Homemade Cleaning Products – recipes that you can make at home

by | Jun 15, 2012 | Blog Posts | 0 comments

The benefits of making your own cleaning products are endless! I never understand using harsh and weird chemicals to sterilize our homes and dishes. Our homes are meant to be our sanctuaries, a safe house from the perils of the outside world, if you will.  We seem to be studious with what we put into our bodies, but what are we surrounding ourselves with?

When we take a shower in a bathroom which has been cleaned with abrasive chemicals, our bodies absorb these chemicals through our hands and the soles of our feet; in fact, these parts of our bodies are so permeable and sensitive to their environments that we may as well lick the tiles!

How many of these ingredients do you recognize, let alone realize their side effects?

Tetrasodium EDTA
Isobutane
Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether
Trisodium nitrilotriacetate
Alkyl (C12-C18) dimethyl benzyl ammonium chloride
Alkyl(C12-18)dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chloride

Did you know that bicarbonate soda (baking soda) and natural acid such as vinegar or lemon juice is just as effective in removing grime and grease, and still kills germs – and the truth is, it isn’t nearly as tiring as one might think to use these natural alternatives.

I don’t mean to labour the point, but where is the logic in cleaning dishes with ingredients that you wouldn’t put anywhere NEAR a mouth, yet, after they are dry that is exactly where cutlery and food goes!  The residue from the agents is still lingering on that plate, that fork no matter how great the rinse cycle is on the dishwasher or tea towel.

Being clean and healthy in the home is of course important.  Sterilising from infectious agents is equally important, but having everything in the house sterile is actually a breeding ground for a poor immune system as we have seen large increases in asthma, allergies and anaphylactic cases due to over diligent cleaning!

Exposing children and ourselves to naturally occurring environments and building up a resilience to germs is actually vital to building immunity.

Here are my top 7 Recipes for Homemade Cleaning Products:

Dishwasher Powder
1 Cup Washing Soda*
1 Cup Baking Soda
1/4 Cup Salt
1/4 Cup Citric Acid

Mix together (powderise in a food processor).

Use 1 tablespoon per load. (or press into ice cube trays and freeze, store in air tight container/jar)

Tip – try using white vinegar in the rinse aid dispenser.

*washing soda is not easy to find, but you can make your own by heating baking soda / bicarbonate of soda.click here for instructions.

 

Laundry Powder
125g bar of Laundry Soap/Castile soap
1Kg Washing Soda
5 drops essential oils, lemon, bergamot, lavender, eucalyptus (depending on your fragrance tastes)

Powderise soap in food processor (grate/chop up small with knife first). Add washing soda and mix together in food processor.

Use only 15g per load (1 tablespoon).

Tip – Add 1 tablespoon of baking soda to the final rinse to whiten, soften and deodorise.

 

Dishwashing Liquid 
60g Washing Soap (or any leftover soap ends)
1 litre Hot Water
2 Tbsps Glycerine
Essential Oil (optional)
15ml Cocobetaine (Coconut derived mild foaming surfactant)

Powderise soap in a food processor. Add other ingredients and mix together in a recycled plastic bottle. Leave overnight to set. If it is too thick water down with hot water.

Note: Does not froth up as much as a commercial product, but it’s not the froth that cleans the dishes

 

Deck Cleaner or Mould Remover
2 Cups Washing Soda
2 Cups White Vinegar
Squirt of Dishwashing Liquid

Put washing soda, white vinegar and a good squirt of dishwashing liquid in a 20 litre bucket and fill with warm water. Spray on walls, decks etc and water blast or hose off and/or scrub.

 

Microwave Jiffy (for those who are still using one….. more on that later!)
½ Lemon (skin on)

Microwave on high for 30 seconds

 

Stove Top and Abrasives
½ Cup of Bicarbonate Soda
500mls Apple Cider Vinegar/White Vinegar

Sprinkle/sieve bicarbonate soda to the surface, spray vinegar on top, allow froth to settle, then wipe clean.

Can be made into a bicarbonate and vinegar paste and applied for longer, just spray again with vinegar to lift the grime and wipe clean.

 

Bath Salts
1 Cup Epsom Salts
1 Cup Baking Soda
1 Cup Salt
Fragrance – 2-3 drops Essential Oils, try combinations (lavender, chamomile, geranium, ylang ylang)

Mix all ingredients in the food processor until colour is even. Use two tablespoons per bath, so relaxing!

 

Have fun with these, and please share with us any others you know of!

~ Abbie

NOTE: Most of the ingredients for making these cleaning products are now included in our range. Click on the links above to see what’s available – we’ve included bulk options wherever possible to make it really affordable!

*photo courtesy of ntwowe

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