by Sarah | Nov 29, 2011 | All About Home, All of Us, DIY Cleaning Products
[flickr id=”6348905046″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]I claim all rights to Purposeness as a word. It is one because I say it is 😀 In all seriousness, I’d almost forgotten I promised to tell you about all of my cleaners. Today Ill get into my most frequently used cleaner.
I never was a neat freak. I’m a pack rat, I’m a clutterbug. In recent years that’s started to change. Maybe it’s the five people in a tiny cramped house, or maybe it’s my neat-freak OCD hubby (love you, Archie) rubbing off on me. Either way, I’ve started to be a bit more meticulous. I’m nt perfect by any means, but I’m getting better.
One of my favorite things I’ve found since I started making my own cleaners is my all-purpose antibacterial spray. I use it on everything. My kitchen counters and table receive the most frequent attention, but I’ve used it in the bathroom, in the living room – I’ve even used it to clean crayon off my girls wall (it works best on fresh crayons).
I call it my miracle spray since it’s removed all sorts of things from my counter tops, and managed to erase age old stains.
It cuts through grease and grime, and sticky messes left behind. Â The key is to let it sit on the heavier mess for just a few seconds to soak in and break it down.
P.S. with all of my cleaners – I use cotton cloths always. I never use sponges except on my sink or on the rare occasion I have something really stuck onto the counter – then I’ll use a scrubber, but rinse clean with my cotton cloth.
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All Purpose Anti-bacterial Cleaner
*Lavendar is a natural antibacterial element. That is what makes this spray antibacterial. Also after much trial and error I’ve started making my cleaners in a large glass measuring cup first, then adding them to the sprayer once cool. It’s much easier.Â
2Tbs Vinegar
1tsp Borax
1/4c. Liquid Soap (Castile soap)
Hot water
10 drops Lavender Essential Oil
Mix vinegar & borax.
Add 16oz hot water
Stir until borax is dissolved – this is important. If Borax isn’t dissolved it will clump up when you add the soap.
Add Liquid Soap.
Add Lavender
Â
by Sarah | Nov 17, 2011 | All About Home, DIY Cleaning Products, Random
[flickr id=”6356588635″ thumbnail=”small” overlay=”true” size=”small” group=”” align=”left”]A year ago we had a major problem. Â Our HE washer STUNK.
It was horrible. Â The smell was transferring to our clothes. Â We were at a loss. Â We tried the brand name “HE cleaner” tablets. They helped a little, but it was bad. So very bad.
We muddled through. Unable to do anything about buying a new one, we kept up with regular cleaning tablets, leaving the door open and extra cleaning cycles.
All along I’ve wanted a dry detergent I could make at home. I was buying detergent and cutting it with borax, but we were still buying it too often and spending too much. Â I would have loved to make laundry detergent sooner, but all the recipes were for liquid. And really, let’s face it – I’m lazy.
Then I found pinterest. Â I was goaded into it. I got hoked fast. Along the way I stumbled on a pin for a homemade DRY detergent. Â I thought it was too good to be true!
So I whipped it up, tried it.
That was four months ago and I have never gone back*. Â My husband (with his hyper sensitive nose) loves the citrus-y smell of the detergent, and the wash when it comes out. It’s cheap to make and one batch lasts about six weeks in a household full of 5 people.
The best part?
My washer doesn’t smell.
I haven’t had to pay to buy the cleaning tablets. I haven’t had to leave it open all the time (although I still do just because it’s better for it – but I never feel guilty for closing it). Â My wash is amazingly soft and smells delectable. There is no moldy lingering odor. If I take out the dryer bar (yes, I still use that…it’s my one indulgence) for my husband’s jean cycle and forget to put it back in…the clothes are still wonderfully soft – even towels!
In the end I totally credit this laundry soap with saving my HE washer, and our noses.
So what is in it? I know you’re dying to know….
1 bar Fels Naptha ($1 at WalMart)
1 cup Borax ($2.50/box at WalMart…& I use it for SO many of my cleaning products. packs a punch for a cheap price)
1 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Soda ($3 at WalMart. Washing Soda, not baking soda. I’ve made 4 batches & still have over half of a box left…again, well worth the price)
Grate the Fels Naptha** and mix everything together.
It takes ONE TABLESPOON per load. That’s it!
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*I say never. We recently ran out & I’ve been sick so we dipped into the brand name detergent we still had around. Within 2 washes the stench was back in my washer. It was then that I knew w/o a doubt that my homemade detergent was better & made it as soon as I could.
**Side note on the Fels Naptha. The gratings in my picture are huge. My teenager washed the grater and the small side was dirty. I was in a rush to get towels washed so I used the big side. Use the small grater. You get a much better mix. I will have to shake mine out with every wash to make sure I spread out the Fels Naptha.
***Original Site I got recipe from (credit goes where it’s due. Just saying 🙂 )***
