Finally bought some cheap spray bottles - now what's the best thing to use them for??

Mics_chick

lil_me wrote:

I have one with zoflora & water (few drops is all it needs, about 1-40 solution), one with stardrops and water (only use about 1tbsp in bottle) and the other with vinegar and water (1/4 vinegar rest water in mine), spray for everything from windows to puppy accidents! I however had so many spray bottles I just washed the labels off and relabelled them.
Thanks :T this is a great help but what different types of jobs do you use the stardrops and the vinegar solutions for?? Also what do you use the zoflora solution for? I've heard of it don't know anyone who uses it??

You are always advised, including on this forum, not to mix chemicals!

Nit repellant is a good idea if you have kids, I bought one which has lavendar and tea tree in and it was about £4 for 150mls! Only thing I would be careful with is reaction to the oils, test small area first. I've got dd at pre-school who hasn't been affected yet but prevention is better than cure - can't remember having it as a kid so I don't want to start now

I'll need to go and get another bottle if I use all your tips

The last thing I need a plant spray bottle for is plants coz I haven't got any - they all die on me so I decided to be kind to them and leave them alone :rolleyes:

Mics_chick

lil_me wrote:

Essential oils I use all the time, tea tree and eucalyptus in cleaning mainly, it's good for mildew stains etc aswell, but careful they are strong

Is it eucalyptus that's good for mildew coz I'm always fighting this round the edge of the bath and at the mo I usually end up bleaching it to get rid of stains completely

I was planning to use it anyway coz of wannasavemoney's post but this would be an added benefit

lil_me

Yeah eucalyptus on mildew, sorry if that confused. Use neat if very bad (but be very careful and I always use gloves if using stuff anyway). Tea tree is a natural anti bac so helps in likes of stardrops and vinegar solutions. Aswell as DP not liking the ala chip shop fragrance.

Stardrops, general cleaning inc my carpets, kitchen, furniture etc but test yours first when comes to carpets, I've never know anyone to have discolouring but you never know.

Zoflora, very strong disinfectant that I use for puppy stuff, toilet etc but can use well diluted so bottle lasts AGES!!

Vinegar, also general, good on windows too, limescale it's great on like sink drainer etc.

Stardrops and Zoflora have suggested uses on the bottles. Vinegar http://www.vinegartips.com/

sleepymy

Air freshener
Place one teaspoon baking powder soda in a spray bottle and add to it two tablespoons of white vinegar and two cups of clean water. After the foaming has stopped replace the spray top and shake well.

lswwong

I filled a spray bottle with cheap lime juice (in a bottle, bought from an Asian store) and a bit of washing up liquid for cleaning the stove.

Very effective if sprayed on when the stove is still warm (but not hot).

I generally find lime or lemon juice very effective for cleaning stove bits.

Mics_chick

sleepymy wrote:

Air freshener
Place one teaspoon baking powder soda in a spray bottle and add to it two tablespoons of white vinegar and two cups of clean water. After the foaming has stopped replace the spray top and shake well.

I'm assuming this is a sort of neutraliser for bad smells - am I assuming right??

sleepymy

Yes it would be, I would add a couple of drops of essential oil for fragrance.

lil_me

I wonder how that one works as bicarb is an alkaline and vinegar is an acid, therefore neautralising each other, hence why it fizzes

Oh forgot to add my what a friend calls 'bizarre bit', with especially the vinegar bottles I use filtered water (have brita system) I find then don't get any streaks. Something I tried once when the water was off so only had filtered water and have used since.

I do make up another but usually as and when needed is soda crystals, putting a tablespoon in a bottle with water is fab for the bathroom and cooker hob/grill pan if they are icky! It's a good grease remover, I have it in to use with laundry. It also comes in handy as a 'stain remover' spray to pretreat laundry, saying that I sometimes use stardrops/vinegar spray depending what the stain is.

With any of the acid based ones you can use lemon/orange/lime juice, or the oils to help with cleaning and the fragrance side.

I think with a lot of it can be trial and error, see what works for you and what doesn't. I used a lot more stardrops in the bottle at first but have managed to reduce it.

rach

i only currently have 2 home made bottles (they are just refilled cleaner bottles ). one has stardops and water, i use that for general cleaning and dusting. the other has white vinegar and water, which i find good for cleaning the george forman. when i've used up my flash bathroom cleaner i will do one with soda crystals too. often for the kitchen worktops i just use a microfibre cloth with hot water to be honest!

buxtonrabbitgreen

I used a free small sample bottle of the new comfort (smells lovely) mixed with some water and spray it on curtains carpet. It gets rid of smells. My personal febreeze type thing, and cost nothing.