DIY Cleaners and Other Things

My friend Amber and I have come up with a list of home made products. This way you will have everything in one place and not have to search the web or Pinterest for one recipe at a time. As I make these I will post picture tutorials to go along with them.

Carpet Freshener
1 cup Baking Soda
1 Cup Borax (optional for flea control)
5-10 Drops of essential oil 
Combine all into a container and shake to mix together. I just used one of my old carpet freshener containers. You could also use a mason jar and punch holes in the lid or even a Parmesan cheese container.  

Scented Oil Plug-in Refills
Using an old plug in, take the wick out and rinse out the bulb
Fill the bulb with oil of your choice. I like the lavender. 
Put the wick back in 
Put bulb back in the plug-in


Cooking Spray
One part olive oil to five points water. Shake before each use.

Floor Cleaner
One cup of vinegar. One tablespoon of dawn soap. One cup washing soda. Two gallons water.

Teeth Whitener 
One teaspoon baking soda. One teaspoon peroxide. One teaspoon water and just a little bit of toothpaste. Once a wk until get to the white you want. Then just once a month.

Furniture polish
 2 Tbsp. olive oil
¼ cup distilled white vinegar
¼ tsp. lemon oil (or fresh lemon juice)

All purpose cleaner 
1 tsp. washing soda
2 tsp. borax
2 Tbsp. distilled white vinegar
2½ cups hot water
5 drops lavender essential oil
7 drops lemon essential oil
¼ cup liquid castile soap

Dishwasher powder 
1 cup Borax
1 cup washing soda
½ cup Kosher salt
½ cup Lemi Shine 
1 teaspoon per load
Sometimes this clumps. It helps if you put in the moister absorbers. Or you can lay it out on parchment paper in teaspoon piles until it hardens. Does take a while. But then you would have tablets. I also squirt just a small amount of dawn in dishwasher and put vinegar in the rinse aid.

Option 2
Dishwasher Detergent 
1 box Borax (4lbs 12 oz or 76 oz ) (2.15 kg) found in the detergent isle
1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (55 oz or 3 lbs 7 oz) found in the detergent isle
24 packages of unsweetened lemonade drink mix, like kool-aid. (May stain soap dispenser yellow)
3 cups Epsom Salt
Lemi Shine rinse aid 
Use Lemi Shine as a rinse aid. (Or you could use Vineger. Just sprinkle about a tablespoon in the bottom of your dishwasher before you start it
Use 1 Tablespoon per load! 


Dryer sheets
Cut cotton cloth or cotton t shirt in to squares about the same size as dryers sheets and put 3 to 6 drops of essential oil of your choice. You can use several times adding a few drops each time before needing to wash it. 

Fabric softener 
1 cup baking soda. 6 cups white vinegar. 8 cups water. 10-15 drops essential oil of choice. Add baking soda and 1 cup of water. Slowly add vinegar then slowly pour in the rest of water. Last add the oil. Shake before each use. 1 cup at final rinse.

DIY Foaming Soap
What you'll need: 
Liquid Hand Soap (The clear kind not the thick creamy)
Empty Foaming Hand Soap Bottle (from Bath and Body Works, Walmart, etc)
Directions:
Fill the empty bottle with one inch of the clear hand soap. 
Slowly fill the rest of the bottle with tap water
Put lid on and carefully tilt side to side and upside down to mix


Shower Cleaner
1 cup White vinegar heated up (microwave 1-2 min) with equal amount blue Dawn, gently shake and spray on and wait and then wipe away the soap scum. 

Febreeze
 2 cups warm water
1/4 cup fabric softener ( I use my homemade). 
1 tsp. baking soda 
Sometimes I'll add a drop or 2 of more essential oil. Depending on my mood. Shake before use.
or
1/8 cup of fabric softener
2 tablespoons of baking soda
Fill the rest of the old Febreeze bottle or Spray bottle with hot tap water. Shake to mix. 

Natural Liquid Dish Soap Recipe
Ingredients:

1 ¾ cups boiling water
1 Tbsp borax
1 Tbsp grated bar soap (use castile bar soap, homemade soap, Ivory, or whichever natural bar you prefer)
15-20 drops essential oils, optional (find 100% pure essential oils here)

Directions:

Heat water to boiling. Combine borax and grated bar soap in a medium bowl. Pour hot water over the mixture. Whisk until the grated soap is completely melted. Allow mixture to cool on the countertop for 6-8 hours, stirring occasionally. Dish soap will gel upon standing. Transfer to a squirt bottle, and add essential oils (if using). Shake well to combine. 

Home made Laundry Detergent

Here is the link for my how to: DIY Laundry Detergent

Ingredients: (Click the link that says Coupon and it will take you to a coupon to print)

1 (4 lb 12 oz) Box of Borax- Found in the detergent aisle. Cost me around $3

1 (3 lb 7 oz) Box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda- Found in the detergent aisle. $3 Coupon

1 (3 lb) Container of OxyClean- Found in the detergent aisle. (optional) $4

2 (14.1 oz) Bars of Fels Naptha- Found in the detergent aisle. $0.98 each

1 (4 lb) Box of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda- Found in the detergent isle and cooking isle. $3 Coupon

1-2 (55 oz) Bottle of Purex Crystals Fabric Softener- Found in the detergent aisle (optional) $4 Coupon

The prices are what I paid. 

Directions: 

1. Grate Fels Naptha soap with cheese grater 

2. Mix all ingredients together in a large bucket. (I added a little of each and used a whisk to mix, then repeated) 

3. Use 2 -4 Tablespoons per laundry load and add directly into drum. 

Bar Soap to Liquid Soap

Ingredients:

1 Cup Soap Flakes

10 Cups Water

1 Tablespoon Glycerin

Equipment:

Cheese Grater

Large Pot

Measuring Cup and Spoons

Spatula

Soap Container with pump

Funnel

Container to hold excess soap (if your soap is more than 1 cup after being grated)

Directions:

Grate Soap, In a large pot, combine 1 cup soap flakes, 10 cups water, and 1 Tbs glycerin. Turn on medium-low heat and stir until the soap dissolves. This happens fast, about a minute or two.

Let the soap cool completely, then pour into the containers using the funnel.

*We did not make up all of these recipes. Some were found on the web and some on Pinterest*

If you have any that I don't have listed please send them to me so I can post!