All Things Homemade: Cleaning Agents Edition

Friends, I really have no excuse for not posting in the past few weeks. I've been doing crafty things and cooking pretty much every day since my last post, but I just...I don't know what happened.  It was partly laziness, partly writers block and partly having no patience for the slowest Internet south of the Mason Dixon Line!

No. Seriously.

I've told you all before, but I'll make sure you understand...WE LIVE IN THE MIDDLE OF NO WHERE! Take for example the fact that I attempted to make this recipe for Black Bean Salad (original recipe) the other day and guess what? The local grocery store didn't have AVOCADOS! Seriously?! Yes. Seriously.

I can't make this stuff up people. 

However, you should know that the recipe was still SO DELICIOUS! I went to have lunch with the hubby and the other teachers on his team and brought some in with me, the salsa (which is what I call it because, well it tastes more like a salsa than a black bean salad) got RAVE reviews! :) 

Anyway, so today I'm going to share with you quite a few things, because I have pictures of them and I figure I might as well make up for time lost.

The first is an All Purpose Orange/Lemon Cleaner. 
You literally need Orange and or Lemon Peels, White Vinegar and a Quart-Sized Mason Jar. Combine everything in the mason jar, allow to sit for 7-10 days and it's good to go! :)  The vinegar is scented by the peels and the cleaner leaves the house clean and shiny. 

 

 

 

Because I started making and using my own homemade laundry soap (which I LOVE), I also decided to use this recipe from www.thefrugalgirls.com to make my own fabric softener.  They have TONS of other really cool stuff. Don't go unless you have lots of time to get sucked into their site! Anyway, here's how you do it.

You'll need white vinegar, conditioner, and boiling water

Add your conditioner to a large bowl.

Carefully add the boiling water

Then add the vinegar.  Stir everything together and make sure there are no clumps of conditioner in the bowl.  Let it cool and put into a container for storage.

 

I add about 1/4 a cup to my laundry sometimes even 1/2 a cup.  The original recipe calls for significantly less, but I found that it really doesn't work unless you use more.  However, it is SUPER cheap to make so it doesn't bother me to use a little more.

 

The last thing I have for you is a homemade dishwasher detergent. Honestly, my vote is out on this one.  It does the job and I'm positive there are all sorts of benefits to making your own as far as knowing the chemicals that are going into your dishwasher, which you can read about here, but I don't know about the price comparisons. Also, my glasses are becoming cloudy the longer I use the homemade dish detergent. Nevertheless, here's how you do it.

 

You're going to need:



Borax
Washing Soda
Salt
NO SUGAR ADDED Lemonade Packets (not pictured)

Add all of your ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

Then add to an empty container! (I knew there was a reason my Mom saved this for me!)

You add about 2 TBS per load and 3 DROPS of dawn dish soap. If you do anymore than 3 drops you'll have a foam party in your kitchen. (Just trust me on this one!)

 

 

Phew! Hopefully that will make up for the weeks without one single post. :) Hope you enjoyed!