DIY Cleaning Products – Helping Cut Corners

As a single mom, one of the ways I’ve cut back on expenses is to make my own cleaning products. I do this partly because it is cheaper and partly because it is healthier. Less trips to the doctors for allergy/asthma related issues is as good for the budget as spending out less on consumable cleaning products. I believe God calls us to be good stewards of all that we have, not just our finances. This change is one of the ways I’ve chosen to be a good steward, and I believe the Lord, Yahweh, has rewarded us for it.
I have a few tried and true recipes that I use for literally all our cleaning needs.

Laundry/Liquid Soap
I found this recipe on a website a number of years ago. Unfortunately, I’ve lost the original source. I’ve also made some adaptations to suit my family. The specific brands listed here are not required, they are the only brands I have access to in my area. You may be able to find the same products by other manufacturers.

You will need:
a large heavy sauce pan or dutch oven
5 gallon pail
long handled wooden spoon
2 – 1 gallon milk jugs
1/3 bar Fels Naptha laundry soap/soap of your choice
1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda (don’t confuse this with baking soda, it is different)
1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
10 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil or other scent of your choice – this is optional.
hot water

Place 6 cups water in heavy pan to heat.
Add 1/3 bar soap, stir until dissolved.
Add borax and washing soda stir until dissolved.
Remove from heat.
Put 4 cups of hot water in the 5 gallon pail.
Add soap mixture.
Add 1 gallon (16 cups) plus 6 cups hot water.
Stir.
Let stand over night – the soap will gel and be hard to pour.
Stir again – add essential oil – and store in milk containers.
Use 1/2 cup per load of laundry.

All Purpose Disinfectant Spray Cleaner

Originally in Mother Earth News October/November 2007 – I’ve adapted it for my family.
I use this to clean mirrors, counter tops, toilet seats, telephones, door knobs and to wash small floor areas, especially the bathroom around the toilet. If I had little ones I would also use it to wipe down toys.

2 teaspoons borax
1/4 cup vinegar (I prefer white, but cider works well, too)
3 cups warm water
5 drops tea tree essential oil
I add all the ingredients into a spray bottle and mix by shaking.

All Purpose Cleaning Scrub

Originally in Mother Earth News October/November 2007 – I’ve adapted it for my family.
I use this to clean the tub, shower walls, sticky spots on the kitchen floor, permanent marker that has bled through paper onto the table, toilet bowls, etc.

1 – 16 oz box of baking soda
1/2 cup liquid soap (I use my laundry/liquid soap for this.)
I don’t recommend highly concentrated liquid dish soap for this, it makes it too thick and hard to shake up for future uses.

1/2 cup water

Mix the first three ingredients together and then add:
2 Tablespoons of white vinager
5 drops of tea tree essential oil – optional

Store in a squeeze bottle (the new organic ketchup bottles are great for this). It will separate and need to be shaken or stirred before each use.

Apply to surface and rinse.

In Lieu of Shampoo

While I never spent much on shampoo, I was noticing an amazing amount of hair loss and thinning as I started to hit middle age. I read that it could be caused by shampoo so I decided to kick the habit.
This has been the hardest so far, but it is working. Several months ago, I quit shampooing – sounds gross, I know. Now instead I use baking soda and vinegar.

Mix 1/4 cup baking soda (I have long hair) with 1/2 cup water and work the paste through my hair.
Rinse with warm water.
Mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with 2 cups warm water and rinse that through my hair and then rinse again with warm water.

I need to do my hair about 1/2 as often as I use to. My hair feels fuller, shinier and stays cleaner longer. If I feel the need to lather up, I grab a bar of castile soap, work it into a lather and then work that into my hair and then rinse with vinegar.

MaggieRaye

RELATED ARTICLES: Making the Home: Vinegar Disinfectant

Become a Gleaning the Harvest Partner

Subscribe to Gleaning The Harvest by Email

All Rights Reserved © Gleaning the Harvest 2008-09