DIY Shower/Bathroom Cleaner

As you may have noticed, I have been missing in action the last few weeks.  I am going to blame it on being 31 weeks pregnant and having what my husband calls the third trimester blues.  I haven't been feeling the best, the baby is getting bigger (ergo, I am getting more uncomfortable) and more active (especially at night), and chasing the other two children has made me very tired.  I am currently working on future posts so that when the baby does arrive, I will have some unpublished posts handy to post post-partem and will hopefully not get behind again. :)

Now for the BEST shower/bathroom cleaner...it really is better than Kaboom at removing soap scum and it is safer!  I found this recipe on Pinterest from http://fabulesslyfrugal.com/, but I know that there are other pins from various blogs that also have this recipe.  You can mix up as much as you desire, and keep it stored in a spray bottle for as long as you want.  I usually make my batch and store it in the bottle for up to a week or two, depending how often I wipe everything down and how big of a batch I make.  I have been using this cleaner for our showers/tubs, the bathroom sinks, the toilets (the seat and outside parts), and the kitchen sink.  It really is great and safer than many bathroom cleaners out there!  Here is the recipe:

-Pour 1 cup (or less if making a smaller batch) of vinegar into a microwave safe cup (I use my Pyrex measuring cup).  Heat the vinegar for two minutes.

-Pour vinegar into a spray bottle.

-Pour 1 cup of Dawn (the original blue Dawn is the best!) into the spray bottle. Gently swish and mix. 

I usually let the cleaner sit a few minutes before I put the lid on so that there is not too much pressure within the bottle from the vinegar being heated.  Super easy!  To make a smaller batch, just simply mix equal amounts of vinegar and Dawn.  As you can probably tell from my picture, this batch of cleaner has been used to clean our bathrooms a few times this week.

Now you are ready to clean!  I will warn you that this makes lots of bubbles, and a little amount goes a long way.  Also, if you don't care for the smell of vinegar, you will want to have the windows open, the vent on, or light a candle.  Frankly, I use vinegar in almost all my cleaners so the smell does not bother me.  I actually like the smell of vinegar because to me it smells clean.  I am sure you could add a few drops of essential oil if you prefer to smell the vinegar.  This cleaner will make all your fixtures sparkle, and remove all your yucky soap scum.  Happy cleaning!

DIY Natural Powdered Laundry Detergent

I posted on Facebook that I was "testing" DIY powdered laundry detergent a few weeks ago, and I am sure many of friends are wondering what I thought of it and how well it actually worked!  I have to tell you that I tried two different batches, and chose to make powdered versions rather than the liquid.  The reason is simply that I am pregnant and extremely impatient right now (and remember this blog is supposed to be about simplicity, right?).  Plus, I was not looking forward to mixing liquid detergent in a 5 gallon Home Depot bucket.  :)  I made one batch with Ivory soap (which is 99.4 % pure) and one batch Dr. Bonner's lavender soap (which is vegetable-based and contains organic oils).  I have to say that I prefer the batch with the Dr. Bonner's, however, both batches will clean your clothes effectively and work well.  Why do I prefer the Dr. Bonner's?  Simply put, I like the very subtle lavender smell it leaves on my clothes.  I love ALL things lavender, which is probably why I prefer this detergent batch so much.  Both batches worked well for my extremely sensitive skin (Yea, no itching for me!).  I have been using a name brand detergent for years now and cannot stray from it because of my sensitivity issue.  I truly had no trouble using either batch of detergent, and I would recommend using these detergents to anyone who has sensitive skin.  I believe this recipe would work well for babies too.  Both my children have been "cursed" with their mother's sensitive skin and eczema, and they have not had any reactions with these detergents either.  Let me also tell you that while both detergents work well, the batch with Dr. Bonner's seemed to dissolve better in a cold wash cycle.  I did notice some little soap bits on my washing machine door when I ran a cold wash cycle with the Ivory batch, however, no soap bits were left on my clothes.  The ingredients within the recipe are natural, Eco-friendly, and this detergent is safe for HE washing machines.  I noticed two things about the batches of detergents that truly surprised me.  One, the detergent washes clean (yes, both batches).  Meaning that there was no residue left on clothes.  In fact, when I washed a load of clothes with my unmentioned name brand detergent, I could feel a slight residue on the clothing ("free and clear" suddenly did not seem so free and clear to me).  The clothing just felt cleaner with the DIY detergent batches, and the clothes also felt softer.  Two, there was less lint in my dryer from the clothes washed in the DIY detergents.  From my internet research, this is probably due to the fact that the DIY detergent batches are low sudsing, which is great for HE washers.  I have yet to try this on cloth diapers, but I think it would work well since most cloth diapers require or suggest that you use a low sudsing, natural detergent for washing.  Here is the "recipe," it really is simple to make.

DIY Natural Powdered Laundry Detergent

1 bar of Dr. Bonner's or Ivory soap (Castile soap does seem to work best), grated
1 cup Borax
1 cup Washing Soda

I mixed the ingredients in a bowl and then ran them through the food processor to combine them better, as well as make the soap into even smaller pieces.  Running the ingredients through the food processor does seem to help the soap dissolve better in the wash. (The pictures below are from the Ivory soap batch)

Store your detergent in an air tight container.  You only need to use 1-3 tablespoons of detergent based on the soil level and size of your loads.  I have been using 2 tablespoons per load (I typically have large loads and normal to heavily soil levels-HELLO, I live with a man and two kids!).

If you choose to make your own detergent using this recipe, you will save lots of money and be living a little greener.  And who wouldn't want to save money while being green?

Homemade Almost-natural Dishwasher Detergent

Since my eldest daughter was born, I have been trying to find recipes and use natural homemade cleaners in our household. Before she was born, I was a preschool teacher and we used lots of bleach in the classroom. When I became pregnant with her, the smell of bleach was atrocious. It also was hard for me to breathe around the stuff, so I decided that my child should not breathe it in either. This "quest" led me to an awesome all purpose "safe" cleaner (which I will share in a later post), but also led me to countless recipes for various homemade naturally green cleaners for the home. My latest search brought me to this recipe, which I found on Pinterest. The recipe comes from the blog Homestead Wannabes (http://homesteadwannabes.blogspot.com) and in my opinion is a great alternative to many "green" dishwasher detergent recipes, since most complaints are that "green" natural dishwasher detergents leave behind a "foggy" residue. This is especially true for recipes that do not contain citric acid. Citric acid can be expensive and can be hard to find (you can only find this at certain health food stores). By using this recipe, you will gain the effects of citric acid because the Cascade Complete contains this ingredient. As most people are now doing, I am trying to live on a budget. Yes, I want to live "greener," but most importantly, I must count every penny I spend. So I was happy to find this simple "almost natural" recipe. While it is not "green," it will make less of an impact on the planet because you are not using as much Cascade over time. Here is the recipe from the Homestead Wannabes blog site:

1 part Borax (located in the laundry aisle)
1 part Washing soda (located in the laundry aisle)
1 part Cascade Complete Powder

Mix well, and store in an air tight container. Use 1 Tablespoon per load.

Now, I did not follow this recipe exactly. Frankly, I was too lazy and did not want to measure it out. Being pregnant can do that to you! I mixed together a 4 lbs. 12 oz. box of Borax, a 3 lbs. 7 oz. box of Washing soda, and a 4.68lbs. of Great Value Dishwasher detergent (compared to Cascade Complete with Dawn) in a large mop bucket. I then put the detergent into two Tupperware containers (each container is 4.6 quarts in size). This made SO much dishwasher detergent. When I calculated the amount of loads for this mixture, I was shocked. This will produce enough detergent for 412 loads!!! That is well over a year's worth for us, and I run a full load every day. I did add vinegar to my rinse agent compartment because I like having a rinse aid, but I truly don't believe you need to do so. I just like using vinegar as a rinse agent. Total cost of this detergent: $9.84 plus tax! WOW! That is a huge savings for our family! I have now been using this detergent for two weeks and LOVE it! It rinses completely off all sippy cup parts (my brand name detergent did not do this), and does not leave any sort of residue on my dishes. I am one happy money saving momma!