DIY: Tub and Soap Scum Remover!!

Ok I have a little bit of a "dirty" secret... I have a big garden tub in our master bathroom that rarely gets used and even more rarely gets cleaned. It's WAS a disaster, until this morning. In literally 10 minutes total time, it's sparkling clean with very little effort.

Here's my recipe for the best Tub Ring and Soap Scum Remover:

• Mix equal parts of White Distilled Vinegar and Dishwashing Soap in a spray bottle. (I found that a recycled spray cleaning bottle worked better than the $1 store spray bottles for a finer mist spray)
• Spray Vinegar/Soap mixture liberally on your tub/shower and let sit 30+ minutes (I forgot about mine for at least an hour!!) Then I just wiped away the scumminess and rinsed with water. 

I was completely shocked at how well it worked!! and the best part is,  since everything in the spray I make is non-toxic, I'm not afraid of getting it on my skin, no need to worry about toxic fumes or wearing those awful rubber gloves!!!

NOTE: It also works on other scummy areas of your home, like inside your oven or on your cook top!

DIY Dishwasher Detergent $.01/load

How awesome?! I just added, yet another, homemade and really cheap household product to my existing recipe book and it really really works! I run my very cheap dishwasher a lot and I abuse it..  I hate rinsing dishes and this works better than finish or cascade that I've used for years!!

Dishwasher Detergent Recipe ($13.94 total cost)

1 Box Arm and Hammer Washing Soda ($3.24/box)
1 Box Borax ($3.38/box)
2 Bottles of Lemi Shine $3.66/each x 2 = 7.32)

Combine the Washing Soda, Borax and Lemi Shine - Mix up really really well! Store in an air tight container (or several containers this recipe made enough to fill 2 - half gallon ball canning jars and 1 quart jar) Use about 1.5t per load - I sprinkle a little in my prewash compartment then 1t in for the regular wash. The recipe will make about 20 cups of Dishwasher Detergent, using 1.5t per load, will wash 960 loads of dishes at $ .01 a load - - - R U KIDDING??  I just triple checked my math - $13.94 total cost /960 loads = $0.01452083 per load!!

Dishwasher Rinse Aid Recipe

Use Distilled White Vinegar as you would any other rinse aid. If you would buy one bottle of jet dry or other rinse aid each month for $5 - one gallon vinegar is only $2 and would last you a whole year - saving you  $58/year!

DIY Powered Laundry Soap $ .03/load

I love knowing our Laundry Detergent for the next year is only costs about $10! and I won't run out or have to buy any.. it's all stored neatly in 2 jars in my cabinet above the washer! I hate spending our hard earned money on household supplies, and knowing that they are so damaging to our environment! So, for few years I've been making my own Laundry Detergent and I think it's pretty amazing! There are lots of recipes on the internet and I've tired many of them.. previously I was using a liquid form but it's a lot of extra work that isn't necessary. I came up with a recipe for a powder that is quick and cheap. I use this in my top loading washer, but you can also use it in a front load washer (since there are virtually no suds) only use 1/2 the amount per load... which means its even cheaper!!!!


Powered Laundry Detergent (Beginners Single Batch Recipe)
1c Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda
1/2c Borax
1 bar Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap

Grate the bar Fels-Naptha on regular cheese grater and combine with washing soda and borax, mix well. Use 1T per load, recipe yields about 3 cups of detergent which will do 48 loads of laundry for just $1.69

When I make my laundry detergent I like to make a bunch at once - I try to make enough to last us at least a full year! Here's my Large Batch Recipe and modified instructions:

Powered Laundry Detergent  (Large Batch Recipe)
1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda, 55 oz
3c Borax
6 bars Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap

Same instructions as above or to eliminate hand grating the bar of soap..
In food processor or blender: 1/2c of washing soda, 1/4c Borax, and 1/2 bar of soap, coarsely chopped... on low-medium process into a find powered. This grinds the soap and mixes it up all in one step - Repeat for each 1/2 bar of soap.

I found that putting the soda/borax in the bottom of my Vitamix blender and the soap on top, grinds it up more efficiently (if you are using a large capacity food processor you may be about to put in a full bar of chopped soap/1c soda/1/2c borax all at once - experiment to see what works best with your equipment!)

This large batch recipe will make enough laundry detergent to do 288 loads of laundry, using 1T for each large load - for us this will last us a year (we do 5 to 6 loads of laundry per week on average) 

Don't forget to check out my blog post on Homemade Fabric Softener!

DIY Fabric Softener

I've been doing without Fabric Softener for over a year, but last week when I was changing from the winter-fleece to spring organic cotton sheets on our bed, I wanted to make sure they were soft and smelled pleasant! So, I looked around for some ideas for homemade fabric softener.... the most common is a mix of conditioner (for your hair) and vinegar. That didn't sound appealing to me for many reasons..... SO I determined that the vinegar is what makes the clothing soft and the conditioner is used for scent, so I figured I'd just use white distilled vinegar and some essential oil!

Oh - and don't worry your laundry won't smell like vinegar - the vinegar smell dissipates. Just ask Ray, I frequently smell like salad right after my shower (between using it as a facial toner and a hair rinse) but once I dry the vinegar smell is completely gone!

Lavender Essential oil is great for relaxation, so that's the scent I felt would be best for the sheets in our bedroom, why not get the added bonus when using a scent and help with a restful night's sleep?? Here's my Recipe:

1 Gallon White Distilled Vinegar ($1.99 at my local shop and save!)
Lavender Essential Oil or other essential oil for scent as desired

Simply add the essential oil to the gallon of vinegar then use Use 1/4 to 1 cup per load -depending on size of load - added to the rinse cycle (if your organized enough to remember to add it - I am not :) Thank goodness for my fabric softener dispenser that came with my washing machine and Thank Goodness Ray didn't let me throw it away when I stopped using fabric softener!!)

Don't forget to check out my blog post on Homemade Laundry Detergent!

DIY Easy Cleaning Spray

I've been making my own Cleaning Spray for a couple years, it's so super simple and dirt cheap!

I just fill a spray bottle with water (recycled from a store bought cleaner or buy an empty bottle) 

the add about 1T Dr Bronners Sal Suds and a few drops of essential oil (Lemon or Lavender are my favorites!) Screw on the spray top and give it a gentle shake - and you have a bottle of spray cleaner to use just about anywhere in your home.. kitchen, bath, etc!

If you're not familiar with Dr Bronner's Magic Sal Suds - Check it out, http://www.drbronner.com/DBMS/SAL.htm It's a great all purpose cleaner to keep around the house. I buy it by the gallon for $35.99 from Vitacost, http://www.vitacost.com/dr-bronners-sal-suds-liquid

That works out to be just about $ .14/spray bottle for the cleaner - the essential oil is optional for scent only, I made it for years before I added the essential oil when I finally got some for bath and body projects!

DIY Lemon-Thyme Hand Soap

I'm always looking for easy ways to save a few bucks on household supplies and I enjoy making things myself!! This is my first attempt at making liquid soap from bar soap and it turned out great. You can experiment with other scent/herb combinations but this was easy since I always have lemons and fresh thyme on hand.

2 Bars of Kirk's Natural Castile Soap, grated
1T Vegetable Glycerine
10 c water
Zest of 1 Lemon (use peeler to remove zest in large strips)
Sprigs of Fresh Thyme

Combine the grated soap, 1T vegetable glycerin, 10 cups of water and lemon zest in a large pot - and heat over medium until all melted/combined. Allow to cool then fill containers - adding springs of thyme.

Cost, $.02 per Ounce of soap, Total cost $1.60 for 80 oz liquid soap!
$1.34 - Kirk's Natural Castile Soap, at Vitacost.com and Now Foods Vegetable Gylcerine, $8.54/16oz at Amazon.com

You can grate the bar of soap on a traditional cheese grater, but I coarsely chopped up the bar of soap then tossed it in my dry cup of the Vitamix - it ground it into a fine powder, which saved a lot of time compared to hand grating.