Dawn's own Homemade Cleaners

Outdoor furniture cleaning:  Shaving cream is great for cleaning the rubber straps on outdoor furniture.  It cleans the mold off from winter.  Spray it on, leave it for a bit, use a soft surface scrubby and rinse it off.  Of course I use the very cheap shaving cream.  Use cream and not gel. 

Stainless Steel Cleaning:  Some people have used WD-40 instead of the expensive cleaners.  I don’t recommend this at all.  It leaves a film over time, eventually smells, and attracts dust like crazy.  Instead, a microfiber cloth in very hot hot water,  Squeeze until slightly damp and immediately wipe the appliance.  Follow with a soft paper towel and go with the grain of the appliance.  Works every time and gets the grease off without scratching or leaving a film. 

Garden Tools:  First I have a fresh bucket of sand at the beginning of every year.  I then dunk the tool into the sand and move it up and down to remove dirt.  I then wipe it down with a white towel.  I then spray them with vegetable cooking oil (generic brand) before putting them away.  I wipe off the excess oil first.  It’s cheaper then WD-40 and there is no chemical reaction to the plants or soil.

Clothes Stain Remover:  I have a spray bottle dedicated for this and use this for years instead of Shout.  I use 1 tsp of Dawn dishwashing liquid to one 16 oz bottle of plain tap water.  Spray it on the stain, wash and the stain is gone.  This is also a good recipe for all purpose cleaning – just increase the ratio to 2 tsp per 16 oz bottle. 

Microwave Cleaning:  When a cup or two of boiling water doesn’t quite get the job done, I’ll take a Clorox kitchen wipe and wet it a little bit.  I’ll then stick it in the microwave for 1 minute and everything wipes off easily. 

Grout Cleaner:  Baking Soda and Hydrogen Peroxide.  I usually start with 2 parts baking soda to one part hydrogen peroxide.  It depends on how much grout cleaning I’m doing.  I place baking soda in the grout lines on the floor, and then add the hydrogen peroxide.  I let it bubble until it stops and I then take a soft scrubby and a little bit of water to remove it.  I’ve never had a problem using it on ceramic or porcelain tiles, but I don’t know what it would do to slate/stone that isn’t sealed or even unsealed for that matter.

 Homemade Grease Cutter and All Purpose Cleaner:

Grease Cutter: 4 oz. Ammonia, 12 oz rubbing alcohol and 16 oz of water.  It cleans most everything and won’t leave water spots when polishing chrome.  It’s about 25-30 cents a bottle.

 For my windows:  I use the same mixture, except I use Dawn dishwashing liquid instead of the ammonia.  I start out using ½ oz of Dawn and adjust depending on how dirty my windows are.  The Dawn and Water mixture is great for screens too – just spray it on, leave it for a minute or two and hose the screens off.  Let them dry in the sun if there is sun.

As with any new product, try it in an inconspicuous place to make sure it will not harm the surface you are trying to clean.