Skip to main content

Cleaning Up

I'm still "making," even when I am not knitting as much.  Speaking of which, and I'll get on to the real topic in just a minute, I finally got up the guts to start knitting with that handspun I made so long ago.  It seriously feels like forever, I guess it was last spring though.  Anyway, it is on its way to becoming a cowl and I will definitely post pics when it is done.

So my wee one and my cloth diapering adventures have inspired me to become a little more green (or a little more crunchy, as some might see it) in the rest of my life.  I've often thought about making my own cleaning products, but never got around to actually doing it.  I mean, yes, I did basic things like run vinegar through my coffee pot and pour baking soda followed by vinegar down a slow drain, but I had never sat down and worked on figuring out how to replace all of my household cleaners with stuff I made.  Luckily, I have friends who are just as in to this as I am, some with more experience than I have, and I have some great reference materials.

Yesterday, armed with a 13lb bag of baking soda, 2 1/2 gallons of vinegar, a box or borax, a box of washing soda, some LemiShine standing in for citric acid, a few random bars of hotel soap, and various recycled containers, I had a couple friends over to get started because making things is always more fun as a group.

We decided to make the following things:
Dishwasher Detergent
Stain Gel
Diaper Pail Freshener
Fabric Softener

The first step was to pick some recipes.  I was armed with The Peaceful Housewife's e-book, The Green Grandma's book Vinegar Fridays, Home Ec 101, and a natural cleaners e-book I grabbed for free in the Kindle store one day.  We ended up using The Peaceful Housewife's recipes for the most part.  Vinegar Fridays is a great tips and tricks book with plenty of recipes as well, many of them very similar to The Peaceful Housewife's e-book.  The e-book is very clear and easy to follow, so it was easy just to bring it up on the screen and follow the recipes.  Vinegar Fridays is written more conversationally and covers much more, but it has no index so we went with what was easy for this first get together.  Buying supplies at Sam's Club and splitting the cost makes it even cheaper for everyone than it already is, so I recommend going that route if you and some friends want to try making your own cleaning products.

We started by making enough of each thing that we would each have a decent amount to take home and test drive.  The only one I have had the opportunity to try so far is the dish detergent, but I am a fan so far.  The hard water hear usually leaves me with cloudy glass ware, I've tried a few different detergents and wash procedures to try and fix this and this morning might be the clearest and sparkliest my glasses have been in a while.  I am excited to try all the others and I will try and be sure to let you all know how it goes.  I'm 100% positive I am going to love the diaper pail freshener because I already use the same thing purchased from The Peaceful Housewife's store.  I am planning to try the fabric softener out on a load of towels because that is usually the most static-y load of laundry I do.  We never used fabric softener before, but way back before the cloth diapering we used to use unscented dryer sheets and Jenny even has a solution for that (she basically tells you to make a dryer sheet out of the fabric softener that you just made and a washcloth.  Clever, right?)

I mentioned those recycled containers, remember?  Well rather than buy containers, wash out and keep things that open and close easily.  I like containers with screw on lids, like empty salsa jars, peanut butter jars, etc. just make sure they are thoroughly cleaned and completely dry before using!

So why didn't we make laundry detergent since that seems to be one that many people start with when they start making their own cleaners?  Well 2 of us already had 500 load supplies from The Peaceful Housewife, so I think we're set for a while!

Do you make your own cleaning supplies?  If so, what do you make and where do you find your recipes?

Comments

Amy said…
I buy very few commercial cleaning supplies. My main multi-purpose cleaner is in a spray bottle filled with vinegar (go light on the vinegar), alcohol, water, and essential oil (my favorite is rose). I use it for everything. It's especially good for carpet cleaning. I even use it for my steam cleaning solution. Also, you can mix it with a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid and water for mopping.
I haven't tried to make my own yet, but I would love to start!

Popular posts from this blog

Ridiculously Easy 3x3 hat

So I was on my way out the door to the St. Louis Cardinals game a couple nights ago when I realized I didn't have any purse size knitting on hand. I grabbed a ball of bernat chunky and a pair of size 10 16" circs out of my travel bag and stuffed them into my purse to contemplate at the game. I wanted something so super easy that by the time the game started I wouldn't have to think about it. I feel almost silly sharing this pattern, but I figured why not. So here is the hat: I don't really intend to turn up the edge to make a brim, but my model had trouble keeping it on otherwise. Its really stretchy and should fit almost any adult head. Its long enough to cover your ears, so if you really want a brim, go ahead and flip up the edge. Ok, here goes the pattern: Ridiculously Easy 3x3 Hat Yarn: I used Bernat Chunky Needles: Size 10 16" Circs or preferred method of knitting in the round CO 60 stitches and join for knitting in the round. Work in 3x3 rib for 7 inche

The Illy Cowl & Pattern

I was inspired by the fabulous Ilene of Much Love, Illy and her love for mustard colored accent pieces, so when she very patiently dealt with my first blog advertising endeavor, I decided to send her a little something.  I had some designs floating around in my head, but this one spoke to me as really being her style, so the Illy Cowl was born.  (picture stolen from Ilene, with her permission of course)  Here's a couple close-ups.  It's an easy, fairly open lace-work pattern that looks far more complicated than it actually is.  It's also lightweight and comfortable on.    I played around and took some pics before I mailed it off.  Last week I worked on a purple version, which I inadvertently made wider than the original.  (Nothing like screwing up your own pattern, huh?)  I forgot that I only put one repeat of garter rows between the lace repeats, oh well.  The mix up caused me to run out of yarn in the middle of THE VERY LAST ROW.  Sooooo frustrating!  And it was during

GIVEAWAY!!!

As many of you know, I love working with hand dyed yarn.  I especially love Farm Girl Fiber yarn!  Bridgette has an eye for color and has a lot of fun with what she does.  That is why I am so super thrilled that Farm Girl Fiber is sponsoring this giveaway in honor of my opening an etsy shop!   Before the goods, a recap:  I made this Acorn Head hooded cowl for myself on Christmas this year.  I've known pretty much since I bought the yarn exactly what it was going to be, I just had to find time to do it.  This cowl was out of my FGF birthday yarn!  You can't tell in the picture, but it has just this hind of sparkle to it.  Love! I made 2 of these for two different swaps and I really wish I had made and kept one for myself while she still had the yarn!  It was so super soft and super bulky and fantastic!  Sometimes Farm Girl Fiber has very limited lots of things, so if you find something you love, you really need to snatch it up.  My whole Monday night knitting group went mad ov