Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Homemade Cleaners

DAILY SHOWER CLEANER


8 oz. concentrated cleaner (Lysol is a good one.)

16 oz. isopropyl alcohol

water

Pour cleaner and alcohol into a gallon bucket. Add enough water to make one gallon. Pour into a spray bottle. Thoroughly clean shower before using. Spray on shower daily. Use daily to prevent water deposits and soap scum.



ALL PURPOSE CLEANER

1 gallon water

1 cup ammonia

1/2 cup vinegar

1/2 cup baking soda

Combine all ingredients. Put in a spray bottle to clean showers, toilets, sinks and counters. Great for most cleaning needs. Use all-purpose cleaner to clean your floors. Just spray on and wipe off as you would counter-tops.



Homemade Laundry Detergent

1/3 bar Fels Naptha Laundry Soap, grated

6 cups water

1/2 cup washing soda

1/2 cup borax

Heat 6 cups water and soap in a large pan until dissolved. Stir in washing soda and Borax. Mix and heat until dissolved. Boil 15 minutes. Remove from heat. (It will have the consistency of honey.*) In a 3 or 5 gallon bucket, add 1 quart of hot water, then add the soap mixture. Mix. Add enough cold water to make a 2 gallon mixture. Mix until well blended. Let sit 24 hours. The soap will gel*. Use 1/2 cup for each load.

Makes 2 gallons. (Approximately $ .40 per gallon)

*If the detergent doesn’t gel or reach honey consistency it will still work.



I make my own and leave it powder form … I make one batch last lasts 1 year … 2 boxes of Borax > 2 boxes of Washing Soda and 4 bars of Fels Naptha or Ivory and 2 boxes of baking soda Mix it all together in a WELL washed Cat litter container and I mix before each time I use .. 1 tblsp per load and also I use 1/4 cup vinegar for Fabric Softener > I use spray bottle with a mixture of 1/2 liquid fabric softener and 1/2 water for the dryer > 4 squirts does thd trick … in the winter I use the dryer sheets as well but cut them in 1/4 and use 1 in the dryer.. The laundry soap lasts 12 months and the fabric softener lasts abut 5 months .. we have bought stain remover for really tough stains but normally take 1/2 tsp of the powder and add water to make paste works great.. Love the page … Interesting reading



I’ve been making this homemade laundry soap for years….the water measurement doesn’t have to be exact. We are a family of 7 so I make mine up in a 5 gallon bucket I got from a fast food restaurant. This way I don’t have to make it so often. I use 2 bars of Ivory soap melted into 12 C. of water, 1 1/2 C. of washing soda, and 1 1/2 C. of Borax. Follow the same directions as above. Pour the mixture into the bucket, fill with cold water, stir and your done! (I also stir in some “clean linen” fragrance oil to mine…you can get it at Wal Mart) You can then ladle out enough of the soap mixture to fill a laundry detergent bottle and keep the bucket in a closet with the lid on it…refill the detergent bottle as needed. Be sure to stir the soap in the bucket each time you refill you bottle! I like this simply because it is all soap…most laundry soap in the store that are inexpensive are 90% water and fillers which don’t clean anything, and often are toxic. Even at $3 a bottle that’s alot of wasted money for colored,scented water…not to mention the toxic chemicals.

DIY Liquid Scrubbing Cleaner


1/2 cup baking soda

1/4 vinegar

2-4 TBSP dish soap

Heat the vinegar a bit in the microwave just until warm enough to incorporate well with the baking soda. Mix in the dish soap and stir thoroughly. Store in old soft scrub bottle or any bottle.