Homemaking
26 Oct
Since our house has been off the market, I’ve felt so relaxed with my housekeeping and homemaking. It’s fabulous cleaning and organizing for our needs rather than keeping the house staged. Lately I’ve been trying lots of new things to save money and be healthy.
I’ve been trying to make my own household cleaners. It seems like a good way to save money, and the fragrance in most cleaners, even “green” or “eco-friendly” products makes me sneeze.
I made my own laundry detergent. It was so inexpensive and there’s no fragrance to bother my allergies. I’ve washed stinky tee shirts and mildewy towels with good results.
One of my favorite books, Real Simple Solutions, suggested cleaning bathrooms with Hydrogen Peroxide. I’ve done this a few times. It works great, but it does bleach fabric, so you have to be really careful and only use rags that you don’t mind looking spotty.
Since I already had borax and washing soda on hand from the laundry detergent, I made my own dishwashing detergent. I was satisfied with the results. Just be sure to use a rinse aid or vinegar.
Anyone else making their own cleaning products?
One more money saving tip. I made a whole chicken in a crock pot. I don’t like dark meat, and I get really freaked out about germs when cutting up raw chicken, but this method worked beautifully. It was so easy and cheap! David just ate a drumstick and said it was delicious. I seasoned it with minced garlic and Herbs de Provence. I’ve got the broth simmering right now. Thanks Happy Housewife!
Love,
A Young Wife
I’ve been meaning to send you the recipe for my all purpose cleaner. Maybe during nap time today…
All Purpose Floor Cleaner:
1 t. borax
1 t. baking soda
2 c. hot water
2 t. distilled white vinegar
1/2 t. dishwashing liquid (vegetable based if you want it to be completely natural)
1/2 t. tea tree oil
Dissolve borax and baking soda in hot water in a spray bottle. Add the vinegar, dishwashing liquid and tea tree oil. Mix gently but thoroughly.
I like this floor cleaner too.
In a 32 oz. spray bottle, combine 16 oz. white vinegar and 16 oz. distilled water (I just use regular water). Add 30-40 drops of peppermint or lemon essential oil.
I usually increase these amounts and make this in my mop bucket. The lemon essential oil makes it smell really good.
Have you tried doing a turkey breast in your crock pot? Turns out moist and tender.
Do you use the hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle? to clean around the toilets, sinks in the tub? Is it a more heavy duty cleaner?
We use vinegar to clean our bathrooms, but sometimes use more heavy duty cleaners to really get things extra clean. The vinegar is great for the kids to use, but I’m wondering if I could substitute the HP for my other heavy duty cleaners. What do you think?
I LOOOOOVE my crockpot. I do roasts, stews, soups….. LOVE it. You can put something in in the morning and just stir it once in a while!
You can also use 1/2c. of vinegar as laundry softener. You would think it stinks, but it doesn’t. I have the same issue with all kinds of cleaners. I have to have dye-free, unscented everything, or I sneeze and itch. Yuck!
Yes, I put the Hydrogen Peroxide in a spray bottle. I’ve wanted to try cleaning with vinegar, too. Do you just use plain old white vinegar? HP seems to clean really well, but I’m not sure how it compares with vinegar. I would think it would be stronger. Just be careful it doesn’t spray onto the shower curtain or towels.
Thanks, Kasey!
You know, the chicken was falling off the bones. I’ll bet turkey would be fantastic!
Yes, plain white vinegar. It cleans fine and the fact that it sanitizes and kills germs is important. It doesn’t do that deep cleaning that I’m imagining you’d get with HP. However, since my 7 yo son cleans the bathroom each morning, I do not want to set him loose with HP, everything would be bleached.
Glad you tried the chicken! In our family it works great because some like the dark meat and others like white. Everyone is happy!
Toni