My Creations.....

So in my effort to save money, I decided to start making different solutions and cleaners around the house. Supplies are easy to find, and fun to make! I thought I would share with my friends and family who are interested in saving some money and/or helping out the environment!

Laundry Soap

• 1 bar Fels Naptha Soap (~5.5 ounces)
• 1 ½ cups of Borax
• 1 ½ cups of Washing Soda (NOT baking soda)
• 1 stainless steel grater
• Water, hot
• Large empty container (1 gallon) 

Instructions

1. Use a medium saucepan to heat 2 cups of tap water. Adding a little extra won’t hurt.
2. Grate the bar of Fels-Naptha and divide it into 5 equal groups. A digital food scale is very helpful on this step.
3. Add 1 portion (~1.1 oz.) of the grated soap into the boiling water on the stove. Stir occasionally until it is completely dissolved. It’ll only take a minute or so.
4. Measure 1 1/2 cups each of the Borax and the Washing Soda into a large bowl; stir until well mixed.
5. Measure the powdered mixture into 5 equal portions and store each in snack size plastic bags. Add one portion of this powder mixture into the pot of now soapy hot water; stir well for about a minute.
6. Let this detergent concentrate cool just enough to not melt your plastic jug. Pour it into a one-gallon container. If you’re worried it’s too hot, add a touch of tepid water.
7. Add enough hot water from the tap to reach half-way.
8. Make sure your container has a well fitting screw-on lid and shake the jug like your ridding your body of pent up aggression. The solution needs to be 100% mixed. It won’t take more than a couple of minutes.
9. Let this jug sit all day, or overnight. It will be extremely thick and look like a blob; that’s good in this case.
10. Once the processing time is over, shake the jug for another couple of minutes.
11. Fill the remainder of the jug with hot tap water. Shake for another minute and you’re done.

Notes

It doesn’t hurt to give the jug a little shake before each use. It takes about ¼ cup to do a very large load of really dirty laundry; there is no need to add any more water to the mixture. Remember this is high efficiency (HE) detergent so don’t worry that you don’t see suds filling the window of your machine.

Here's the link for pictures and step by step directions...  Click Here

Everyday Cleaner:

• 1Cup Water
• 1/2 teaspoon of Liquid Castile Soap
• 4 drops of Lemon Essential Oil
• 2 drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil
• 2 drops of Lavender Essential Oil

Combine in a container with a lid and swirl. Dip a rag in it, ring it out and wipe!

Now, if you are wondering about germs, here's some things I have read about Essential Oils.

Lavender, Lemon and Tea Tree: Antibacterial, Anti-fungal, and Antiviral So feel free to wipe away with this cleaner! I have used it for 2 weeks and haven't had anyone get sick, even after there was burger blood on my counter. I DO only use the rag once and toss it into the laundry.

I am messing around with other concoctions, but I'll post those once I make them and use them for a bit.