More Homemade Cleaning

Needed to get some cleaning done, so I whipped up a couple new homemade recipes.

I went to wash my ginormous van and wanted something stronger for the tires (with whitewalls) than the castile soap I use on the rest of the van. I went in the kitchen and made a handy and heavy duty cleaner that got those tires CLEAN AND WHITE. I should have taken pictures of the before and after, but I was so excited about cleaning, I got distracted. Anyway, mix up some of this when you want nice clean tires.

Tire Scrub

1/4 cup castile soap
1 cup baking soda
1 cup borax
juice of two lemons

Directions
Mix everything together and add enough water to make a slightly watery paste. Get a rough scrubber and scrub those tires real well. Rinse with clean water and marvel at the black (and white) shining back at you.




Inside, I am trying out a new disenfecting spray for the bathroom, kitchen, and table tops. Thanks to Farmer's Market, I found some fresh thyme for the job.

Thyme Disinfecting Spray

2 cups hot water
6-8 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/4 cup borax

Directions
1) Boil water and pour over thyme in a heat resistant container
2) Allow to steep until cool
3) Pour into spray bottle
4) Add borax and shake well
5) Spray on surfaces and wipe clean

Remember to shake it well each time you use it.



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Wipes Solution and Laundry Soap

Today's homemade crafts consisted of an all natural powdered laundry soap and a wipes solution for our cloth diaper wipes. Making your own products can be fun and addicting. It's so nice to know what ingredients are in your products.

The laundry soap came out to be about $4.75 for 30 loads. Which is only a quarter (plus tax) cheaper than the detergent I have been using. However, what we get in return is where we really save money. No harsh chemicals, three simple and natural ingredients, and a fun time spent with my son.

Step 1: find a bar of soap you like. All natural, hard milled is probably the best. I was able to find some good smelling, and surprisingly natural, bars of soap at the 99Cent store. Grate the soap into flakes (or curls :) ) This is where my son had a blast. He enjoyed watching the bar turn into a pile of flakes. He kept telling me I was, "Doing great job, Mama".

Step 2: Assuming you have a large container (like my pickle jar) add 6 cups of soap flakes (this was 2 bars for me) 6 cups of washing soda (or sodium carbonate) [I actually used baking soda because I couldn't find the washing soda] and 3 cups of borax. Shake it up, or let your kids shake it up to mix well.

Step 3: Use 1/2 cup in each large load. This is a great formula for hard water. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to your rise cycle (to freshen and soften) and you have yourself an all natural laundry regimen.

How about that wipe solution? We've been using cloth wipes for the last two years, the same amount of time we have been using cloth diapers. We tried a few brands before I finally found the Kissaluvs brand "Awesome Knit Terry" wipes and fell head over heels in love. They are the perfect size, texture, thickness, and durability. One thing I have never done though, is use a wipe solution. We just stuck to water. With the new baby due any day, I wanted to finally try a solution and see how it goes. A little extra cleaning power isn't a bad thing as we head back to those poopy diapers. Here's the recipe I chose.

Step 1: Find a container big enough to hold your wipes, and place the clean wipes inside. (I found a neat plastic container with a latching lid at Target, and it holds all 24 of our Kissaluvs wipes perfectly, when the solution is added)

Step 2: In a gallon container (with a lid) mix together 8 cups of warm water, 1/2 cup light oil (I used a safflower vitamin e blend), 1/2 cup baby shampoo, 3 TBS aloe vera gel, 32 drops lavender essential oil, 16 drops tea tree essential oil. Put on lid, shake well.

Step 3: Pour in just enough of this solution to saturate your wipes and try not to leave any sitting in the bottom of the container. Store the rest of the solution in the fridge for when you need to soak more wipes (remember to shake first). Keep the tub of wipes in a cool dry place to avoid mold and mildew, and rest easy knowing exactly what you are wiping on your little ones bum. They smell amazing BTW.

With both of these household crafts, and any other you make, slap on a cute label and you're ready to go. You can make fun art out of your label, give your creation a cute name, and add a list of ingredients to look at proudly every time you use the product. I like to do a search for product specific clipart and add the cute graphics to my labels. Print them on regular (or recycled) printer paper and attach with clear packing tape to protect and water proof your label)


Go natural! It's fun for everyone.

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Homemade Cleaning Supplies

Making your own household cleaning supplies is actually very easy, MUCH healthier for everyone, and almost always cheaper. How could you go wrong with all that?

In a previous entry this week, I talked about Inboxdollars.com and how I was making money with it by reading emails, signing up for offers, and taking surveys. I signed up for four separate book clubs through the Inbox Dollars website. Each with great introductory prices and each earning me $10 for signing up through I.D..

One of these book clubs was Home Style Books, offering great books to help you around the house and home. Tons of categories are covered. One of the books I chose is titled, "The Naturally Clean Home" by Karyn Siegel-Maier. When I added it to my list, I was thinking, "I've already got so many recipes for homemade cleaners, I've been making a few of my own for a while now, but I guess a collection of recipes via book, won't be bad. Especially priced at only 50 cents as an introductory offer." So, I added it to my list. It took me two days to go through it all as I marked all the (many) cleaners I wanted to try right away. Today, I took some time to make and do a few of the cleaners and tips from the book. This book has been more amazing than all the simple recipes I have already added to my collection. I could throw out all my saved cleaning recipes, keep this book, and never need anything else to help me naturally clean my home and stay green. And I just might. It also has a great section on the car, which I will excitedly go through when I am no longer pregnant and can tackle the task of thoroughly washing my extra large van.

What I made today was

• A bathroom cleaner
• A kitchen cleaner
• An herbal scouring scrub
• A carpet deodorizer
• A deep cleaning carpet foam

The simple tips I tried today were

• Add a few drops of an essential oil to the inside cardboard tube of your toilet paper roll for a burst of air freshener with every use.
• Add 3-5 drops of your favorite essential oil to a small cotton cloth and toss in in the dryer to freshen clothes. Can be used 2-3 times adding 2-3 drops each time. Then just wash and start over.
• Add 4-5 drops of essential oil to a slice of bread and place in the refrigerator to soak up odors.
• Hung a few sprigs of fresh rosemary in my closet.

The house smelled like a lovely herb garden as I made these things. Of course, it also makes me feel wonderful to know I am not adding more chemicals to our indoor air, saving our bodies, our air quality, and the Earth.

I only made cleaners I had the ingredients for already. I will make more after I visit the store. However, until then, I will add the recipes to each cleaner I made today, following this blog. Make them and enjoy them like I am.

For great looking jars, create a fancy label on your computer, print them out and attach to your containers with some clear packing tape to protect them.


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Bathroom Cleaner

"Germs-Be-Gone Toilet Cleaner"

This antibacterial spray cleaner is especially formulated for cleaning the general surface of the toilet, and under and behind the seat.

• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup liquid castile soap
• 1 tablespoon tea tree essential oil
• 10 drops eucalyptus or peppermint essential oil

Combine all ingredients in a plastic spray bottle and shake well. Spray on toilet surfaces and wipe clean with a damp cloth or sponge.


Copyright 2008 "The Naturally Clean Home" by Karyn-Siegel-Maier


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Kitchen Cleaner

"Lemon Blast Cleaner"

This solution is great for refrigerators and stove tops.

• 1 teaspoon liquid castile soap
• 1/8 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 cups water
• 6 drops citrus seed extract **I skipped this**
• 4 drops lemon, lime, orange, or eucalyptus essential oil **I used eucalyptus**
• 1 teaspoon borax

Combine all ingredients in a plastic spray bottle Shake well before each use. Spray generously on appliance surface and wipe with damp cloth or sponge. Wipe dry with a cloth or towel.

Copyright 2008 "The Naturally Clean Home" by Karyn Siegel-Maier


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Carpet Deodorizer

"Simple Rug & Carpet Deodorizer"

Pets and bare feet can cause a rather funky smell. This formula leaves your carpets looking and smelling fresh again.

• 1 cup borax
• 1 cup baking soda
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 10 drops juniper essential oil
• 5 drops cypress essential oil

Combine the ingredients in a plastic bowl. Add essential oils and mix well, breaking up clumps. Sprinkle the mixture over the carpet and wait several hours, overnight is possible, before vacuuming.

Copyright 2008 "The Naturally Clean Home" by Karyn Siegel-Maier


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Celebrating Earth Hour

So last night was the big "Earth Hour". We participated, it was nice. At 8:29pm we had all the candles going and we shut out the last light and turned off the TV. I Wasn't to sure how my son would handle this whole deal, in the darkness and all, but he did very well. In fact, it was so pleasantly quiet and calm that he thought he had to whisper and so that's how he spoke the whole time. It was very adorable.

I started off my hour by doing the dishes in the candlelight, and to be honest, they didn't get cleaned very well. Next I moved onto bath time. My son enjoyed a quiet bath in a much darker room than he is used to. Although, with the mirror the bathroom ended up being the brightest room in the house. Once your eyes adjust it's not that bad anyway. He liked his dark time bath and lot.

We played around for a while in the candlelight after his bath. Then I set him up with his usual milk on the couch before bed. Most of the time he will get down and turn on the TV before he relaxes with his milk. I was quite surprised that he didn't try to turn the TV on at all. He sat wrapped up in his blanket nuzzled between two pillow and just peacefully consumed his milk. It was very cute. When he was done he showed me it was empty and gave me the "all done" sign. So off to bed it was.

It was 9:30PM by this time, so earth hour was over technically, but it was so nice and since my husband was already asleep and my son was just going to sleep I kept everything off. My son is still in our bedroom so I put him in his bed and I stayed in there as well and did something I haven't done in ages....... I had an hour long phone call. I didn't have to do any chores throughout the conversation either. It was so nice to just lay on my bed chatting with my girlfriend just like I used to when I was a teenager.

Once that fun was over, I took a shower by candle and let myself distress from the day, the week,and the technology. I went to bed feeling good, and slept all night. Thanks earth hour!


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