I find a lot of great ideas on Pinterest… but pinning something doesn’t do anything unless I actually, you know, try the idea. So I thought it’d be fun to challenge myself to do at least one Pinterest experiment every week — and blog my results. You can follow my personal Pinterest account here, if you’re interested.
Update: So it looks like this isn’t really that effective of a cleaning agent after all, according to this post. You’d probably just be better off sticking with vinegar or baking soda.
I saw this recipe for Homemade Toilet Bomb on Pinterest and knew I had to try it. It just looked plain fun — plus, it looked so simple.
Well, apparently I forgot what I had learned back in grade school about the reaction you’ll get when you mix baking soda and vinegar. Um, yup, I ended up getting my toilet and my kitchen table cleaned out of the deal. 😉
Truthfully, the recipe worked great, but I think it would work just as well to scrub the toilet with baking soda and/or spray it with vinegar. But if it makes you feel better to clean with something that looks kind of like Scrubbing Bubbles (versus straight vinegar or baking soda), then this is your recipe.
But learn a lesson from me: either mix it up in a big container, directly in the toilet, or cut the recipe in half. 😉
Homemade Scrubbing Bubbles
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup white vinegar
5 drops essential oil
Mix together in a large container, dump into the toilet, and scrub away. 🙂
Original recipe from How Does She
Have you tried any ideas or recipes you’ve found on Pinterest recently? If so, I’d love to hear how they worked out for you. Feel free to leave your blog link in the comments if you blogged about your experiment!
I just recently tried a carpet spot cleaner with a combo of vinegar and baking soda. I couldn’t figure out why it didn’t work. Thanks for updating this post with the explanation as to why. I have linked up to this post here: http://www.1plus1equals9.com/?p=270
Sorry if this is a little off topic, but I was wondering where the best place is to get essential oils is? I have heard that Earth Fare sells a large variety, but is there a place that may be cheaper that you could recommend? I greatly appreciate it! 🙂
Vitacost, Mountain Rose Herbs, Amazon online. Locally if you have Whole Foods, New Seasons type stores. Just make sure your essential oils’ ingredients list states “essential oil” of whatever and nothing else added! Organic is always best but can be expensive choice, however, if you are planning to use them for cleaning products only, don’t worry about organic. Just make sure it’s 100% essential oil you are buying.
I just tried a stain remover for set in stains. It was fantastic! blue dawn & peroxide 1:2 ratio. Mix in a bowl, pour on stain. I used a toothbrush o scrub it in. Wash normally.
Anyone know a DIY cleaner for granite countertops? I know that vinegar/ammonia/rubbing alcohol CANNOT be used on granite. I haven’t been able to find an everyday DIY recipe that’s safe for the granite.
Thanks everybody!
Good ? I would love to know of one also!!!!!!!!!!!!
I use ethyl alcohol (not isopropyl) which is grain alcohol such as Everclear. It is a lot safer to use (inhalation and skin exposure) than rubbing alcohol. I haven’t seen any negative effects on the countertops. YMMV. Vinegar will etch stone so a definite no-no. I use the same grain alcohol w/essential oil as a hand sanitizer when out shopping and also works great as a deodorant and air freshener/fabric freshener – a lot safer than those commercially available products. Likely a lot cheaper depending on your state’s alcohol taxes. 😉
A cool cleaner I found on someones blog(can’t remember where now) suggested half vinegar & half dawn dish soap for cleaning bathtubs, just shake well before each use. We have used it for awile & it does work well a little goes a long way. just put it in an old spray bottle shake, spray, & scrub away. I guess I would be afraid to mix baking soda vinegar to often because of the carbon dioxide mix.
I wonder about these things…. vinegar and baking soda gives off carbon dioxide (that’s the bubbles) and leaves mostly water. I’m not convinced that this really cleans. There must be something more that I’m missing.
That said, I clean with baking soda and vinegar quite a bit. Baking soda with some liquid soap does wonders for scrubbing tubs and toilets. And vinegar does rinse out the soap and soda wonderfully.
Make sure to check out the link that I posted as the update. You’re definitely onto something. 🙂
Yep. When I reviewed a book of cleaning recipes, I mentioned all this about vinegar plus baking soda, but didn’t go into as much detail at that gal (she did a pretty good job with it, too!).
Let us gently, yet persistently, preach the truth about vinegar plus baking soda = carbon dioxide plus water.
I recently tried a pinterest bathroom cleaning idea: baking soda mixed with lemon juice applied around the toilet area…let it sit…then spray with vinegar and wipe down. Kind of a mess, but it really got rid of some nasty boy bathroom smells!!
Nothing worse than boy bathroom smells! My boys are all married now and I don’t think their bathroom will ever smell okay again! I think we will have to replace the flooring to get the stink out of there.
sounds good.
But I’m curious. The baking soda and vinegar are chemically opposites…..when they are combined they NEUTRALIZE each other (in their fun bubbly-way). Wouldn’t that make what is great about each product NOT POTENT (or less potent)? Anyone remember their chemistry?
Someone left this link on my Facebook Page: http://www.crunchybetty.com/diy-101-baking-soda-vinegar-not-so-much
Yep! I learned this the hard, embarrassing way. Definitely use them separately unless you need the volcanic action for something like unclogging a drain.
Yep! Crunchy’s got it right. I never mix them unless I’m unclogging a drain due to that very reason.
I usually clean the whole bathroom with vinegar and baking soda. I’ve never tried mixing it before hand, but it might be fun to do with the kids 🙂
I have done this for years to clean out toilet (but I don’t use essential oils) I just dump the vinegar in the toilet first then the baking soda and once it stops bubbling I clean! works well. Here is another great toilet cleaning tip if you have hard water. If my family is going out of town overnight or longer I put about 1/4 cup of tang in the toilet and give it a swish around the bowl with the brush and let it sit while we are away. When I come home I flush it and the toilets are sparkling clean no hard water build up. I keep tang in the house just for this purpose and not to drink.
I’ve done this many times -works great although I just put it in the toilet
I made some dry-shampoo spray! Didn’t work out so well. 🙂
http://stayathomemademom.com/2012/09/26/pinterest-project-diy-dry-shampoo/
When my kids were little and I didn’t want them using toilet cleaner, I had them sprinkle baking soda around the edge of the toilet and then pour vinegar on the baking soda, then scrub. It was cheap and non-toxic. They also thought it was fun enough that one child LOVED doing the toilets. Win.
We clean the tub w/baking soda, and THEN spray it down with vinegar – it’s fun for the kids, and gets things really clean!
We actually do carpets this way, too – sprinkle w/baking soda, wait a bit, then “shampoo” them with hot water / vinegar mixture. Much cheaper than buying carpet cleaner shampoo!
Plus, a friend of mine who worked shampooing carpets said that soap makes your carpet so that it needs to be cleaned more often. What a great money saver!