5 Household Necessities You Can Easily Make Yourself!
Inflation and the threats of an economic slowdown are making us question all our purchase decisions. Efficiently managing your budget is about choices and priorities. One way to continue to prioritize your Starbucks Cold Foam is to replace everyday household necessities with ones you can make for pennies at home, often with common ingredients you’ve already got stored under the cabinet. You’ll soon discover that a few everyday items like vinegar, baking soda, and borax are the primary ingredients of many household items you can make yourself.
Even if you weren’t a chemistry wiz in high school, you can give these items a shot at getting the job done and saving you some pocket change.
Clothing stain and odor stripper
Toss those pricey stain removers after you try this fantastic concoction. Parents of teenagers swear by this brew, which eliminates those stinky hormonal odors that seem to be permanently embedded in the underarms of adolescents. Put the noxious garments in a sink with a stopper. Generously sprinkle with baking soda. Add vinegar liberally. Watch it bubble. Add warm water and a touch of Dawn if you’d like. Let it soak for an hour or two, then drain away and rinse before dropping it in the wash. The sweaty odors and stains will disappear.
Weed Killer
Are you tired of breaking your back trying to combat those pesky weeds yet don’t want to destroy your backyard ecosystem with toxic (and expensive) weedkillers? The solution once again is vinegar. You can use straight vinegar as a weed killer. When you can’t get out the roots of a weed, spray some straight vinegar on it and watch it effectively act as a weed killer. The weeds don’t stand a chance.
Glass Cleaner
Vinegar makes an appearance again in glass cleaners. In this instance, just a little dab will do it. Add a tablespoon to ½ cup rubbing alcohol and 2-1/2 cups of water. Mix them together in a spray bottle and apply it as you would a regular glass cleaner.
All-purpose Cleaner
Guess what? Vinegar plays the starring role in this category as well. Just mix equal parts vinegar and water and add it to a spray bottle. When you need to clean up a mess, this handy all-purpose cleaner can be used on surfaces all around your home as needed.
Carpet Freshener
Dump the pricey powdered carpet fresheners for this recipe that you can store in a jar until needed. Mix 2 cups of baking soda with 1 cup of borax and a couple of teaspoons of grated lemon zest. Stir together, and let it sit until the moisture evaporates. Then store in a mason jar. When your carpets or rugs need treatment, sprinkle the citrus carpet freshener on, wait a few minutes to let the dirt and odors get absorbed, then vacuum.
Don’t be afraid to test out these home necessity replacements. Use the ones that best fit your family’s needs, and once you get the hang of it, look for more essentials you can replace with simple DIY versions. Chances are, at least one of your items will contain vinegar!