Homemade Cleaners, etc.

Cleaners cost big money. I was sick of buying expensive laundry detergent, grossed out by the terrible chemical-ly smell looming in my house after a good dusting, and cautious of using my kitchen counters soon after I wiped them down with a toxic cleaner.  Money & safety.  I'd say those are two very good reasons to move on towards making my own cleaners & other household items.

My first experiment: laundry detergent. My Aunt Betty was gracious enough to share her recipe on her blog.  The ingredients? Fels Naptha soap, Arm & Hammer washing soda, Borax, and water.  All of which I was able to get in the cleaning aisle of the grocery store. Go here to get the steps needed to complete this recipe.  I doubled the recipe, put it in an old kitty litter bucket, and will no longer have to worry about laundry detergent for quite some time.  It only took me about 20 minutes to put together.

My ingredients.  This will last me the year!

My Fels Naptha soap shredded in my food processor (used the shredding plate).

How about dishwashing soap?
1 ounce liquid castile soap
2 cups water
1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
5-10 drops lavender essential oil (optional, but lavender is antibacterial)
-Combine the soap and water in a jar.  Add the glycerin and lavender.  Stir to blend. Use like normal! (BBFTH, Berthold-Bond)
-It's about $21 for all of the ingredients, but you don't use up all of the ingredients for one batch.  All of these ingredients should last you the year to make dishwashing soap. 1 25oz of Seventh Generation (all natural) dish soap is $10 at the store, and that will last you about a month or two. That's at least $60 a year on purchasing natural dish soap, opposed to $21 for the year by making it yourself.

There are so many different recipes for different household cleaners or beauty products that are a fraction of the cost to make and are completely safe. For example, I spent a total of $8 on the ingredients needed for my laundry detergent and only used a teeny bit of each item.  All of the ingredients I bought will allow me to make detergent for a YEAR. Seriously people...EIGHT DOLLARS A YEAR FOR LAUNDRY DETERGENT!!  I was paying over $10 for each bottle I bought every month.  And it's SAFE. I seriously can't scream this any louder.  Money is NOT an issue...these recipes SAVE you money.

So, you want to know where you can find awesome recipes like the one above for dishwashing soap? An amazing friend recommended a book to me: "Better Basics for the Home" by Annie Berthold-Bond.  There are almost 1,000 different practical formulas for things like housekeeping, skin care, whole body care, gardening, pets, pest control, & house care and hobbies.  She has recipes for air fresheners, astringents, clarifying lotions, natural facials, organic gardening, natural pest control, concrete sealers and damp proofing, pigments and dyes, paint strippers, adhesives, glues, waterproofing.  I mean, this is the holy bible of home products.  You need it? She probably has a recipe for it.  I bought the book in Barnes and Noble for $18.95, which I think is pretty darn worth it for a lifetime of safe product recipes.  It looks like Amazon is having a sale on it right now for $12.89!  And if you buy it used, some are as cheap as $6.

Save money. Live healthy.  I'd say that's a pretty good way to live.

(And no, I did NOT get paid to promote this book.  I just love it that much.)