17 Household Products You’ve Been Buying But Could’ve Made Yourself All Along

Having a well kept home requires maintenance and the occasional decor upgrade. Between cleaning supplies, Mod-Podge, and the ever important dog shampoo, a wallet can be strained to keep a place in tip top shape. Here are some handy DIYs for making a number of important household items that will take the pressure off of your finances while helping the environment and impressing your friends.

1. Create your own eco-friendly dishwashing detergent.

Use 1 cup borax, 1 cup washing soda (or baking soda will work, as well), 1/2 cup citric acid, and 1/2 cup of kosher salt as a scrubbing agent. For a rinsing agent, vinegar does the trick.

2. Want to create your own Swiffer WetJet Solution? This is the formula for you.

3. Bug spray is a valuable commodity in some places.

It is always a wise idea to be able to make your own natural protection against the crawly, buzzy and bity things in the world. Here’s a page with a number of helpful DIY recipes.

4. Get your homemade febreze on with this DIY.

5. Drano can be a real drag on your pipes. Plumbers will often charge more to work on pipes that have had drano applied due to the wear and tear it causes with their equipment.

We have good news for you! With 1 cup of baking soda, 1 cup of salt, and ¼ cup of cream of tartar, you have an all natural powder of drain cleaning dynamite. Pour the mix down the drain and then pour two cups of boiling water over it. After an hour, just run fresh water from the sink to flush it out.

6. We aren’t the only ones that benefit from bug spray. Your precious plants can always use a helping hand.

This DIY will help you create the eco-friendly insecticide you need to keep your thumb just a little greener.

7. You can turn your whole place into a giant chalkboard.

All you need is chalkboard paint made from 1 cup latex house paint, 1 cup acrylic craft paint, and 1 tablespoon of unsanded tile grout. Give your wee ones plenty to keep them captivated!

8. Mod-Podge is a must among home renovators. Here’s a snazzy DIY for making your own from Elmer’s glue and water.

9. Need to get that wood good and shiny, but you are tired of chemical wood polish?

Just mix 2 parts oil (preferably linseed oil or olive oil) with one part lemon juice. Polish it on with a soft cloth. Buff that beauty with beeswax and a microfiber cloth for a shiney finish.

10. Homemade polymer clay is perfect for making any number of household decor items.

Your imagination is the only limit. See how to make it from common household ingredients here.

11. This DIY will give you the skinny on making some amazing laundry soap. Save your clothes, and your money in one swoop.

12. Do your clothes look like they are imitating the neighbor’s pug? Get those wrinkles out with your own homemade solution.

Simply pour 1/4 cup of vinegar, 1/4 cup of water, and 3 tablespoons of liquid fabric softener into a spray bottle and apply to smooth out the wrinkles.

13. Do you have those stubborn (and perhaps embarrassing) stains you need to get rid of?

Mix one part hydrogen peroxide, one part baking soda, and two parts water to create your own stain remover and save the day.

14. Make buying glass cleaner a thing of the past with 1 cup of rubbing alcohol (isopropyl), 1 cup of water, and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Spray it on and do your thing.

15. With 1 cup of water and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch, you can starch up any fabric around the house you need to.

16. If there is one important way to keep a house smelling and looking pleasant, it’s to bathe the household pups.

Some of them need some pretty consistent bathing, which can get expensive. Now you can learn to make 3 different doggy shampoos with this DIY.

17. Ever wonder why kids eat glue? It’s because it is made out of all natural (and edible) ingredients.

Glue is deceptively easy to make. Check out this DIY for the details.

H/T Buzzfeed