@--;---- Homemade Cleaners @--;----
All of these Soaps and Cleaners are Debra Garner's recipes and I am using them here with thanks to her. I am very new to this type of cleaner, as I am a Tide and Comet and Cascade girl. I am seeking to learn ways to reduce the great monthly expense of soaps and cleaners.
Laundry Soap - soft water
3 pints water
1/3 bar Fels Naptha Bar soap, grated
1/2 cup Washing Soda
1/2 cup 20 Mule Team Borax
2 Tbsp. fragrance oil (optional)
Mix the grated Fels Naptha in a pan with 3 pints of water, heat until dissolved. Stir in Washing Soda and Borax. Mix until it thickens and looks like honey. Remove from heat. Put 1 quart of hot water in a two gallon bucket, add soap mixture. Mix well. Fill bucket with cold water. Stir until blended. It will thicken as it cools. Use 1/2 cup for each load, or more for heavily soiled items. I use approximately 1/2 cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle. Store in a container with a tight fitting lid. Label it and keep out of reach of children. A typical gallon of liquid detergent is $5.00. By making your own you pay less than 25 cents per gallon!
Laundry Soap - hard water
1/3 bar Fels Naptha Bar soap, grated
3/4 cup Washing Soda
2 cups 20 Mule Team Borax
2 Tbsp. fragrance oil (optional)
Mix same as above for soft water recipe. Use 1 cup per load. I use approximately 1/2 cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle. The cost for making this recipe is slightly higher, so your savings will be less - but still much cheaper than what you can buy in the store.
Multipurpose Cleaner
1 tsp. Borax
1/2 tsp. Washing Soda
2 Tbsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. liquid soap - I use Dr. Bronner's Castile
2 cups very hot water
Add the first four ingredients to a spray bottle, then slowly add the hot water and shake until dry ingredients are dissolved. Label the bottle and that's it! I use this in the kitchen, bath or anywhere!Window Cleaner
1/2 tsp. liquid soap (Dr. Bronner's again)
3 Tbsp. vinegar 2 cups water
2 drops of food coloring (optional - but it helps identify cleaners easily - I use blue)
Add ingredients to spray bottle - mix gently. Label it and it's ready to use. I recommend using old newspapers to clean your windows - they work great! If you don't have any old newspapers, then I recommend really cheap paper towels - the "better" paper towels leave lint.
Dishwasher Soap
Borax
Baking Soda
Mix equal parts of each and store in a tightly sealed container, use 2 Tbsp. per load. **Note, if you have hard water, double the amount of baking soda in your mixture. For either mixture, use vinegar in the rinse cycle.
Homemade Scouring Powder
1 cup baking soda
1 cup borax
1 cup regular saltCombine the three ingredients and keep them in a tightly closed container. Use as you would Comet or Ajax.
Homemade Pretreating Stain Remover
1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup baking soda
2 Tbsp. liquid soap
2 qts. waterMix all ingredients in a spray bottle. Shake well before each use. Spray liquid onto the stain and let sit for a few minutes. Launder as usual.