School's Out!

Well, my school is :-D  After taking a week to get sick (like I always do when the semester ends) and recuperate, I'm back at it today!

I've got beans snapped (I did that while wallowing on the couch watching tv while I was sick) and ready to go into the pressure canner.  I have a box of Vidalia onions that are about to get sliced and dehydrated once the beans are in the canner.  Other than that I really need to focus on cleaning up this house from where I did nothing but sit on the couch all day for several days.

The one thing I did get accomplished while sick besides snapping beans was laundry.  I would put in a load, watch a tv show, put it in dryer, watch a tv show, get it out and fold it while watching a tv show, then put away and hang up items during the commercials of a tv show ... just round and round and round and round we go - until I have like two loads left to do in the whole house.

Included in focusing on cleaning is making some cleaners ... I'm either out or nearly out of almost everything.  This past month has been brutal on me between the end of the semester projects and finals to focus on, spring planting, kids end of the year activities, visiting the hospital every spare minute (my best friend, BestBean - since kindergarten - had an aneurysm), and just normal daily "have-to's" (like providing food to the masses) - I've let just about everything else go.  So making these cleaners that keep me sane is a must ... the only store bought cleaner I allowed in the house and was generally okay with was some petroleum-free laundry detergent - everything else has been stretched to its limit!

Alright, back to work!

Time for more Dishwashing Detergent

Thought I'd post this so that you can look back and see how long this one little batch of homemade dishwashing detergent lasted us .... just over a month!  I ran out last night so I've got to make some more TODAY because I'm hosting a class in my home tomorrow and the house is a wreck!

Here's the recipe again found at My Healthy Green Family:

1 cup washing soda (old recipe used baking soda)

1/4 c. citric acid (old recipe said 1/3 c.)

1/4 c. coarse salt (old recipe said 1/3 c.)

10-15 drops of citrus essential oil (Optional. Orange, grapefruit, or lemon essential oils have great cleaning as well as antibacterial properties.)

Here is where mine is a little different:
I used lemon kool-aid packets to equal 1/4 cup, 10-12 drops of Tea Tree Oil and 3 drops Oregano Essential Oil. Smells wonderful! Please click the link above to get the full set of instructions and the why's behind this particular recipe.

And yes, I've been using the orange vinegar as my rinse aid - I really like this combination!

Homemade Automatic Dishwashing Detergent

I do believe I have finally found a recipe that I really like!  The last one was pretty okay, but I think this one is better.  I found this one at My Healthy Green Family.  I'm actually falling in love with this blog!!  She's a lady after my own heart :-D

Here are my "ingredients" ... well, actually the Sweet Orange Essential Oil did not get used since the lemonade drink mix (which acted as my citric acid) was so lemony, there was no need for an additional citrus smell.  I used 10-12 drops of Tea Tree Oil and 3 drops Oregano Essential Oil.  Smells wonderful!  Please click the link above to get the full set of instructions and the why's behind this particular recipe.  To be honest, I've often wondered about Borax but it's used all over the place in all sorts of "natural" and homemade products that I figured it must be safe.  Perhaps it isn't... perhaps it is.  I don't know right now.  I *do* know it is used to kill ants ... but then again, beer is used to kill rodents.... and chocolate can kill dogs.  So who's to say that just because it kills ants that it isn't healthy for humans or the environment??  I do not know the answer to this question - and may never know to be honest.

I'm using my super duper citrus vinegar that I make as the rinse aid - whatdya know ~ this is what My Healthy Green Family uses (and makes in almost the same way as I do)!!  As a reminder here is my citrus vinegar at work as a Laundry Fabric Softener :-) .... it is also used as an all-purpose cleaner, mixed half and half with water, in a spray bottle.  Love, love, love it :-)

Laundry Soap

Last Tuesday I had to make some more laundry soap as we finally used up the last batch.

Most of what you'll need ... the only thing missing is a medium pot & grater (shown in next picture), a 5-gallon bucket, and hot water ---- optional is storage containers for your finished detergent rather than storing in the 5-gallon bucket

1) Grate half of a bar of soap (I used Castille soap ... Fels Naptha and Ivory can also be used) into a pot of water - heat on medium until it is completely dissolved

 

 

2) Fill a 5-gallon bucket half way with hot water and add 1/2 cup of Arm & Hammer Washing Soda and 1/4 cup of Borax ---- Dissolve and add the Castille water solution ---- Finish filling the bucket with hot water

 

3) Divide among your varied containers (mine are old detergent and vinegar bottles)

 

4) I also use a drink dispenser to actually dispense the detergent - this makes it easier for the younger ones who can't pour a Tablespoon of detergent into the little measuring cups - I got the idea off pintrest ;-)

 

A) Inside the detergent dispenser was an area where ice would normally be kept to keep the drink cool - so I put in a few cut up old towels and some vinegar with essential oils to use in the dryer - they are similar to dryer sheets but I can't quite call them that.  They do help with static cling but they do not give off a thick smell since the vinegar and the oils "evaporate" off in the heat of the dryer.

B) My fabric softener is vinegar - I soak orange peels in vinegar (see my next batch in the mason jar on #3) and I fill the fabric softener portion of my washer with the vinegar solution rather than petroleum-based chemical-laden fabric softeners sold in stores.  I also use this same mixture for various cleaning around the house.  I started using the orange vinegar because it makes it appealing to the kids.

C) The smaller container over on the dryer is Disinfecting Wipes --- cut up old towels and wash cloths soaking in a solution of water, castille soap, and tea tree (melaleuca) oil.  I do have to say I can't wait to finish this batch up cause there is too much soap in it for my liking as they get too soapy in use.  I'm sure I'll live though.

D) The yellow bucket is the 5-gallon bucket I use to make the detergent in - while not in use for making detergent it is used to put all of the dryer lint into. I empty it every six months or so when I make a new batch of detergent.  With that I make little fire starters using toilet paper/paper towel rolls and wax.

E) The bottle of green liquid is an experiment that I'm not fond of.  It is a vinegar, Dawn dishwashing liquid, and baking soda mixture to clean bath tubs and showers.  While it certainly does that! - the rinsing is *I~n*S~a*N~e*.  I am going to try this mixture again but with a little tweaking - or maybe a lot tweaking - using less Dawn or no Dawn.

F) The other two containers are a homemade orange vinegar and water solution for general all-purpose cleaning and the other is actually Bac-Out.