Orange All-Purpose Cleaner - Make it yourself

There is nothing that I like to do better than to make something out of nothing and to save a lot of money by doing so. This all-purpose cleaner recipe does both of those which makes me very happy. If you are on Facebook or Pinterest, then you have probably seen this recipe for a natural, non-toxic, chemical free cleaner. Even so, I thought that I would share it in case someone might of missed it. I do not know where this cleaner recipe originated from, so I am unable to give the proper credit.

Shirley's Notes:

• Do NOT use this solution on granite  The acids from the citrus and vinegar can scratch the granite.
• The orange and vinegar solution cleans because of a chemical in the orange part of the peel which is called d-limonene.
• After sitting for awhile the vinegar will become a orange/golden color hue and have a very strong orange scent to it. However, there will still be a vinegar smell,  but after you have used it and it has dried, the vinegar smell will go away. If the vinegar smell is offensive to you, try adding 10-15 drops of lemongrass essential oil to the solution before using. 
• If the solution ends up smelling nasty, throw it away and start over. 
• Instead of oranges, you can also use the peels from lemons, clementines, or grapefruit.
• You don't have to have enough peels all at once. Just whenever you eat an orange, put the peels in a jar. When you have as many peels as what you want, then make this recipe.
• You can use whole cloves in with the oranges to this to make it smell even better.
• You can easily make a larger or smaller batch without it affecting the outcome of the solution.

 

 What you will need:

• peels from 2-3 oranges
• vinegar - white distilled
• container with a lid. (I used a pint size canning jar with its ring and lid)
• spray bottle
• water

1. Place peels in container and completely cover the peels with the vinegar. Allow the solution to sit for two weeks.
2. After the two weeks, strain the mixture and put the liquid  solution into a spray bottle. Discard the peels.
3. Mix the solution with water using a 50/50 ratio. (50 percent solution and 50 percent water.)
4. Label spray bottle so that other people won't mistake what is in it and how to use it.
5. Use for all your cleaning purposes 

Thanks for reading and visiting my blog. :-)

Liquid Laundry Detergent – Make Your Own

It is no secret that laundry detergent is getting expensive. Right now, where we live at, the cheapest laundry detergent that we can buy costs $6.25 for 40 loads. If I make it myself, it costs around $3.25 for around 180 + loads. (Cost may vary depending on the prices where you live at.) It is very simple to make and works just as well as the commercial brands.

What You Will Need:

• 4+ cups hot tap water
• 1 bar Fels-Naptha soap
• 1 cup Washing soda (not baking soda)
• ½ cup borax
• large pot
• 5 gallon pail with lid
• large stirring spoon
• hand grater or a sharp knife
• Empty laundry detergent bottle
• Measuring cup

What to do:

1. Unwrap the Fels-Naptha soap and allow to air dry for two or three days. This will make it easier to grate the soap so that it won't gunk up your grater.
2. Grate, or if using the sharp knife finely whittle, the bar of soap. Place soap into pan and add 4 cups of water. Continually stir mixture over medium low heat until the soap is melted.
3. Fill the 5 gallon pail half full with hot tap water. Add melted soap mixture, washing soda, and borax. Mix until well blended. Then, fill bucket to top with more hot water. Cover, and allow to sit over night to thicken.
4. Next morning, fill an empty laundry dispenser half ful with soap and then fill it the rest of way with water.
5. Yield is 10 gallons.

To Use:

• Shake the bottle of soap each time before using
• Top load washers use 5/8 cup per load
• Front load washers use ¼ cup per load

Thanks for reading and visiting my blog. :-)

Dryer Sheets – Make Your Own

In my opinion, dryer sheets are far more expensive than what they need to be. I have tried the liquid fabric softeners, while they are less expensive and just as good as the dryer sheets, I always forget to add it to the rinse cycle. So, I prefer dryer sheets. A low cost alternative to buying the dryer sheets is making your own.

What you will need:

• ¼ cup of white vinegar
• Couple drops of your favorite essential oil
• 6X6 inch old cotton fabric. This can either be dishcloths, t-shirts, or as shown men's cloth hankies. It doesn't really matter as long as it is cotton.
• Some kind of container that you can seal. Shown above are a few examples: empty diaper wipes box, plastic zip-lock style bag, pint jars with lids.

Mix vinegar and essential oil together. Place the cloths into your container and pour the mixture over them until the cloth is dampened but not soaked. Use like a purchased dryer sheet. The vinegar will work as a softener and the oil with leave your clothes smelling awesome.

Thanks for reading and visiting my blog. :-)

Washing Soda – Make Your Own

Most “make-your-own” laundry detergents call for “washing soda.” While this is readily and cheaply available in some areas , it isn't as easy to find in other parts of the country. Also, it might be a good idea to tuck this recipe in the back of your mind if you ever want or need to make some laundry detergent, but are out of washing soda and for some reason you are unable to get to the store.

The recipe for making washing soda is very easy and straight forward.

What you will need:

Baking soda

Yep that is it. One lone ingredient. Baking soda. That is because baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) turns to sodium carbonate (washing soda) after it has been heated.

What to do

**Preheat your oven to 400°F

**Cover a baking sheet with baking parchment paper

**Pour a box, or just a few cups, of baking soda (not baking powder) onto the baking sheet. Make sure to break up all the large clumps.

**Put it in the oven and bake for 1 -2 hours. I have heard that some people bake it for 45 minutes, but I recommend at least 1 ¼ to 1 ½ hours just to make sure the chemical reaction is complete.

**Allow to cool and store in a clearly labeled air tight container.

Thanks for reading and visiting my blog. :-)

DIY Scouring Cleanser:

One of my absolute favorite cleaners to use around the house is something that is in almost everyone's kitchen pantry, and if you haven't guessed it by now, it is baking soda. It is much cheaper than store bought cleaners, more earth/kids/pet friendly, and easy to use. I use it for just about everything that I am wanting to clean. It is great for cleaning counter tops, stove tops, stainless steel sinks and faucets, bottom of my pots and pans, and my well used glass coffee pot. All without scratching. The reason why this works is because baking soda is a mild abrasive.

For really tough stains (like when I am canning grape juice) I have found that mixing equal parts of baking soda and salt cuts down on the scrubbing time. Just please make sure to test this on a small area that you are wanting to clean first, especially with anything made of plastic.

What you will need:

• baking soda
• wash cloth or sponge
• salt

Put a small amount of baking soda on a damp cloth or sponge. Rub into the surface that you are cleaning and then rinse. That is it! For stubborn stains, mix equal parts (eyeballing the amounts works just fine...no need to actually measure it), add enough water to make make a paste and let stand for a couple of hours. Rub and then rinse.

If you have a different or another way to use baking soda as a cleanser, please leave a comment and let me know.

Thanks for reading and visiting my blog. :-)