We spend a lot of money each year on household cleaners, and it's most likely because we don't realize that it's so easy to make them ourselves. The packaging and chemicals are extremely wasteful and it honestly only takes a few minutes to create homemade alternatives!
The average household cleaner purchased in the store is roughly between $4.00-$8.00 and of course we buy a different bottle for each part of the house we want to clean. That equals a lot of money we waste each year and it's so simple to make these at home.
For example, if you want a simple antibacterial spray to kill germs just combine water and lavender. Lavender has a high concentration of linalool, which is a natural antibacterial. Lavender is so easy to come by and it's an all natural ingredient. Even just a small bottle will provide you with enough to have antibacterial spray on hand for years.
Macheesmo gives the directions for making four different household cleaners that are so simple. For about $30.00 you can have over a years supply of cleaning solutions that you made yourself!
Images: Macheesmo
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I'm all for natural cleaners that don't use packaging - we have nearly replaced our commercial cleaners. But unless we have some medical evidence that lavendar kills bacteria, I would still use soap like Bronner's. There's a difference between giving bacteria a hit vs a fatal blow. And you usually need soap to truly break down bacterial cell walls, especially if minute solids are present. Now, to get rid of grime, natural cleaners are great! But after that, I would only trust a bit of sudsing soap with contact time to do the rest.
Most of these combine vinegar and soda. Doesn't that cancel the effectiveness of both? Together they form sodium acetate, which has no particular cleaning powers as far as I know.
I agree with Sam I Am, though the end result is carbon dioxide (as a gas) and water when baking soda and vinegar are mixed. Water is a great solvent for dirt, and there might be some baking soda or vinegar left in solution depending on the proportions used.
I love natural cleaners and for years have relied on baking soda, vinegar, Dr. Bronner's and essential oils for scenting, considering any antibacterial action to be a bonus.