I usually use water + lemon juice + vinegar but I have no idea why or any idea if that actually does anything.
White Vinegar + Water is actually a solid floor cleaner. I’ve never heard of adding lemon juice to it though. One cup of white veingar to one gallon of water is what works for me and what I usually see. There is cleaning vinegar as well that’s more concentrated and can be watered down even more to achieve the same results.
I’m pretty much stuck with vinegar at this point. I’ve got a cat and this is guaranteed cat safe. She’s also adjusted to the smell because her previous owner used to use vinegar to clean floors as well.
Came to say the same, vinegar+water works on A LOT of stuff. I’d also say Isopropyl Aclohol 90% or higher + distilled water is a great cleaner for nearly any thing as well.
if you’re diluting the isopropyl anyway, wouldnt it be cheaper to get a lesser concentration in bulk?
- It’s more economical to buy it in bulk and dilute it yourself.
- You can dilute it to varying levels for different purposes.
She’s also adjusted to the smell
Maybe I did it wrong, but the last time I tried this combo, the house still smelled of vinegar the next day.
I think you probably didn’t dilute it enough. The vinegar smell evaporates pretty quickly here and its not a nose blindness thing because first time my old roommate did it I was shocked how fast it disappeared.
My kids?
There was a book called the Domestic Encyclopedia that I used to have, it was a super thick book, it had all kinds of cleaning solution solutions depending on what you were cleaning. Somewhat ironically my clean freak wife made me get rid of it, so that the shelves liked tidy. But lemon and vinegar do work, the citrus oil and acids help breakdown stuff, where as 90% of things can be cleaned with just water anyway - water being the universal solvent.
The additives to the water frequently cover up smells.
Depends on the material. I wouldn’t use that on hardwood floors, for example.
Most of the work is mechanical. Soap/alkalis help with grease/oils by making them mix in water. Dirt particles will stick to oils and go along. Acids will break up minerals, kill fungus/mildew and deodorize.
- Dirty, greasy areas: alkalis
- Mineral deposits, areas that have biofilms, mold, mildew: acids
All purpose: a little of both
Thrown a couple drops of Dawn* in your mix for an all purpose cleaner. Just be careful where you use it. Leave out the acids for more delicate surfaces.
*I don’t mean to push certain brands but Dawn is cheap and good at what it does.
