I need them.
Since these are super simple green cleaning recipes, you may have heard of them before but questioned their effectiveness for cleaning. Let me just let you know: these really WORK! And what’s more, they don’t take up a whole bunch of extra space in your cabinets. And don’t require an empty spray bottle – who has one of those laying around the house?
Here’s my list of super simple Pour and Clean recipes.
Drain Cleaner/Degreaser
- 1/2 c. vinegar
- 1/2 c. baking soda
- 1 c. almost boiling water (I heat mine up in a tea kettle and take it around the house with me).
To clean/degrease your drains, pour equal amounts of vinegar and baking soda down the drain. Wait for the fizzing to stop. Wash out the drain with the almost boiling water. Rinse the sink to wash away any residue.
Faucet & Shower Head Cleaner
- about 1 c. vinegar
- 2 Tbsp. baking soda (if desired)
- a plastic zip bag
- heavy-duty rubber band
- an old toothbrush
To clean your faucets and shower heads (remove hard water deposits), pour vinegar (and baking soda, if you like) into a plastic zip bag. Place the zip bag over the faucet or shower head and secure it closed over the spigot with the rubber band. Let the vinegar work while you deep clean your bathroom (or overnight, if you want). Remove the plastic bag and brush away debris with the old toothbrush. Run water through the faucet/shower head to rinse it.
NOTE: This does not need to be done more than once or twice a year, if you use the faucet/shower head on a daily or almost daily basis. But if you have been on vacation for a couple of weeks, this would be good to do before getting into the shower again.
Microwave Cleaner
- 3/4 c. cold water
- 1 Tbsp. vinegar
- citrus (if you like)
Fill a microwave safe bowl with water and vinegar. Add a couple of slices of your preferred citrus. Place in microwave and run at 70% power for 4-5 minutes. After the microwave turns off, wait for a couple of minutes to open the door. Use a sponge or microfiber cloth to remove the debris on the sides, bottom, and door of the microwave – it should just come right off. I like to do this as part of my weekly deep cleaning of our kitchen.
Coffeemaker Cleaner
- 6 c. water
- 6 c. vinegar
- lots of clean cold water
Pour vinegar and water the coffeemaker’s water reservoir and run the cycle. Once it is complete pour water/vinegar mixture out. Run the coffeemaker with two cycles of clean, filtered water.
NOTE: I use this same process with our Keurig machine about 3-4 times a year, but it sometimes takes an extra cycle or two to get the vinegar taste to go away.
As you can tell from this post, I LOVE the cleaning power of vinegar – I use it a lot of other places in my home, too. We tend to purchase it in bulk sizes from Sam’s Club so we always have some on hand for the tough cleaning jobs. On the same train of thought, I do NOT like using vinegar for cleaning glass surfaces in my home. I have never had good luck with actually removing spots and stains from hard water on my glass surfaces using vinegar – I have tried all the Pinterest recipes out there, but I just find there are better things out there for cleaning glass.
Leah
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