By the way this is Fireinfolding (I had changed my user name) I was just tired of it. I don't want to appear as if I am being deceptive as to who I am (just letting you know).
Here are some more, I have too many to post I have these arranged at my site so I could print them out (as I wanted them) and I have these in a three ring binder of recipes for various like things.
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Homemade dryer sheets
Not only is this laundry solution seriously smart, its enviroment-friendly. For only pennies, you'll have dryer sheets that can be used over and over and over again. What makes these dryer sheets better than their store-bought counterparts is they can be personalized with your favorite scent and are free of any toxic additives. Along with leaving your clothes feeling soft and fresh, they'll smell clean and ready for wear. And once you try them, you'll wonder why you never made them from scratch in the first place.
What You'll Need:
- 1/2 cup of vinegar
- 8 drops tea tree or other essential oil
- Sealable container
- Cotton cloths
Directions:
- Start by cutting your cotton cloths into smaller sections. I used inexpensive dish towels from the dollar store, but old tee shirts or linens would work wonderfully too.
- Mix together the vinegar and essential oil in a small bowl. Vinegar is a natural softener, and the essential oil gives your clothes a gentle, natural scent. Pour the mixture over the cloths until they are dampened but not soaked. Keep in a securely closed container.
- To use, simply remove a sheet from the container, squeezing any excess liquid back into the jar, and toss into the dryer. To reduce static cling in clothes, reduce the heat temperature of your dryer. When clothes are dry, simply place the sheet back in the jar for use later. From popsugar.com
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If your garbage disposal isn't as fresh as it should be, try these DIY homemade refreshers for a quick fix. Made with lemon peel and baking soda, these little rounds pack a serious cleaning punch while costing only a few dollars to make. And they look darn cute in a glass jar next to your sink.
What You'll Need:
- 3/4 cup baking soda
- 1/2 cup salt
- 1/2 teaspoon liquid dish soap
- 1 lemon
- Sheet pan
- Parchment paper
- Small spoon or scoop
- Sealable glass jar
Directions:
- Gather the ingredients for making the garbage disposal refreshers. Measure and add the baking soda and salt to a small mixing bowl, and give a stir, ensuring the mixture isn't lumpy.
- Now grate the lemon peel into the mixture along with adding the liquid dish soap.
- Slice the lemon in half, and squeeze the juice into the mixture. Continue stirring and adding juice until the mixture resembles course sand, which should take around three tablespoons of juice.
- Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper, use a small spoon or scoop to mold the half rounds, and then tap them out onto the pan. A rounded teaspoon measuring spoon works wonderfully. Continue molding the refreshers until the mixture is gone. Allow to dry overnight.
- Place the dried garbage disposal refreshers in a sealable container. When your sink isn't smelling fresh, simply place a few in the disposal, and flip the switch. From Popsugar.com
These are really cool also,
I have a septic and I am uncomfortable putting coffee grounds down my disposal, but if you are not heres this other one
http://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/Coffee-Grounds-Garbage-Disposal-Cleaners-34888912
And here is another
This is found here
http://www.popsugar.com/smart-living/Frozen-Citrus-Rosemary-Garbage-Disposal-Cleaners-34815011
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Keep your house looking fresh and clean with the help of eco-friendly dusting wipes that polish away buildup and pesky dust. And these cloths can be used over and over, which makes this DIY really budget-friendly, too. Along with repurposing lemon peels for a lovely citrus scent, tuck in a few sprigs of rosemary for extra homeyness and cleaning power.
What You'll Need:
- 1 cup dusting spray (see next recipe)
- Small bowl
- Rind of one lemon
- 4 to 5 rosemary sprigs (optional)
- 4x4-inch cotton cloths
- Sealable glass container
Directions:
- Fill a small bowl with one cup dusting spray (see next recipe). If you aren't feeling like mixing together the spray, substitute it for one-half cup water and one-half cup white distilled to create a good base for the wipes.
- Carefully cut away the peel of a lemon to use for creating the wipes. Along with adding a fresh citrus scent, the lemon rind adds oils to the wipes that naturally disinfect. And a few sprigs of fresh rosemary add fragrance and natural antibacterials that help clean surfaces.
- Now place the squares of cotton in the liquid mixture, and gently squeeze so they are slightly damp. Layer them in the glass container with the lemon and rosemary. It's that simple! After each use, simply toss the dusting wipe in the wash, then tuck back into the container. If the wipes dry out, spritz with water or more dusting spray. From popsugar.com
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If you feel like you're constantly wiping up dust, make this easy eco-friendly dusting spray that does an amazing job. The cleaner is made with ingredients that basically cost nothing — and you can even make it smell just the way you want it with a few drops of essential oil. Along with helping to pick up dust, the gentle spray also cleans your furniture without any harsh ingredients.
What You'll Need:
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
- 10-20 drops essential oil (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon Dr. Bronner's soap (<-----I removed this, I forget what this was, but you can keep it if you dont use castile soap and just use Sal suds instead, vinegar wouldn't affect that negatively)
Directions: (I removed it from here as well) for my own printing but check the website if you want to keep it in
- Add the water, and vinegar in a large spray bottle.
- Now add the olive oil, and, if you're wanting a fresh scent, your favorite essential oil. The water and oil won't mix, but that touch of oil helps grab and collect dust. The essential oil scents the water, creating a helpful cleaner that smells just the way you want it.
- Twist on the top of the spray bottle, give a little shake, and spritz over dusty areas in your home. Gently wipe with a soft cotton cloth. Because oil and water don't mix, shake before each use to help distribute all the ingredients. This is from From popsugar.com (slightly adapted)
Here is another dusting spray recipe which doesn't even include soap (so it doesnt hurt that it is not there)
Dusting Spray (recipe 2) From practiganic.com
1 c hot water
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 t olive oil
10 drops lemon essential oil
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Brighten dingy laundry with this homemade eco-friendly dry laundry booster. Instead of paying for commercial brands, you can easily make your own with basic ingredients found at any grocery store. And once you pick up the basic ingredients, each batch costs pennies to make. Keep your all-natural booster contained in a small jar so it is handy — and seriously potent — when you're doing laundry.
What You'll Need:
- 2 cups washing soda
- 1/4 cup hydrogen peroxide
- Mixing bowl
- Fork
- Small container
Directions:
- Think of laundry booster as your detergent's best friend. Using washing soda really amps up this laundry helper, while hydrogen peroxide works together with your detergent to help clean your garments.
- Measure and add the washing soda to a mixing bowl, and then add the hydrogen peroxide. Gently stir with a fork.
- Use the fork to break up any lumps, creating a sand-like texture. When the mixture interacts with water, it creates bubbles of oxygen, which help lift tough stains and gently whiten whites.
- Pour the booster into a small container with a lid, and you're all set for tackling the laundry.
- For tough stains and dingy whites, soak clothes in warm water mixed with 1/4 cup of the laundry booster for 20 minutes or overnight before washing. And you can keep things all natural and make your own homemade eco- friendly liquid laundry detergent. In a rush? Simply add 1/4 cup of booster directly to your next load of laundry to give your detergent a bit of a kick. From popsugar.com
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I made this as a joke for my husband and it works
Ingredients
1 teaspoon of rubbing alcohol
30-40 drops of essential oil of choice
Water
Directions:
Pour rubbing alcohol in a 3 oz spray container and add essential oils. The alcohol keeps the oils from separating from the water, so you don’t have to shake it before each use. You can use any combination of oils that you’d like. Add water to fill the container. Give it a good shake and you’re ready to go! I’ve found 3-4 sprays is enough to cover the bowl and trap all of the stink particles below.
From Happymoneysaver.com
Note (from me) I prefer to add equal parts of polysorbate 20 to the essential oils part, 1:1. It makes the oil and water come together. I have this in a 4 ounce colored glass bottle and I made a silly label for this (for my own entertainment).
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Don't purchase disposable swifter cloths
The Solution: No Sew Reusable Swiffer Dusting Cloths
There is a simple way to eliminate these problems without ditching your beloved Swfffer: quit buying refill cloths. No, I’m not asking you to re-use the same sheets over and over again. You simply substitute a cotton flannel cloth for the disposable sheets.
Cotton flannel cleans just as quickly and efficiently as disposable Swiffer clothes. Its fuzzy pile attracts dust and hair just like a disposable cloth. Yes, it requires an added step—washing the cloth—but they are easy to toss in with a load of laundry.
An added perk? Reusable cloths will save you money in the long run! A box of 48 reusable sweeper cloths cost approximately $12.00 or $0.25 each. That’s about $90 dollars a year in disposable cloths. One yard of flannel costs about $3 (42 inches x 36 inches) and make about 16 sweeper sized cloths (8.5×10) and will last for years.
How to Make Reusable Swiffer Cloths
Wash and dry your flannel fabric then cut it into 8.5×10 inch rectangles. To stop fraying you can cut with pinking shears, treat the edges with liquid fray stopper, or zip-zag stitch around the edges.
Use your new cloths with a Swiffer mop or other disposable mop handle. Machine wash and dry. From Brendid.com
Tip: After sweeping I like to shake my cloth over the garbage to remove any large debris before tossing in the laundry.
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Homemade Hand Sanitizer with Thieves Oil (1)
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp aloe vera gel
- 1 Tbsp filtered water
- 1/8 tsp Vitamin E oil
- 5 drops Thieves Oil
Equipment
You will need a small 2 ounce squeeze bottle– perfect for keeping in your purse or diaper bag.
Directions
Combine the aloe vera gel, vitamin E oil and the Thieves oil and add a bit of water to thin a bit. You want it to be thin enough to coat your hand. From Homemademommy.net
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DIY Hand Sanitizer (2)
Ingredients
- 3 TB aloe vera
- 2 TB witch hazel or rubbing alcohol, if using alcohol reduce to 1 TB
- ½ tsp vitamin E oil
- 16 drops tea tree essential oil
- 8 drops lavender essential oil
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. To use the hand sanitizer store in a small jar or a squeeze tube. I also use these tubes for homemade toothpaste. Note: This recipe will make 2 fl oz (one tube.) From Livesimply.me.
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Homemade spray starch (Bren's experiment)
3 Non- toxic recipes at the link below
http://brendid.com/3-ways-make-non-toxic-spray-starch/
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DIY Foaming Hand Soap
by Amy Locurto
Directions
1. Fill the empty bottle 1/4 full of hand or dishwashing soap.
2. If you have essential oils, add a few drops of your favorite scent such as lavender, peppermint or lemon. (optional step)
3. Fill the rest of the bottle with water.
4. Put the cap back on and shake.
Thats it. From
http://www.livinglocurto.com
What is not said in the recipe is that the foaming action comes through that special bottle. I save those foaming bottles and just refill them, takes so little soap to make one, the larger part is the water. The site shows a better picture of the portions.
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This is the dish soap I use, I like it because it isnt watery like a lot of the homemade ones are
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons grated bar soap-- I used my homemade tallow soap (it's a very basic soap--nothing fancy)
- ¼ teaspoon washing soda
- 1 teaspoon vegetable glycerin
- 20-50 drops essential oils of your choice
Instructions
- Mix the water, grated soap, and washing soda in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the mixture is hot and all the ingredients are dissolved. (If it simmers or boils, that's ok--just make sure everything is completely dissolved.)
- Remove the mixture from the heat, and mix in the vegetable glycerin and essential oils. (If it's very hot, allow it to cool slightly before adding the essential oils)
- Pour the liquid dish soap mixture into a jar and allow it to sit at room temperature for 6-12 hours. It will thicken during this time. I like to give it a stir every couple hours (if I think of it), but you don't have to.
- When you are ready to use it, give it a vigorous stir (it might seem too thick at first, but should easily soften once you start stirring) and pour into a soap pump or squeezable container. (I repurposed an empty dish soap bottle)
- Give it a shake, and enjoy doing those dishes with your very own homemade liquid dish soap!
- I loved the consistency of this dish soap--it's thick enough to stick to the dishes, but not chunky.
- *Important Note* Keep in mind that your results may vary a bit depending on the type of bar soap you use. My homemade tallow soap is quite hard. I also tried this with a softer homemade soap (containing ingredients such as coconut oil and olive oil), and I had to tweak the ingredients a bit.
- For the batch using the softer bar soap, I had to increase the soap flakes to 3 tablespoons and the washing soda to ½ teaspoon. You may even have to go as far as 4 tablespoons of soap flakes and 1 teaspoon of washing soda.
- However, there is a fine line--and I found that adding too many soap flakes makes it too thick, and too much washing soda results in it separating into cloudy chunks.
- Now that I have the basic formulation down, I plan on doing more experimenting with different types of soap--including some "brand name" bars, so stay tuned! From theprariehomestead.com
There are other cleaning recipes at each of these sites also
