The Only Two Cleaning Products You’ll Ever Need: Cheap, Easy, and Effective!

Who has ever spent more than you felt comfortable with on cleaning products because it said “natural” or “non-BPA” or “no phthalates”, or “organic”? The list goes on…

Friends, I am going to share what I use in my home and it is the only two cleaning products you will ever need. They are dirt cheap, super easy, and more effective than the expensive stuff!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that if you choose to shop through my link, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting J&R Farms!

Excuse me, You Said Cheap and Effective?

Yes! Let me tell you a little story.

I found a popular online cleaning products supply company and participated in the monthly subscription while I had the discount for free shipping.

For almost 9 years, I have only used my homemade cleaners. I have tried different recipes here and there, but I will share what works the best for me in a minute. All that to say, I NEVER buy cleaning products.

So this subscription deal was new to me. I just felt like doing something different. Why not.

I received my order, and spent some money on things that kind of felt like a major purchase! (For me.)

I will be honest. The products smelled amazing. They were easy to use, obviously, because all I had to do was spray and clean. No worries mixing anything myself.

BUT…you know what? They didn’t make the actual cleaning job any easier. Just smelled up the house a little bit.

I still had to let it sit, then scrub out my bathtub.

For the toilet, I had to again, let it sit, then scrub with the brush. Same exact method.

In fact, I found that I had to scrub extra hard in my bathtub, because the spray I purchased wasn’t abrasive enough for the scum buildup, so I had to put extra elbow grease into it!

Is the Monthly Cleaning Products Subscription Worth It?

I wouldn’t give this company a bad review or anything. I mean, it is what it is. It cleaned my sink, the toilet, and the tub.

However, I cancelled the subscription service and will not be buying them anymore.

Because:

-I can make my own cheaper.

-Making my own takes literally less than two minutes of my time.

-I know FOR SURE that my cleaning products are natural and safe. (So safe that you can literally EAT them.)

I wasn’t so sure about the ingredients, even in the so called natural cleaners. They still had a mile long list that I could hardly pronounce. So why bother?

Can You Easily Pronounce These Words?

How ’bout these for easy to pronounce:

Vinegar

and

Baking soda.

That’s right! My not so secret cleaning products are revealved.

Let’s Break Down the Cost of the Cleaning Products:

A quick Google search breaks down the cost for each item:

One half gallon white distilled vinegar: $1.92. That’s 2.4 cents an ounce!

A 5 lb bag of baking soda is $3.88. .77 cents a lb.

If you bought both of these items, you will spend approximately $5.80.

(We will call this my All-Purpose Cleaning Bundle, all yours for under the cost of a fancy cappuccino.)

A bottle of toilet cleaner costs around $3.69.

The shower spray costs around $4.19.

Need a kitchen specific cleaning spray? We’re at nearly $3.69

That’s just three cleaners that we had been led to believe that we need for our households. Combine the advertising power of television and magazines, and the housewife will start thinking she needs a different formula for every space of her home. Not to mention twenty different rags, dusters, squeegees, anti-bac cloths, and sponges!

I’m here to free us from alllll of that.

You can buy vinegar and baking soda, which will last more than twice as long as those other things, and save some major money over time!

My Cleaning Products

I only use vinegar and baking soda, with essential oils here and there, for ALL of my cleaning needs.

I’m serious! These two easily available, cheap products take care of everything in my home. Like I said earlier, we even eat these things! Say that about those “natural” cleaners…actually, please do not try to put those things in your body!!!

Vinegar and baking soda are also septic safe. So no worries there.

How I Use Vinegar and Baking Soda Every Day in Every Space

Here’s a glance at how I might use my cleaner on any given day:

-The kids eat breakfast and get syrup on their table– spray vinegar, wipe with towel.

-Laundry is being done, I need to freshen up my towel. As they are going in the washer with the detergent, I add my fancy laundry enhancer: vinegar. Takes the yuck smell right out!

-I find a gooey mess under my table from the night before…plain water doesn’t get it up. I will sprinkle a teensy bit of baking soda on it, then spray with vinegar. Let it sit for a minute, then it will wipe right up.

-Need to freshen up the carpet in front of the door? Sprinkle a bit of baking soda mixed with two or three drops of tea tree oil, then let it sit for a minute, then vacuum it up! Be amazed at the wonderful smell that fills the house! And no nasty fake chemicals involved!

-Window cleaning: the kids have smeared junk all over the windows. Get a small bucket of warm water, add a splash of vinegar, a few drops of lemon essential oil, and wipe with an old cloth diaper or paper towel. Cleaned and sparkly, and smells amazing!

-Deep clean the kitchen floor: I have linoleum in my kitchen, as I’m writing this. I do not use a conventional mop…I usually just spot clean and sweep. But I will deep clean it every few months. I section the floor off into segments, then sprinkle just a little bit of baking soda over in my area I will clean first. Then I spray vinegar over it, and let it sit for just a few minutes. Then I take a rag, and scrub on my hands and knees. Ya’ll may do it differently than this, but I like to do it this way every once in a while. I scrub every inch and by the end, my floors look so clean! It’s so satisfying!

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-Kitchen counters: same way as the floor! Sprinkle baking soda, and then spray vinegar. It is abrasive enough to get every little stuck on piece of gunk.

-Oven. Same way! If you have especially stubborn oven stains, use lemon essential oil! I even have used steel wool to get up burnt on pieces of food. (Just be sure you won’t scratch your oven. I do not have a glass top, so I’m sure you’d avoid scrubbing to abrasively on those.)

-Toddler accidents: You guessed it…sprinkle baking soda and a nice smelling essential oil, spray vinegar (I use quite a bit on poopy messes) and scrub it up with a rag. Yep, that gets it perfectly clean.

-Bathroom: For toilets, I sprinkle the soda, spray the vinegar, let is sit, then scrub. Same for the sink. Same for the tub! For my bathroom mirror, I spray vinegar, then wipe with a towel!

The store bought cleaners ain’t got nothing on baking soda and vinegar. I promise!

Just talking about it makes me want to clean!

How to Make Your Own Right Now!

I’m sure since you’ve read this, you are just dying to try this out yourself. Well…go to your closet and grab a spray bottle and let’s go!

Here’s how I make my cleaner:

I use a plastic spray bottle. Now, I know that glass is recommended for cleaners, especially with essential oils. I just haven’t ever invested in a glass bottle. Now, these look really cool:

(I would love to try this mason jar spray attachment!)

In the bottle, I will add a 1:1 ratio of white distilled vinegar and water.

This will remain in my spray bottle, within easy reach at all times!

If I feel like it, I will add 10-15 drops essential oils. Sometimes I use a mixture of tea tree, lemon, eucalyptus, clove…really whatever I feel like as I’m mixing my spray bottle!

That’s why I love this method so much. You can change it up whenever you feel like it.

How Long Does This Cleaner Last?

Honestly, it depends on the amount of messes you’re cleaning up. I mean, this spray bottle of vinegar does it all. It may last three weeks for me. But if I have huge messes constantly…it might be refilled within two weeks. I really haven’t kept track that closely, because it’s just so easy to refill I barely know I’m doing it.

One tip I do have for you in regards to the baking soda: invest in an industrial size bag!

I have had a 25 lb bag in my closet for only my cleaning purposes for a long time. I really recommend this!

Happy House Cleaning!

House cleaning is not my most favorite thing ever…but it’s a little more doable knowing that I’m saving money and not spraying harmful fumes all over my family.

Have you ever tried vinegar and baking soda? Feel free to share how you clean!