multi-purpose cleaner or countertop cleaner/disinfector

[miss_thenorth]

Vinegar only stinks when it is wet. Once it is dry, there is no odour.

 

[calendula]

I like to infuse the vinegar with lemons or add essential oils, and that makes it smell nicer. Also, like miss_thenorth said, you can't smell it once it dries. An added bonus for us was that we had a problem with ants coming in during the summer, but since we have started using vinegar to clean in our house, the ants are not a problem anymore. Vinegar repels them and other bugs too.

 

[miss_thenorth]

That's interesting Calendula, I have beenusing vinegar for cleaning for probably 8 years. Now tht I think about it, I haven't ahd any ants in the house for about as long. I use it to wash my floors too.

 

[hiker]

There are some awesome suggestions on the all purpose cleaner thread that I posted earlier. I have been playing around with a couple of different versions, but washing soda, borax and vinegar are in most receipes.

 

[glenolam]

hiker...what thread is that? Sorry if I duplicated - I looked around and didn't see anything so figured I'd start one.

Great ideas everyone and thanks for letting me know about the vinegar - I was afraid to even try it because I can't stand the smell. I like the idea of lemon, though! And I have some lavender laying around, too! We have some carpenter ants that are looking to make their way towards the house - hopefully the vinegar will ward them off until we feel like springing a few hundred for the pest control guy.

 

[Bettacreek]

One interesting ingredient I found in an antibacterial cleaner... Sodium Hydroxide... IE lye. It was the sole ingredient for antibacterial properties. Obviously it was diluted by a lot, but it was still interesting to me.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

I seriously have to try this. I love my own laundry soap (finally got a really pleasing mix/amount of lavender and orange oils -- 3:5 -- in it to suit me!) I usually use a lot of pine cleaner and oil soap rather than the more expensive mixed cleaners anyway, but when you said "repels bugs" you got my attention. I use peppermint oil for that, but this old house, or my location, needs a bit more than I'm used to doing.

Maybe cuz the house was empty for so long, and for a while was invaded by wildlife even.

 

[glenolam]

Ewwwww!

 

[abifae]

If you sprinkle wormwood around where ants come through, they won't pass it It completely obliterates their smell tracks.

 

[Shiloh Acres]

Ewwwww!

Ummmm ... LOL, if the "ewwwwww" was for me, seriously, it's not THAT bad.

It's been mostly gutted since then and much of it is new ... Drywall, carpet (what little there is), tile, cabinets, appliances, and all that. By the folks before me. Then it sat closed up for a couple of years. The windows need replacing sooner or later, as does the roof, but most of it looks pretty good. I even got rid of the squirrels in the attic.

I think it's just country and bugs. And mostly bugs like spiders and such that are not drawn by food or filth (not counting the fly invasion of last summer! Thank goodness there are barely any flies this year.)

I just really don't like bugs at all, and would prefer to keep them ALL out. Even if I do live in an old house in the country.

At the rate they're going, maybe the duckies will manage to eat all the bugs before they get to the house. I can hope, at least!