Another 30 by 30 comin’ at ya…homemade cleaners!
I’ve shared a previous post on the first DIY cleaner I made/tried…and if you’ve been on Pinterest for even just 5 seconds I’m sure you can guess that the key ingrediant is…
White vinegar!
Who knew white vinegar could come in so handy? 
The recipe for this cleaner was simple – equal parts Blue Dawn dish soap and white vinegar. Warm it up a bit and pour it into the bathtub; wait an hour for it to soak and VOILA! Afterwards all you need to do is wipe the tub down and all that dirt and grime just wipes away! I tried it again just this past weekend, and our tubs are sparkling now!
I also used a similiar solution to scrub on the carpet and had so-so results. <Besides that, all that scrubbing on my hands and knees isn’t really my style!>
Today I want to pass along a homemade laundry detergent. A friend gifted me with a sample of the detergent she made in a mason jar. I didn’t take a picture (bah!) but it was adorable…she covered the lid with scrapbook paper and made a matching tag with a sweet bible verse. <I regifted it to my mom with some of the detergent I made…gotta share the love!> When we gave it a try, both Chris and I were really impressed. It made our clothes soft, they smelled great, and everything was super clean! <We have a high effeciency washing machine and had no problems with using it…no problems after I figured out to remove the liquid only tray, that is.>
I am going to share a few pictures with you, but I’m not going to claim to have come up with any of these ideas on my own. I found another blogger who tried the same “recipe” and had several really handy tips. So the moral to the story is…if you want the recipe and access to all the secret tricks, then you’ll have to go to her blog. 
Check her (and the recipe!) out here at How Does She?
Here are all of my ingrediants…minus one. I forgot the Arm&Hammer Baking Soda & had to make another trip to the store!
(The tub in the back counts as an ingrediant in my book…it helped me mix everything up & is an easy storage solution!)
The most time consuming part was grating the Fels-Naptha soap. (The recipe called for Zote Soap, but I couldn’t find any of that in my area.) I also had to buy a grater…how is it we didn’t have one of those? When I finished, it looked an awful lot like shredded cheese…
My mom had the *genius* idea to shave it over a baking sheet lined with foil. It was easier than trying to balance over a bowl and made for easy cleanup!
And here is the final result! Besides grating the soap, basically all you have to do is mix it all together!
Recognize that bottle? Yep, I took the plastic wrap label off and am using it as a small container…then I can use the lid to measure out my detergent! (Not my idea. I’m telling you, you’ve got to go read all of her tips!)
I taped the recipe to the outside of the container so that I won’t have to search for it…I’m excited to start using it!
Oh, and did I mention it only takes 2-3 tablespoons per load?
Yep, you read that right.
2 to 3 TABLESPOONS per load. That’s craziness! This batch will last me forever and cost around $30 to make!
After I finished mixing everything, I found out that there is a controversy among DIY-ers regarding Borax. Apparently you are encouraged to wear gloves and/or a breathing mask when handling it. I didn’t do any of those <and even used my hands to break up some of the clumps…> but I did want you to have a heads up in case you want to do a little research yourself.
Here’s the link again, because I just *know* you are going to want to mix up a batch for yourself.
KEEP CALM & WASH ON!
