I mentioned that Z and I have incorporated a years' supply of cleaning and hygiene products as a part of our food storage. I discussed how to keep track of what you've bought and buying on sale, but now let's talk cleaners.
I thought a lot about how I wanted to store all these cleaning products in our home- how much, where, which ones. In the end I surprised even myself with the answer. We've decided to store the items that go into cleaners so that we can make our own, store less toxins in the condo, make anything we want as we need it.
Recipes can be found all over the Internet- but here are the basics you'll need to start:
Liquid Castile Soup, Washing Soda, White Vinegar, Lemon Juice, Borax, Baking Soda, Olive Oil
With these items you can clean just about anything- and they're pretty stinkin' cheap too!
Homemade Laundry Detergent- All Natural
Mix and then spray on stain, wait 5-10 minutes and blot clean.
That's the basics! Isn't this the perfect project to put in cute bottles and make some homemade labels? Do you see it?
I do! Let me know if you have any questions, have recipes to add, or want some more recipes from me.
I'll be back tomorrow from my trip. Gotta get my projects going!! Woot Woot!
UPDATE:
I've added more recipes! Check'em out here!

With these items you can clean just about anything- and they're pretty stinkin' cheap too!
Homemade Laundry Detergent- All Natural
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda
1 bar (of grated) Castile Soap
Just grate a dried out bar of soap and mix in with other ingredients in reusable container .
Use 2-3 tbsp per load depending on its size.
Homemade Surface Spray- All Natural
2 tsp Borax
1/4 tsp Liquid Castile soap
16 oz Spray Bottle
Hot Water
Furniture Polish
1/2 tsp Olive Oil
1/4 cup Vinegar or Lemon Juice
Mix in a glass jar and use rag to polish surfaces.
Floor Cleaner
1 cup Vinegar
2 Gallons Warm Water
Toilet Cleaner
Baking Soda or Borax
Liquid Castile Soap
Dishwasher Detergent
2 cups Borax
2 cups Baking Soda
4 packages Lemon Unsweetened Kool-Aid or 1/2 cup Citric Acid
Window/Glass Cleaner
5 parts Water to 1 part White Vinegar
Spray Bottle
Carpet and Stain Remover
1 part Borax
10 parts Warm Water
Spray Bottle
That's the basics! Isn't this the perfect project to put in cute bottles and make some homemade labels? Do you see it?
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I'll be back tomorrow from my trip. Gotta get my projects going!! Woot Woot!
UPDATE:
I've added more recipes! Check'em out here!
And Here!
hi there= love the jars! Where did you get them and where do I find Castile soap? thanks, new follower.. visiting from http://imnotatrophywife.com
ReplyDeletelaura
Okay I think you are pretty awesome for making your own cleaning supplies! Way to go!! I need to do this. Ha ha I like what it says under your post a comment:...I feel the same way..its nice to know people read it!
ReplyDeleteDelighted Momma
Thanks! I found recipes for laundry detergent and fabric softeners, and my grandmother told me about using vinegar for glass cleaner, but I never thought about making my own dish washing detergent.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good ideas! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI love making my own cleaners. It's great to know exactly what goes into them without all the other toxins.
ReplyDeleteLove those cute jars. Where did you find them?
Ruth
Hey Sweet Ladies!
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking a look at my cleaning recipes! I scoured the internet to find the link to the bottles that I got- They're from Oriental Trading Company but they only have them listed with buttons in them?
Weird, huh? Here it is anyhow!
Have a wonderful evening!
Becca
http://www.orientaltrading.com/monochromatic-black-buttons-with-bottle-a2-65_65957-12-1.fltr?Ntt=bottle
totally gonna try some of these. thanks:)
ReplyDeleteYou can find Castile Soap at Target and at most natural food stores. It's a great versatile product!
ReplyDeleteWhat a cool idea! I'll definitely be trying these out. Thanks for the recipes!
ReplyDeleteRachel @ Maybe Matilda
I found you through tip junky. Thank you so much for sharing this. I pinned it so that I can start making my own natural cleaning supplies. Come and say hi
ReplyDeletetyandwhitneyulrich.blogspot.com
These are GREAT! I've been wanting to start making my own cleaners and now I have all the recipes in one place!! Thanks for sharing this :D
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that you guys are liking these cleaners as much as I do. I really do have recipes for just about anything you can imagine- so let me know if you guys need more!
ReplyDelete-Bec-
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing this as well!!
ReplyDeleteHugs,
Vanessa @ {nifty thrifty things}
well done. saving the environment, one sponse at a time :-)
ReplyDeletegood for you, good for us all. thank you for sharing your recipes and all,
You were featured at New Nostalgia's AP Tuesday! Thanks for linking up!
ReplyDeleteI was just wanting recipes for this type of thing so this will be very helpful.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you find liquid castile soap?
Thanks, Elisabeth
I love using homemade cleaners, the only one I had a problem with and have gone back to store bought is the Laundry detergent. It was great at first then I noticed our whites seemed more dingy. Any suggestions on that? I used the same recipe that you have. Thanks for linking up @ memakingdo!
ReplyDeleteHello hello!
ReplyDeleteI just recently jumped on the making your own products thing. Infact, I'm so new that I haven't yet made anything :/ I just finished reading a book called "Do it gorgeously" by Sophie Uliano. It has really got me reading labels at the moment and I am stunned to say the least. She suggest some bottles from Mountain Rose Herbs,I have to admit they are pretty cute!
I have a question though.How well does the detergent clean stains? Thats a BIG concern for me.
Great recipes! I do my own laundry detergent, I think I am ready to add to my homemade list ;o)
ReplyDeleteYou were featured on http://lacasadominguez.blogspot.com/
ReplyDeletePlease come by and feel free to link up to 2 ¢ Tuesdays.
I get castille soap at Trader Joes, it's cheaper there than Target or the smaller health food stores. Thanks for sharing all these recipes, I'm always looking for ways to make my own instead of buying stuff with harsh chemicals.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting. I've been looking to start making some home made cleaners. Thanks so much for linking this up to our Wicked Awesome Wednesday party!
ReplyDeleteI have just made my 1st batch of liquid laundry detergent this week. Great so far. Also made my own soft soap by grating my bar of soap and adding water. Made about a quart of soft soap. I start by just covering grated soap with water and add as needed.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for linking up.
ReplyDeleteCrystal
www.chocolatedroolandkisses.blogspot.com
Love it...now to get to work on making them!! TFS.
ReplyDeleteIt's aways nice to learn receipes for inexpensive cleaning products. It's amazing what you can come up with using a little imagination! Visiting from Creative Bloggers & am a new follower. Hoping you will visit & consider same.
ReplyDeleteHow much dishwasher soap do you use per load?
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to make my own cleaning supplies! Thanks for the great tutorial. BTW. this post had 9 clicks on it on Sew Woodsy link party last week. Just wanted to let you know... it was a popular one! :)
ReplyDeleteI love posts like this one. They make me happy to know that people still care for the environment. Cleaning with natural products is a lot healthier than using store detergents. I recommend to everyone to follow your example and to use the written above recipes.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea making your own cleaning products, knowing that you aren't leaving lots of chemicals around the house.
ReplyDeletehi! I've been making my own body lotion for almost a year. finally I've decided to start making my own cleansers. I just ordered borax, and need to go and buy washing soda and I'm set :)
ReplyDeletehave a wonderful day!
Wow! That is awesome! I so need to make these. Where would I find the Castile soap, though? Have a lovely weekend!
ReplyDeleteWaving from Our Back Porch,
Rebecca
Oh, I just saw your comment on finding it at Target. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI love this alternative to the regular stuff I buy! Great info- thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks for linkin this up with us! We featured you today!
http://lollyjaneboutique.blogspot.com/2011/07/wgw-20.html
Happy weekend! :) xo
I've found that jojoba works better than olive oil for furniture b/c it doesn't go rancid, so you can keep it longer. (it's really a liquid wax, not an oil)
ReplyDeleteI've also found that really cheep vodka is an amazing glass cleaner!
I'm going to have to try the dishwasher recipe- I haven't tried making that yet.
Great tips, thanks for sharing. I love using white vinegar to clean now I have some other ideas on how to clean with it.
ReplyDeleteHi Becca. Thanks so much for sharing this post. It's great that you've gathered all the information right here for us.
ReplyDeleteI'm your newest gfc follower as tonasun. I'd love to have you stop by and visit me sometime @ http://cottonpickincute.blogspot.com
Hugs...Tracy :)
Great recipes to share!
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking to a Round Tuit!
Hope you have a great week!
Jill @ Creating my way to Success
http://www.jembellish.blogspot.com/
I have to tell you a story...the hubs and I were trying to clean our windows this spring, and nothing was working. We tried commercial cleaners, commercial window sprays, newspapers, microfiber cloths, EVERYTHING! But nothing made the windows look clean.Then I asked him to let me try one thing. I got out my trusty bottle of vinegar water and a dishtowel. The WINDOWS LOOKED PERFECT! So cheap, so healthy and SO EASY!
ReplyDeleteYou have lots of really wonderful ideas. I have been thinking about making my own cleaners, especially laundry soap lately. I am a new follower.
ReplyDeleteHave been looking for good homemade cleaners...hit the jackpot with your site!
ReplyDeleteHowever, what is "washing powder"?
Thanks, Chantel
no1buttercup@bellsouth.net
I've been using homemade laundry soap for a little while now, and I'm really liking it. I want to try some of these surface cleaners now. Maybe I should find some Castile liquid soap.:)
ReplyDeletethis is a great list. I have started making my own cleaning supplies to and have been floored by how easy it is! I wish I knew a long time ago because this stuff is cheap, easy, healthier and works just as well. (though I do keep one bottle of lysol around for particularly nasty spills like meat juice and such)
ReplyDeleteI did want to point out that vinegar should NOT be used on wood floors. My family owns and runs a flooring store and one of the most common complaints they get from customers is that their wood floors are warped. The reason: Vinegar. Essentially, it pickles the wood. Hard wood floors are expensive too! Better not to risk that one.
A couple of other hints that might help...with home made laundary soap use a scoop or two of Sunlight added to it. Bottom shelf on laundary isleat Walking. Washing soda is also there on the bottom shelf. Borax I add is a natural laundary booster. To get my soap smooth so I can put itin a old refill bottle and not have the glopply mess I use a old hand mixer electric. After I make it I keep beating it and then let it set until the next morning and beat it again. A old egg whip does the very same thing. It will stay pretty gloop free this way. And I never use my whip or old beater for any food products after words.
ReplyDeleteWood Floors, you never want to leave water on them. And the new wood floors you never want to use steam or products on them unless it's okay by the manufactor it could void the warrenty. On my wood floors I dry mop. I take plain water. And dunk the mop into it. Then I squeeze as much water out of it as I can. Then I mop. After I mop I dry that floor with old towels or I have a mop that is totally dry that I go over it with. Or sometimes I use a spray bottle of water and lightly mist and then go over it with a dry mop.
I have a Commerical cleaning business and many businesses want me to clean green. I use sun light to bleach my clothes and since we are having a very mild winter I hang them out as much as possible. Yes it leaves your clothes stiff. Before I hang them out I run them on the dryer for ten minutes sometimes I forget and do it afterwards and it also works takes the stiffness out and I cut my utility bill $30.00 a month.
One wonderful homemade green cleaning I use is a couple of cups of vinegar and I heat it I do until it is barely boiling. Cool. Add to a spray bottle. Put two tablespoons of Dawn Dish Soap and shake. I use this in everything be sure to rinse. This will cut soap scum. Drying your showers or bath tubs will reduce hard water build up.
That should of been Laundry isle at Walmart I have a hard time with auto correct
ReplyDeleteI'd love to have you come link it up at From Scratch Friday!
ReplyDeleteChristina @ Marriage from Scratch
http://marriagefromscratch.blogspot.com/2012/03/from-scratch-friday-5.html
thank you for sharing this great information at Potpourri Friday!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for these recipes! I make my own laundry detergent and surface cleaner but have been looking for recipes for other things as well. I would love for you to stop by on Friday and share at my link party!
ReplyDeleteMy friend has been making the laundry detergent you suggest and LOVES it. I am really going to try this this week!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I need to try these!
ReplyDeleteWhere do you find liquid castile soap?
ReplyDeleteI'm featuring these today on my post about spring cleaning @ www.cheapcraftymama.com. Feel free to stop by and grab a featured button and also join my linky party that just opened-- you can win free ad space on my blog!
ReplyDeleteHey,
ReplyDeleteThank you for these recipes, i am definitely going to try them. If you are searching for cleaning products that are best in quality and are approved then you don't have to look anywhere else you can visit Cleaningsupplies4u.com. They will never let you down you can trust on them.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhat a good blog you have here. Please update it more often. This topics is my interest.
ReplyDeleteDry Rugs Cleaning | Dry Leather Sofa Cleaning
I have been thinking about making my own cleaners, especially laundry soap.
ReplyDeleteDetergents plays very important role in cleaning without it cleaning is not possible.
ReplyDelete