Since my big plans for Valentines day will be cleaning, let's check out this DIY cleaning stuff.
I am cheap. It's true. I love to spend less on....anything! One thing I despise is spending it on laundry detergent now that I have 3 boys! I go through it like water.
So I've seen these creative ideas on other blogs and decided to try it myself.
I am fairly impressed. I'm not easily impressed when it comes to cleaning stuff.
So, I gotta share the feedback and recipes.
*First up was an all-purpose cleaner. I found lots of recipes, but one appealed to me the most, so I tweaked it. You can thank Www.bigboxdetox.com for the basis of this recipe. It works super for general wiping down, toilets, counters, doors, and....even mirrors! Yes, even our mirrors and glass. Although I still love my good old vinegar and h2o for that. )
Heres what you need:
- 1 tsp of liquid dish soap
- 1/2 tsp of baking soda
- 2 tbspmof white vinegar
- 2 cups of water
- a touch of tea tree oil (added this myself as an anti, so just added what I felt worked!)
Voila- put it in a large spray bottle and I was off to work!
*Next up, laundry detergent. Not so easy for me- I prefer liquid form but next time around may go dry. The "liquid" recipes I found were all over the map, and mine came out like thick pea soup. Doubled my water and will double my amount per load, but here's basics. Again my basis for the recipe was found all over the net, but I narrowed it down to this:
- 1 bar of Fels Naptha (Meijers, like less than $2)
- 1 cup of Arm & Hammer super washing soda (Meijers, under $4)
- 1/2 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax (again, Meijers, under $5 I believe)
- 4 cups of water (if liquid version)
For liquid version: You will need a 5 gallon bucket, this makes enough for like 200 loads....
Grate Fels Naptha with a cheese grater- the finer the better, especially if your leaving this dry version.
Mix Fels Naptha and all ingredients together. If using dry version, that's it! Put it in container and use 1/8 to 1/4 cup, depending on machine. HE machines require less.
For liquid, use the 4 cups of water and heat that with Fels Naptha over stove til dissolved. Add into 2.5 to 3 gallons of water and rest of mixture. (my husband loved this! He did all the mixing)
Keep it in the bucket if you have the room, or buy a smaller container.
Here's where it gets tricky- mine got so thick I'm stirring it often. Also have no room for a 5 gallon pail,sitting out. So I take and 1/2 water, 1/2 solution in a jug and mix. Works better and I use 1/2 cup per load. Takes practice and tweaking, but I have so much laundry soap now, I seriously think it will last months!
*Next up, I figured I would try the fabric softener too- since I read so many versions using vinegar which gets out odors and cleans better. SO EASY! Thanks Www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com.
What you need:
- 3 cups of water
- 1.5 cups of vinegar
- 1 cup of hair conditioner (obviously you can pick your scent)
Mix em. That's it. Use what you would regularly use in your wash....
OR get crazy like I did, and use the sponge method. Cut up some regular sponges(like in half) and put the pieces in the mixture. Every time you put a load in the dryer, ring out a sponge to damp and throw it in like a softener sheet. Love it.
Whew. I'm tired. Realize I missed some pix, but still learning people! You can figure it out I'm sure! ;-)
That's it for today. Next up- my wood poster and coffee table redo. Yay!
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