HOMEMADE CAR CLEANING PRODUCTS

COURTESY OF GATHERLITTLEBYLITTLE.COM

Car Soap

Car soap isn’t near as sophisticated as the manufacturers would like you to think it is. Here’s a simple recipe that will make all the suds you need and keep your car nice and clean:

  • 1 cup liquid dish detergent - Ivory works well
  • 12 T powdered laundry detergent
  • 1 large bucket of water

Car Wax

Carnuba is the key ingredient for a good car wax as it provides a very hard protective coating over your car’s paint. Here’s a carnuba based homemade car wax recipe:

  • 1 cup linseed oil
  • 4 tbsp. carnuba wax (available at automotive stores and available online)
  • 2 tbsp. beeswax
  • 1/2 cup vinegar

Put ingredients in top half of a double boiler or saucepan. Heat slowly until wax has melted. Stir, and pour into a heat resistant container. After wax has solidified, rub it on the car with a lint-free cloth. Saturate a corner of a cotton rag with vinegar and polish the wax to a deep shine.

Tire Cleaner

I like to clean my tires with Soft scrub with bleach. The bleach whitens any white letters or stripes along with giving the tire a nice black color. Here’s a homemade alternative:

Non-Abrasive Soft Scrubber:
1/4 cup borax
Vegetable-oil based liquid soap (such as Murphy’s Oil Soap)
1/2 teaspoon lemon oil
1 teaspoon bleach

Carpet Cleaner/Stain Remover

Here’s a few homemade ideas to clean the carpet in your car and to help you remove stains:

  • A great carpet stain remover is club soda. Soak the spot immediately with soda and blot until the stain is gone.
  • Sprinkle cornstarch onto carpet, vacuum.
  • Grease spots can be removed from carpets by first absorbing excess with a sponge. Next rub a liberal amount of corn starch into the spot. Let sit overnight, then vacuum.

Carpet FreshenerWant your car to smell cleaner? Here’s some homemade carpet freshener:

  • 4 cups baking soda or cornstarch
  • 35 drops Eucalyptus essential oil
  • 30 drops Lavender essential oil
  • 25 drops Rosewood essential oil or any combination of your favorite essential oils

Measure 4 cups of baking soda into a bowl, add essential oils. Break up any clumps that form, stir until well mixed. Before vacuuming sprinkle powder from a shaker type can or jar. Let it sit on the carpet for about 15 minutes then vacuum.

In a bowl, mix the borax with enough soap to form a creamy paste. Add lemon oil, bleach, and blend well.

Windshield Wiper Frost Free Fluid

Mix 3 parts vinegar to 1 part water and coat the car windows and fill your fluid reservoir with this solution. This vinegar and water combination will keep windshields clean, and ice and frost-free.