Altho' if you believe that "cleanliness is next to godliness" then I guess it might be right on!
Have had a lot of interest and questions about some homemade cleaners I have recently made as part of my New Year's resolution to ditch the household chemicals and save some money...so I thought this place might be as good a place as any to post what I've tried so far! I am really very happy with the changes we've made to date--time will tell, of course, but I have enjoyed trying out new things and cleaning and laundry have become FUN for me! YAY!
So, I plan to just walk you through my cleaning and laundry routines as they are right now. I will supply recipes as I am able for you to try at home, too. I have a feeling this will be trial-and-error as I play around with things, but for the most part, these are the recipes I will use. I'll be sure to keep you posted!
Okay...let's start with the laundry.
I would really, really like to ditch the Tide FOR GOOD. It is pricey and who wants all that blue-dye in your clothes? I have settled on a dry powder laundry detergent that is super easy to make.
Laundry Detergent
1 c grated soap (use a cheese grater--I used Kirk's Castile bar, but plan to try it with Ivory as well--both can be found at Walmart or Target)**
1 c baking soda
1 c super washing soda (in the detergent aisle)
Pulse all together in a food processor and store in an air-tight jar. Scoop approx 3 T for a front-loading HE washer. Add 1/2 c vinegar to the softener compartment (don't worry--your clothes will NOT smell like vinegar after the wash!). I usually use cold water (NOTE: Borax is not effective unless in hot water and has questionable toxicity so I do NOT use it). If doing whites, wash on hot water cycle and add 1/2 c hydrogen peroxide to the bleach compartment instead.
For dryer sheets, I've been putting 3-5 drops of lavender essential oil on a 4" cloth square and tossing it in with the clothes in the dryer. (NOTE: putting more drops of oil could result in oil transfer to clothing, so I've read). Do this each time you toss it in the dryer--you can do this up to 3-4 times per cloth, then throw them in the washer and start fresh.
I am still using Shout spot treater, but once I figure out a substitute for that, I will let you know!
I've also used baking soda and hydrogen peroxide on carpet stains, but was unhappy with the results. I understand it works best with fresh stains. May also just use hydrogen peroxide (putting a spray nozzle on the bottle) for vomit or potty-training spots as they happen--have read this does a great job! But, had to go to my Resolve for the pesky old stain today.
Okay...on to the bathroom!
I have LOVED ditching all my smelly, fumy cleaners in favor of these natural ones! It is like a spa and an aromatherapy treatment while you clean! BONUS! Seriously, the soft scrub recipe I use can be used as a facial scrub, so tells my friend--it is that gentle!
For the glass/mirrors, I have tried various recipes. To date, my FAVORITE is actually from my Dad....
Dad's Glass Cleaner
1 T vinegar
1 c rubbing alcohol
1 c water
Combine all in a spray bottle (I used my old Windex bottle). Wipe with a cloth. You can add an essential oil to off-set the alcohol smell, but it does dissipate quickly!
For countertops, you can either use Sanitizing Spray (use a dry cloth--no need to rinse) or an All-Purpose cleaner (think Fantastic) which has a soapy component, so wipe down with a wet rag.
Kerry's All-Purpose Spray
14 oz distilled water
2 T liquid castile soap (I use Kirk's)
30 drops essential oil (you can use 10 drops of 3 different kinds)***
Kerry's Sanitizing Surface Spray
7 oz vinegar
7 oz distilled water
21 drops essential oils (I used lemon and lavender)
This spray is great for all those surfaces and toys and door handles in the house when people are sick!
For the sink itself, I have been sprinkling baking soda (I put mine in a tall plastic spice shaker bottle from Sam's or Costco) into the sink and either pouring or spritzing vinegar into the sink. This will create a bubbly, foamy reaction (close drain to keep the vinegar in the sink). When the fizzing stops, unplug sink and wipe out with a wet scrubby sponge and rinse with lots of water. It will SPARKLE!! (Plus, it can interest the kids into doing the sinks themselves and serves as a great chemistry lesson...win-win for Mom!)
The tub and tiled showers get this soft scrub treatment. I used grapefruit essential oil and LOVE it!! I let my shower get pretty gross with mildew (wish I had a before picture--sorry!)--but check out these results!!
Kerry's Soft Scrub
3/4 c baking soda
1/4 c liquid castile soap (I used Kirk's)
15 drops essential oil (I used grapefruit)
1 tsp vegetable glycerin (I found glycerin in the candy-making aisle at Michael's or you can purchase vegetable glycerin here)
Combine in a screw-top jar. Scoop out with a wet scrubby sponge and clean using circular motions. Add more water to get sudsy and use a grout brush for the moldy grout areas. This will feel amazing on your hands, and as I mentioned above, you can actually use it as a facial scrub! Now, I always rinse the shower using a watering can--I rinse top to bottom such that the water runs down in clean cascades. Then I use a squeegee to wipe down the glass walls. I plan to use a mold deterrent spray using tea tree essential oils when I get some of my own soon (will add the recipe soon). That would serve as sort of a daily shower spray for the tile (and a daily post-shower aromatherapy session!)
And finally, for the commode, I simply spray the outside, lid, and seat with Kerry's Sanitizing Spray or just plain vinegar. Let it sit while you sprinkle baking soda into the bowl and spritz or pour in some vinegar. This will create a fizzy reaction (like the sinks). When that dies down, scrub the bowl with a brush. Then wipe down toilet starting with the lid, then seat, and lastly the rim with a cloth.
Okay...onto the kitchen.
You can sprinkle your cook top or stove top with baking soda, then spray with Kerry's All-Purpose Cleaner (above) and wipe down with a damp cloth. Dad's Glass Cleaner (above) or Granite Cleaner (below) is great for the front of glossy appliances like the dishwasher, microwave, fridge, and stove.
For the microwave, I've heard you can just heat up a bowl of water or vinegar for 2-3 minutes, then wipe out the steamy microwave with a cloth.
And for the granite counter tops, I am trying this from a blog site:
Granite Cleaner
1/4 c rubbing alcohol (may increase to 1/3 c)
3 drops castile soap (I used Kirk's)
water (I used distilled)
5-10 drops essential oil (I used lavender)
This is portioned for a 16 oz spray bottle--I used less of everything as my bottle could only contain 10 ounces. Shake it up and spray down counter tops and wipe with a cloth. (NOTE: granite does NOT like acidic mixtures, so avoid vinegar or other such sprays)
Now, for hand washing dish soap, I simply diluted down some liquid castile soap (Kirk's) and added 3 drops lavender essential oil, 3 drops lemon, and 3 drops tea tree oil in a washed out Palmolive bottle. I plan to play around with the fragrances such as lemon, peppermint, eucalyptus, etc. Castile soap is very gentle--you can honestly wash your skin and shampoo your hair with it! Your hands will smell so nice using this soap, too! Now, as far as boosting grease-fighting, you can add some lemon juice to the sink water. Have a tough stuck-on pan? Sprinkle some baking soda in it and let it soak for a bit.
UPDATE: Be sure to shake it up before use--you will want it to emulsify like this:
For foaming hand soaps, I did the same thing as above but used washed out Bath and Body Works foaming hand soap bottles (the special nozzle foams up soaps quite nicely!). Again, be sure to shake it up and mix up the oils before you use it.
I plan to try some dry dishwasher detergent next week, but I am short one ingredient for that one! I will let you know! If it leaves a film...it is a NO GO!
UPDATE: Okay, so I tried making the dishwasher detergent and was super stoked by the results! NO film and NO spots! Woohoo--check out these dishes that came out this morning--
Here's the recipe I used from this blog:
Dishwasher Detergent
1 1/2 c Lemi-Shine (basically citric acid)--this amount will be the entire 12 oz can
1 1/2 c super washing soda
1/2 c baking soda
1/2 c sea salt
Mix all together and place in an air-tight container. Use 2 T per load.
Lastly, for dusting, I honestly rarely grab for the furniture polish due to being short on time--it is quicker to hand the kids a microfiber cloth or travel around quickly through a room with one myself. Honestly, we have very few pieces of real wood furniture that is either not covered up with a tablecloth or a glass top. So, I may try a few recipes for wood polish, or I just might continue to use my Pledge on a rare basis. (UPDATE: I mixed up a furniture polish today using distilled water, fractionated coconut oil, and lemon essential oil. I will let you know how it turns out on the furniture when I get a chance to use it for a bit!)
I really am liking this wood furniture polish! Here is the recipe:
Lemon Furniture Polish
1/3 c fractionated coconut oil
1/2 c distilled water
30 drops lemon essential oil
Shake and pour on cloth and rub into furniture.
I hope that answers all your questions and helps out all you ladies who want a fresher, cleaner, and chemical-free home for 2015! Woohoo!!
**NOTE: Dr. Bonner's is another popular castile soap, sold at Target and online. My husband was uncomfortable with using it as it contains Hemp oil, thus supporting the growing of marijuana and possibly interfering with office drug testing. Decide for yourself, but please be aware of this as an informed consumer!
***Essential oils are not just used in these cleaners for fragrance, but many have anti-septic qualities which make them very useful! I also plan to use essential oils in my home to diffuse for immuno-boosting, mood uplifting, concentration and calming in the school room, etc, as well as to make some of my own body oils to use for eczema. I will let you know how that works as I continue to incorporate more oils into our daily life! Being an M.D., I will be the first to admit that I am a skeptic, but with continued research, I am feeling more confident about the use of oils and their safety. (See the Petri dish below--"Thieves" is an immune-boosting oil blend containing clove and cinnamon among other oils and it simply decimated the Staph!)
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