Friday, February 11, 2011

Homemade Shower Cleaner



You may already know that I only buy the original blue Dawn and I use it as my hand soap and my soap for washing dishes.  I stock up on it when it is on sale for $0.97 at the grocery store then use my coupon or I will just buy a big thing of it at Sam's.  There are a LOT of ways to use the original blue Dawn.

I also use vinegar a lot.  So when I saw a homemade shower cleaner recipe on my friend's Facebook page I knew I had to try it.


This is her recipe:


4 ounces blue Dawn dishsoap (ONLY use the original blue Dawn) 
12 ounces plain white vinegar

Mix it all up in a spray bottle. Once per week, spray your entire shower, bathtub, and fixtures with this stuff. Wait 1-2 hours then rinse. That's right - no scrubbing. Your entire shower and tub will be sparkly clean and shiny - and your grout will stay mildew free!  **I used  my Pyrex cups to measure out the ingredients.

Verdict:  Um, yes, it works!  My fixtures are brighter (I have hard water).  It is so easy to do!

Drawback:  The smell of vinegar is so strong.  I am going to try to some drops of essential oil next time to see if that will help.



23 comments:

  1. Any time I make a homemade cleaner with vinegar, I add a little bit of vanilla extract. It really takes away the "vinegary" smell, and has a wonderful scent.:)

    Blessings,
    Kristine

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  2. i agree that the vinegar smell is overpowering! glad to know that i can add something to make it smell better!
    it worked really well for me, too, though it didn't clean the existing yuckies in the grout as i'd hoped (really, it's bad enough our management ought to have the grout replaced, so i'll probably never get it as clean as i'd like!)

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  3. I recently saw this, but have read that certain spray bottles don't work with it. Do you use an old Windex container?

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  4. @Lindsey
    I used a bottle I bought from Home Depot and it seemed to work well. I have had problems with bottles I reused like an old Windex bottle. Maybe it was the Dawn that clogged it up.

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  5. my shower is soaking right now! i put a drop of pure mint & peppermint extract in mine for the smell :-)

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  6. This work for glass shower door??

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  7. @Anonymous
    I haven't tried it because I don't have glass doors but it works as a good soap scum remover so I would try it for a week and see how it works. Keep me posted.

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  8. I just have to say this stuff is amazing.... I'm ashamed to say my shower was pretty gross looking despite my attempts at bleach, steam and many other scubing and soaking trys. My husband ust to do shingle roofing and let's just say I thought we were going to have to buy a new tub before we moved. I don't have a shower head that sprays my whole shower so I couldn't resist scubing a bit while rinsing. I am also resoaking alittle in some tough spots but I can't help but be in shock. Thank you so much

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  9. @Jamie Porter
    I know it is hard to believe it actually works but it does! It is so simple.

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  10. some window cleaners came to do the storefront windows where I work, and I'd never seen such clean, streak-free windows in such a quick time. I asked what they used and they said -- DAWN. so there ya go, it'll probably work on shower doors. Laura

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  11. This is a great idea. I love natural cleaners. I hate the scrubbing bubbles smell and vinegar doesn't bother me because it is natural and will go away when it dries.

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  12. Quick question....why do you have to use the blue Dawn? All I have at my house right now is the green apple scented Dawn.

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  13. I use a similar recipe and it works wonders on the glass door of the shower. The vinegar scent can be a bit harsh, I agree. I like to add lemon oil or a bit of lavendar oil and that seems to help. Kristine has a great idea with the vanilla extract, and I'm thinking it would be terrific in the kitchen. Mmmmmm.

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  14. @Sarah Allison
    I use the blue dawn because it doesn't have phosphates. You could use the green.

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  15. I'm about to make this shower cleaner after hearing so much about it, but was a little concerned about the vinegar smell; would i be able to put in fresh lemon juice to help w/the smell or does it have to be the oil?

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  16. @lorah lopez
    I wouldn't use fresh lemon juice just because it could turn rancid if you leave the bottle sitting in your shower. If you leave it in the fridge you could do it but that doesn't make it very convenient to spray after your shower.

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  17. @extraordinary ordinary life, thank you!! I actually just skipped the fragrance all together. while our bathroom was incredibly potent while our shower was "soaking" but once it was rinsed off, there was no smell at all :)

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  18. Along the same lines, why Dawn?
    A lot of DIY sites recommend original blue Dawn, is it all that different form Palmolive? It says "phosphate free." I usually buy whatever is on sale.

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  19. Blue Dawn is recommended on a lot of DIY sites. I understand the phosphate free, but the green palmolive I currently have says it is "phosphate free" on the bottle.
    I usually buy whatever is on sale.

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  20. @Anonymous
    Palmolive will work fine but blue Dawn is the old formula and does a lot and I just stick with it.

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