apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I've been making my own cleaning products for a few months now. It's great. Now the only thing I smell when I use my multi-purpose spray is the orange essential oil that I put in it. And a lot of those products, like Borax and Baking Soda can be used on their own.

The last time I cleaned my bathroom I decided to use the last of the store-bought bathtub cleaner that I had. I was almost choking from the fumes I was breathing in.

I had a sick kitty a while back and he was afraid to use the litter box...he associated it with the pain of his UTI. Poor guy. Well, he would go just outside the box on the fabric topped, rubber bottomed mat I had in front of it. Thankfully I could just pick it up and clean it in the bath tub but the cost of the special cat products was getting prohibitive.

Then I remembered vinegar cuts cat odors...and then I remembered science class. I got out my baking soda...I sprinkle on baking soda to bring the liquid up and add some vinegar, and poof...cat odors are gone! :)

That is my favorite home remedy. I wouldn't use it on something I couldn't rinse the vinegar out of, but for rugs, it's a great trick! It is also cheaper than the pet store products, and I don't worry about my cats being around it while it is still wet since it's all non-toxic.

I've been making my own for a while now, too. My only problem is that my dishwashing detergent leaves a film on everything...does anyone have any suggestions to prevent this? I tried putting vinegar into the rinse cycle but that didn't help. The detergent is equal parts borax and washing powder...