It’s that time of year when we are feeling the Christmas budget and need to be aware of our spending. Here are some of my favorite budget-friendly, non-toxic cleaning items that are versatile! You do not need 19 products to clean your house. Scroll down to the bottom for a few easy DIY cleaning recipes! 
- Lemon Essential oil: This can be used for a variety of cleaning items. Mix with a little bit of vinegar to make a cleaning solution. Use lemon essential oil to get marker and crayon off of wood items like your table. You can also use lemon essential oil to clean stickiness off of any item in your house. This one is my favorite!
- White distilled vinegar: White distilled vinegar is so cheap you can get it by the gallon for under three dollars. You can mix white vinegar with water to create a powerful cleaning solution that actually does clean. White vinegar can work to reduce and kill a variety of viruses. It can also be used as a laundry softener replacement. I could go on and on about all the uses, but any cleaning pretty much can be done with vinegar and water. (see below for more examples!)
- Baking soda: You can buy baking soda in bulk at Costco for about $10 for a 13-pound bag. Baking soda is a great stain treatment. It also can be added to your laundry to help remove stains and wash whatever it is that you’re trying to get clean. You can also use baking soda and mix it with a little bit of water to make an oven cleaner paste (see the recipe below). Baking soda is a fantastic multi-use cleaning product!
- This mop: It’s the holy grail. Reusable washable microfiber cloths. An easy-to-clean bucket. So much safer for you and easier to clean than your gross Swiffer. Bonus: not having to buy wet pads makes this mop a 10/10.
- Simmer Pots: ditch the toxic fragranced air fresheners. You can put together a simple simmer pot for under $5. We have quite a few here on the St Louis Mom site- just search simmer pot in the search bar!
DIY all-purpose cleaner
1 part vinegar + 2 parts water + 10 drops of Lemon Essential Oil
DIY floor cleaner
hot water + 4 tbsp of vinegar + 5 drops of Essential Oil
DIY Laundry Detergent
1 part vinegar + 1 part baking soda + 10 drops of Lemon EO
DIY Oven Cleaner
3 parts baking soda + 1 part water + 5 drops of Lemon Essential Oil
What DIY cleaning recipes do you love? Share them with me and follow along for more easy swaps over on IG @abbykristine16
