Homemade Cleaning Products

Today is my "make the cleaning products day." I have been purchasing cleaning products and laundry detergent that is more "eco-friendly" for a long time, but I must say the result is not always great and they can be expensive. This past summer I started experimenting with making some of my own cleaners and the results, for the most part, have been great!

I first turned to natural/green products years ago due to chemical sensitivities that my husband and I have. I noticed some products, even "greener" non-toxic ones still made me cough or sneeze when I used them. It was even hard to catch my breath when I used them. Now, I like a clean house as much as anyone else, but the act of cleaning is really something I need to be in the mood for. I sure have to take advantage of that mood when it arises, because it's probably not as often as it should be. When the products you choose make you miserable while you are using them and for as long as the smells and possible chemicals linger, it makes it much worse. This all seemed ridiculous and unsafe to me, so I started searching for alternatives at my local health food stores. I did find a few products that I liked, most made for easier breathing, but they were mostly terribly expensive. It's more difficult to find coupons for the natural brands, but not impossible, so you have to grab them when you see them.

The first big change I noticed was when we stopped using those air fresheners that plug into your outlets. Have you ever read the labels on those? Wow. They are filled with chemicals and artificial everything. Within a week of tossing those things in the garbage, we both noticed an improvement in our air quality and breathing.

Next, we changed our laundry detergent from a traditional, big name brand to a greener brand. We noticed improvements in our skin, which is very sensitive. Especially now with our son, who is also very sensitive and has eczema, the fewer ingredients we have, the better. We still play around with detergents to find the perfect fit, which seems to change with where we live and the water type, so the perfect choice has yet to be determined. I did start making my own detergents recently, so more on that later.

The first product I actually made at home on my own was all-purpose cleaning spray. There are probably a thousand recipes online for different cleaners, but the first one I made was a bleand of the following:
Dr. Bronner's All Purpose Liquid Castile Soap
Hot Water
White Distilled Vinegar
A few drops of essential oils (I chose Tea tree and lavender)
I also included borax, following someone else's recipe

I don't tend to measure my products exactly, other that using a simple plastic spray bottle I purchased at the hardware store and it is 32 oz.

After using this recipe, I noticed the castile soap and the vinegar don't "play nicely together" and they curdle in the bottle. This makes it difficult to spray and you start to wonder if you are just cleaning with water. I also added borax to our laundry, as a booster. Shortly after, I noticed a rash developing on my back and my husband and I both noticed our fingertips cracking and peeling. I did some research on borax and found that it can cause many skin sensitivities, including cracking and peeling. I've since cut it out of my cleaners, except the new laundry detergent recipe I am working on, but I always use and extra rinse in the wash to try to get the borax out.

ALL PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER
32 oz bottle
Hot water about 3/4 of the way to the top of the bottle
2 good squirts of Dr Bronner's Liquid Castile Soap (I like unscented or lavender)
40 or so drops of essential oil.
      I like a blend of tea tree for anti-fungal and antibacterial purpose, lavender, and eucalyptus
Add the soap last and shake vigorously, top off bottle with water and shake before each use.

An alternative to using castile soap, is a vinegar base recipe like this one:

VINEGAR ALL PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER
32 oz bottle
fill halfway with white distilled vinegar
fill almost to top with hot water
a small squirt of 2 of dish soap
30-40 drops of essential oil (optional)

If you prefer not to make your own, there are some brands that I like
The Honest Company (you can use my referral link here)
Ecover
Seventh Generation
BioKleen

I will update to include my new laundry powder recipe that I playing with now.