Mom’s Magic Cleaner

I’m excited to share my Mom’s recipe for her homemade cleaner. It works magic on many areas of the house, cleaning deeply and thoroughly, and with surprisingly little effort.

Growing up in a fairly large family – five kids! – we all worked hard to keep the house clean and presentable. Back then, though, many of the household cleaning products we use today were just being introduced to the market. They were fairly expensive to boot.

But we didn’t really need them. We used a special homemade cleaner that Mom mixed up in a small bucket, using very inexpensive ingredients. It worked magic on cleaning painted door casings and knobs and whatever else was smudged, fingerprinted, or just generally soiled through daily use.

Segue to much later. I’d long ago left home and made a new home in one state, then in two others for many years. Along the way, I forgot all about Mom’s Magic Cleaner. I used only commercial cleaning products for daily and deep cleaning. They worked well, but I did worry a bit about just what exactly was in them. Not to mention how it might affect my health as well as that of my pets. And they were pretty expensive, which hit my grocery budget every time I needed to buy them.

Aunt Betty to the Rescue!

Just by chance, I mentioned house cleaning to my dear Aunt Betty a few years ago, and she told me that all this time she’d been using my Mom’s recipe. And she rattled it off for me: Just a few simple ingredients that I mostly had around the house anyway, in a formula that’s very easy to remember. So the next time I planned a deep cleaning (the kitchen, if I remember right), I mixed up a batch of Mom’s Magic Cleaner in a small bucket.

I was and still am in awe of how great it works.

For most smaller messes, just give the target mess one swipe to fully cover it, then swipe again. And it’s GONE! Heavier grime may require a few more swipes and maybe even a little scrubbing. But for the most part, Mom’s Magic Cleaner can conquer almost anything you need to clean. (There are exceptions though. Read the product labels carefully.)

The formula is so simple you probably don’t even need a recipe: To one gallon of warm water, add ½ cup household ammonia, ¼ cup white vinegar, and ⅛ cup baking soda (⅛ cup equals two tablespoons). So, a half, a quarter and an eighth. Give it a quick stir and you’re ready to go.  And all the ingredients have names you can pronounce!

But How does it Compare?

Being both provident and frugal, as well as curious, I priced out the ingredients in Mom’s Magic Cleaner. These costs are based on my local stores; yours may differ a little. Ammonia, from a ½ gallon bottle: about 5.5 cents; white vinegar, 5% strength, from a one-gallon bottle: about 4.5 cents; baking soda, from a one-pound package: about 5 cents.

If you add in the minimal cost of the gallon of water, the total cost should be less than 16 cents. By my calculations, an equivalent amount of one popular spray cleaner would be well over $15!

Notes on Mom’s Homemade Cleaner

You’re probably wondering, “Well, doesn’t ammonia smell bad?” Yes, there is definitely a bit of an ammonia smell to this cleaner. You should only use it in a well-ventilated area. In my kitchen I turn on the range hood’s fan; in other rooms, I pop open a window a little bit. Interestingly though, ammonia is great at removing odors. The ammonia smell quickly goes away, and cooking and other odors are reduced or eliminated.

Like all cleaners, be careful to read the instructions on each of the ingredients. Ammonia, for example, should never, ever, ever be mixed with bleach or anything else that contains chlorine. (Back in the day that particular combination was nicknamed the “housewife killer.” It creates a poisonous gas – similar to one used in chemical warfare.)

I’m so thankful that this recipe was not lost forever and grateful that Aunt Betty thought to share it with me. I hope you find it as useful and effective as I have.

The information in this post is for educational and information purposes only. Read the labels of each of the ingredients carefully, and do not use this on anything or in any way that a label warns against.

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