Step 3: Floor Cleaner (or All-Purpose Cleaner, Part 2)

Now, I know I said you could use the all-purpose vinegar/water solution to clean your floors, and you can. However, if you're looking for a cleaner with a little more scrubbing action, I suggest you try this one.  So far I've only used it on our linoleum floors, but you could also use it on toilets, walls, countertops, or whatever you feel like.

The original recipe (from the Eco Chick's book) calls for 1 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup baking soda, and 1 gallon of water. Since I was using an old 1 gallon milk carton, I halved it.

The fun part of making this is watching the baking soda and vinegar react (at-home science experiment!), and also a really good reason to halve the recipe because that baby would overflow like nobody's business.

The good news is that the baking soda neutralizes the vinegar odor, so your olfactory senses won't be put out every time you scrub your floor. Plus, a little goes a long way, so I still have most of that batch left to use whenever I feel like it. Handy and affordable. I like it.