Homemade House Cleaners

Tub Scrub

1 cup baking soda

1 cup Borax

1 cup kosher salt

Directions: Mix all ingredients in a jar. Sprinkle over messy area. Scrub with brush or sponge. Rinse thoroughly.

Tub and Tile Cleaner

1 1/2 cups Baking Soda

1/2 cup Dawn soap

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp vinegar

Directions: Combine all ingredients. Place in a jar or spray bottle for storage. Shake to mix well before using. Apply with a sponge, towel, or cleaning cloth. Scrub and rinse well.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner

1 cup Vinegar

1 cup Baking Soda

Direction: Turn off water valve to toilet. Then flush to remove all water in the bowl. Pour in the baking soda. Follow with the vinegar, covering as much surface as possible, but be sure to pour slowly. The vinegar and baking soda will react to form a carbon dioxide gas. The fizzing is normal. Srub the surface of the bowl with a toilet bowl brush or your preferred method. Turn the water back on a finish with a flush to remove any residue.

Glass Cleaner

1/4 cup Rubbing Alcohol

1/4 cup White Vinegar

1 tbsp Cornstarch

2 cups Water

Directions: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Be sure to mix thoroughly. Pour into spray bottle. Be sure to shake well, as the cornstarch may settle on the bottom and become clogged in the nozzle. 

All Purpose Citrus Cleaner

2 Citrus Peels (Oranges/Lemons)

Vinegar

Pint Ball Jar or Storage Container

Spray Bottle

Directions: Place citrus peels in the ball jar or storage container. Fill the jar to the top with vinegar. Keep container sealed for 2 weeks. Then pour the vinegar into spray bottle, removing citrus peels. (It may be easiest to do this with a funnel) Spray cleaner on dirty surface. Wipe clean with sponge, cloth, or paper towel.

Stainless Steel Cleaner

22 tbsp baking soda

1/2 cup vinegar

2 cups warm water

Directions: Combine all ingredients (mix thoroughly) then pour into spray bottle. Be warned, the mixture will foam up as the combination of baking soda and vinegar creates carbon dioxide gas. Do not place the mixture into the bottle until the bubbling settles. Spray this mixture on dirty stainless steel surface. Wipe clean/dry with a microfiber cloth or lint free towel. 

Fabric Softener

Vinegar

Essential Oils (scent of choice)

Direction: Mix 7.5 cups of vinegar with several drops of essential oil. Store in a bottle. Place 1/4 cup of mixture into the fabric softener compartment of the washer. 

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Photo Credit: Buckets and Bows Maid Service

Let's face it, laundry is no fun. It is time consuming and quite frankly a pain. Plus it is dizzying how many store bought options there are for purchase. Unfortunately for my family, due to skin sensitivity, many of these options are not available. Instead we were forced to purchase Free and Clear and Sensitive Skin types, which tend to be expensive. Tide Free and Clear when on sale is usually about $18 per 96 loads, which works out to be $.19/load. Considering the average family does between 400 and 500 loads per year, this amount can really add up.

Although Tide Free and Clear is dye and scent free, which is better than the original version, it still has high levels of carcinogenic contaminants. You can find out more out about it here at the Mother Nature Network. Short on time like me, the long and the short of the article is that 89 ppm of 1,4-dioxane (a known carcinogen) can be found in the Free and Clear version of Tide. Surprisingly, this is less than the original Tide formula in which 63 ppm can be found. This falls within the federal guideline of being 100 ppm. However, as a mom that tries to keep things as natural as possible, this is unacceptable to me. This topped with the warning that it may contain ingredient with potential for respiratory effects; chronic aquatic toxicity and developmental/reproductive effects have taken Tide Free and Clear permanently off my shopping list.

Armed with this information, I began my search for an acceptable laundry detergent that would not cost an arm and a leg and would not be potentially harmful to my family. In order to know where everything is coming from, I came to the decision that I would begin to make the laundry detergent myself. My main requirements for this detergent were:

• Hypoallergenic
• Low Suds for HE washer (front loader) 
• Limited/No Respiratory Effects
• Non offensive/overbearing scent

After scouring the internet and Pinterest, I found myself testing multiple recipes. I thoroughly enjoyed Bonzai Aphrodite's recipe Sayward's Homemade Laundry Soap. Clothes come out a bit stiffer than with conventional laundry soap. However, I found the clothing to smell and look cleaner. But be forewarned, you need to be prepared to keep stirring because if you don't you are stuck with a clumped up cake that is useless.

I then decided to venture out on my own and experiment until I found my own ideal version of powdered laundry detergent. This detergent is free of known carcinogens and is hypoallergenic. I have personally used it in my front loading HE washer without a problem. I now have this version available for sale. The best part is, with a one year supply or about 500 loads of laundry detergent is a mere $.16/load  and the work is all done. It can be found for purchase in my store.