Making your own cleaning products...sounds intimidating! Well, it does for me. I haven't actually ever made my own cleaning products. I do know that it is a great way to save money AND is better for the environment then using store-bought chemical cleaners. Hopefully, writing this post will motivate me to stop being a sissy and try it for myself!
Powdered Laundry Detergent
12 cups Borax
8 cups baking soda
8 cups washing soda
8 cups bar soap, grated (use fels-naptha, ivory, sunlight, kirk's castile, zote, or another more natural soap)
Mix all together and store in a sealed tub.
Use 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) per full load.
Dish Soap 2 cups soap shaving in a large bowl Stir until smooth. You can add more water if you need to. Add 1/2 cup lemon vinegar to fight grease. Shake well before using.
Dishwasher Soap
1 part Borax
1 part Washing Soda
Add 2-3 cups hot water and let sit overnight
Stain Remover
Put grated soap in a jar. Add boiling water. Pretreat stains by globbing this on them.
Use 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) per full load.8 cups bar soap, grated (use fels-naptha, ivory, sunlight, kirk's castile, zote, or another more natural soap)
Liquid Soap 1 bar of soap
6-10 cups water (depending on the size of the bar of soap)
Heat the water to a simmer. While the water is heating, grate the soap. Add the soap to the simmering water, and turn off the heat. Let mixture sit for 15 min. Beat with a whisk or in the blender until smooth. Let sit overnight until thoroughly cool. Blend again in the morning and funnel into a dispenser. Save extra in a large jar to refill your dispenser as needed.
(Note: These are my cousins' recipes. She has tried most them. You can check out her blog HERE to get her thoughts on these recipes.)
Before I started writing this post I was perusing a blog that I stalk and found some air freshener recipes/ideas. I wanted to share these with you too.
Mix 1/4 C. baking soda with water in a spray bottle. Shake well....& spray! The baking soda will absorb the odor. You can also add scents to this like vanilla extract or peppermint.
Spray white vinegar (undiluted) in the air. The vinegar smell will dissipate quickly, and will take the odors with it.
Take your parmesan cheese shaker from your spaghetti nights, and fill it with baking soda (you can also mix essential oil or cologne with it). Sprinkle it over the carpets and let it sit as long as possible (overnight for example). Then vacuum. You can add a bit of salt to the baking soda.....which sounds odd but it absorbs the moisture and acts as an abrasive when you vacuum - your carpet will look a lot better with a tad bit of salt added in than by vacuuming without it.
To get rid of odors heat white vinegar on the stove, but don't boil! Heat it for 30 minutes, and then take off the burner. The vinegar-ish smell will dissipate and take the odors with it.
Save your citrus peels from oranges, lemons, etc. Boil them in a pot with water.
Wash your walls with white vinegar and a wash rag. Simple.....easy, and best of all? Works better than any other expensive cleaner, without the scent.
For your bathroom, dampen a cotton swab with your favorite perfume, cologne, or essential oil and then swab the inside of the toilet paper roll. Each time you roll the toilet paper, the scent will release and fill the bathroom.
Purify your living room with vanilla extract! Dampen cotton balls with pure vanilla - put in a dish and let them sit. For a big living room you should be good with 3-4 cotton balls in a dish. Your living room will smell like you've been baking for hours!
Lastly make your own renuzit crystals. Mix 1/2 C. salt and 1/2 C. flour in a bowl. Add 1/4 tsp of essential oil, and 2/3 C. of boiling water and a few drops of your favorite color food coloring to create a custom shade. Blend them all really well, and form into balls, dry, and viola! Scented rocks!
Thanks, Sheryl @ Centsable Shoppin!
