¡Viva la Revolución!

We just switched to almost all homemade cleaning products!

Here is what I bought:

Here is what I made:

And here is all I need to clean my house:

Ingredients I bought:

liquid castile soap

bar soap

borax

baking soda

washing soda

vinegar

essential oils (optional)

microfiber rags

What I made:

laundry detergent

produce wash

all-purpose cleaner

toilet bowl cleaner

carpet cleaner

window/mirror cleaner

floor cleaner 

Yesterday I took my little blue basket around and cleaned my whole house, including dusting, floors, bathrooms, kitchen, laundry, the whole sha-bang. And it had not been clean in an embarrassing long time, too. And so far I am sold on making my own products. Everything worked really well. Except what I was using for the window cleaner (water and a microfiber cloth). Also I am just using a damp cloth to dust, so I'll need to find something for our wood furniture.  Also I would love to find an easy/good recipe for dish soap.

I made a list of all the product recipes and taped it to the inside of the cabinet with all the supplies so I won't have to go searching every time something runs out.

So more importantly why did I do all this? And is it worth it?

I like the idea of natural, safe products. I love that I don't have to go to the store when something runs out, but that I can make it at home. But what I LOVE is that it just makes sense, and cents as well :).  

The most expensive items are the essential oils and liquid castile soap. Both were between $8-15. However, I probably won't have to buy them again for a few years. That's right, I said years. And everything else cost less than $15 total (and that includes buying 2 boxes of borax, washing soda, and baking soda!) Again, with the exception of things I don't know how to make like dish soap, I don't need to buy cleaning products for almost a whole year! And if I do it will be the most used things like vinegar, and baking soda. So easy, and smart, and efficient, all things that I love.

So if you completely bored or have no desire to make your own products, stop reading here, but if you want the recipes/or what I used for each thing I'll post it below. 

Cleaning Recipe List

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All-Purpose Cleaner:
3 tablespoons of distilled vinegar
1/2 teaspoon of washing soda
1/2 teaspoon of castille soap
10 (or so) drops of essential oil (or 1/4 cup of lemon juice)
2 cups of hot water

All-purpose cleaner: * this is the one that I used
2 teaspoons washing soda
4 teaspoons borax
1 teaspoon castille soap
4 cups hot water
10 drops of essential oil

Laundry Detergent:
1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1 bar of grated castille soap

Toilet Bowl Cleaners:
Liquid castille soap
Baking soda or borax
Scrub with a toilet brush.
** I put the soap in a travel bottle and the B.S in a small mason jar with holes punch through the lid. To clean the toilet, I just add a few drops and sprinkle a little/or a lot of B.S depending on how bad the toilet is.

Floors:
¼ c vinegar and water in a bucket (add essential oils)

Windows/Mirrows:
I tried water and microfiber cloth, but it was too linty, here’s one I found but haven’t tried yet:
1 c. water
2 T. vinegar
2 T. rubbing alcohol
1 1/2 t. cornstarch

Dusting:
damp microfiber cloth

Oven Cleaner:
Dampen with water
Sprinkle liberally with baking soda
Leave 20 minutes, then scrub until clean.

Microwave Cleaner:
½ c. vinegar
2 c. water
Combine in microwave safe bowl, heat on high for 3-4 minutes, remove bowl and wipe down inside of microwave.

Fruit and Vegetable Wash:
1 cup water
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. baking soda
Spray on produce, wipe after 5 minutes.

Drain Cleaner:
1 c. baking soda first
1 c. white vinegar second
1 gallon boiling water
Allow to foam for 5 minutes before adding water.

Carpet Stain Remover: *** so far I have tried this once on a dirty stain, so far so good
1 part borax
10 parts warm water
Combine in spray bottle. Spray on stain, wait 5 minutes, blot with clean rag.

Carpet Stain Remover:
vinegar
baking soda
Mix vinegar and baking soda into a paste. Gently work into stain with a toothbrush. Let dry then vacuum completely.

**Still need dish soap :)