Baby Steps #6 - Making Your Own Cleaning Supplies

Making Your Own Cleaning Supplies

I have tried some of these and others are on my list to try :o)

 

Homemade Natural Deodorant

Did you know you can make your own wonderful deodorant with just a few completely natural ingredients? This recipe is awesome! It is frugal and very effective! Aaron & I (the writer) have been using it for over a year now, and it has worked wonders. It smells wonderful, but very faint, so the hubby does not mind! We have tried all natural brands without much success, until we tried this! It is especially important for women to take thought to the harmful aluminum materials in deodorant as it has been linked to breast cancer, being that the armpits are so close to the chest.

Ingredients:

5-6 Tbsp Coconut oil
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch

Combine equal portions of baking soda & arrowroot powder. Then slowly add coconut oil and work it in with a spoon until it maintains the substance you desire. It should be about the same texture as the store bought kind, solid but able to be applied easily. You can either scoop this into your old dispensers or place in a small container with lid and apply with fingers with each use. After applying the product, you can just rub the remains into your hands as a lotion! This recipe lasts about 3 months for two people with regular daily use.

Homemade Natural Diaper Cream & Lotion

1/8 cup coconut oil (extra virgin is preferred)
1/4 cup raw shea butter
3-4 Tablespoons talc-free cornstarch or arrowroot power (optional, to thicken) 

Homemade All-Natural Dishwasher Detergent

You want to make your own dishwasher detergent that is completely natural? I love sharing how to frugally care for your family, so here it goes! This recipe is frugal and works beautifully. I have found that is washes away all film much better than my previous recipe that contained borax. It may be because this is a liquid detergent and dissolves more easily in the dishwasher.

1/2 cup Dr Bronner’s Sal Suds (a balanced biodegradable formulation of natural derived surfactants with natural fir pine needle oil)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
3 drops tea tree oil
1/2 cup white vinegar

Dishwashing Soap

You can also use this recipe for dishwashing soap as well – simply dilute it with additional water. 3-4 cups of additional water should be about right. I add enough water to fill up a large 32 oz spray bottle and use that to spray down my dishes. You conserve a lot more soap by using a spray bottle!

Window Cleaner!

• 1/4 c. rubbing alcohol
• 1/4 c. white vinegar
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 c. warm water

Combine everything in a spray bottle, and shake well. Shake well before using, too, as the cornstarch might settle at the bottom (and subsequently plug the spray mechanism if it’s not mixed in well).
Judgment: It’s the best. It wins. We’ve covered this. But let’s look at one more VERY important thing: Cost.
This is all approximate (and I’m erring on the side of expensiveness, so it’s probably less than this), but I think we can agree that I’m probably close on my estimations:
1/4 c. vinegar = $0.20
1/4 c. rubbing alcohol = $0.25
1 Tbsp cornstarch = $0.03
2 c. water = virtually free, except for the water bill part, so let’s say $0.000001
Grand Total: $0.48
For an entire bottle of glass cleaner.

Here is an even simpler list of ingredients that are environmentally friendly alternatives that are inexpensive and readily available:

All-Purpose: 1/2 c. vinegar, 1/4 c. baking soda, 1/2 gal water
Window cleaner: vinegar, club soda, or the all-purpose cleaner
Disinfectant: 4 Tbls vinegar, 3 cups hot water
Scouring powder: baking soda
Natural Abrasive: salt & toothpaste, apply to scrubby or directly on surface
Dusting powder: vinegar, olive oil
Furniture polish: vinegar, food-grade lemon oil, or 1 c. olive oil and 1/2 c lemon juice
Fabric softener: vinegar
Silver polish: baking soda, salt, toothpaste
Mold/mildew: vinegar or lemon juice at full strength, with small amount of salt
Bleach replacement: spray one coat of vinegar, followed by one coat of hydrogen peroxide (these can not be mixed, so they have to be layered separately). Scrub and wash as desired. Works just as well as bleach without the chemicals.

You can add essential oils to all of these recipes for added scent, cleaning power, and to preserve them. For preservation purposes, try out citric acid, tea tree oil, rosemary oil/extract, and/or grapefruit seed extract.