Here's what you need to know about me - I call myself a lazy DIYer because if it isn't easy I won't do it unless it'll save me a ton of money. That's my criteria - non toxic and cost effective but simple - otherwise it's a no go for me. Someone told me stop saying I'm lazy, that I just like to keep my life simple. That's true, I'm always looking to simplify my life. How about you?
So here's a collection of my favorite cleaning tips and recipes I've used over the years. Recipes found online have been tweaked so I've gotten better results and share them with you as my own original recipes.
Google some of your cleaning products individual ingredients. One thing I discovered in my journey to reduce toxins and harsh chemicals is that products sold as clean and green sometimes are far from it. That's called greenwashing. All the ingredients in the products I use are rated clean but check for yourself and see. If the product itself isn't listed check each individual ingredient. Take a pic of some ingredients lists and just check it out as you have time while waiting on line or waiting to pickup littles from school. You and your families health is worth the little effort to check.
When choosing essential oils look for ones that are pure - department stores sell fragrance and there's no health benefit but rather they're harmful to the endocrine / hormone system and impact health causing all sorts of issues. If you can't visit the farms or distillery of the essential oil company that's a red flag. If there's warnings on the label or package call customer service to inquire - make sure you get answers. Plants do not require warning labels, no local nursery here has warning labels on their plants. I've also seen some essential oils labeled combustible - plants do not spontaneously self combust!
Check out the movie "Stink!" on Netflix or Amazon for one persons journey learning what fragrance was emanating from his children's newly purchased pajamas and what "fragrance" really is all about.
Reducing toxins in my life had an amazing effect on improved wellness - both physically and emotionally.
Laundry / Dishwasher / Toilet
This is by far the easiest and most versatile recipe because I use it also for the dishwasher and toilet. For laundry I use about 2TB and for dishwasher I use about 1-2 tsp and for toilet i sprinkle probably about one TB.
For less than 20 cents per load use Thieves laundry soap - it lasts me the promised 164+ loads so super economical and cost effective! You know when damp towels sit a bit too long? Or it's dead summer and everyone is outdoors playing and working up a sweat? It gets out all the stink!
Laundry / Dishwasher DIY Recipe
One box borax
One box washing soda
One cup baking soda
Essential oils of choice - I like rosemary or peppermint, Thieves blend or Citrus Fresh blend
- Mix all ingredients together in a big pot or bowl large enough to hold everything and stir - i use a soup pot and wooden spoon
- Most recipes online contain grated soap - not only will this clog your machines it's not necessary - suds doesn't mean clean it's just that big companies have trained us to think this way which is how soap manufacturers convinced women to change from their homemade solutions that works to commercially purchased products
- Store in a big crock or canister or canning jar. I keep one big canister by the laundry and one under the kitchen sink.
- For dishwasher you can add a citrus cleaning boost with either fresh lemon, one drop lemon EO or a sprinkle of citric acid
- In the dishwasher rinse aid dispenser I use white vinegar
- In the laundry fabric softener dispenser I use white vinegar - your laundry will not smell like salad - I promise
- I've read some people do laundry exclusively with white vinegar for wash and rinse but only tried this a few times and it seemed to work on lightly soiled clothes
- For stains I dip my finger in Thieves laundry soap and dab on spot / stain
- This also makes a great tub scrub and stove / oven cleaner when sprayed with either the white vinegar or Thieves cleaner recipe below
General Cleaning
Thieves all purpose cleaner works out to $1 per each 16oz spray bottle so is super cost effective, plant based and harsh chemical free. It cleans all messes and as an added bonus I've noticed it keeps pests off counters that usually show up in summer looking for sweets and crumbs ;)
The only two cleaners I use everywhere are Thieves or white vinegar - kitchen, bathroom, mopping floors, cleaning windows, pet messes (and we have lots of pet messes with 2 cats and 2 African Gray parrots!)
Citrus Infused White Vinegar
- Take your left over citrus peels and stuff into a large, empty glass pickle jar or large canning jar
- Top with white vinegar to 1" over top of peels
- Set aside for some weeks (usually I start a second jar at this point filling with peels as they become availalble)
- You'll notice the vinegar change color as it leeches the natural citrus oils from the peels
- Strain off peels and toss into compost
- Put your new citrus infused white vinegar into a spray bottle half vinegar half water
Dishes
To make a liquid soap (instead of hard soap) you really need to use the oil / lye method but with potassium hydroxide not sodium hydroxide. I had zero success grating up plant based hard soap to make a liquid soap despite years of trying and actually did make my own liquid soap with potassium hydroxide. Any so called clean green products available didn't pass EWG.org assessment rating and making my own with oil and lye was a tedious process. If you really want the recipe I can provide it along with lessons learned.
Or you can just get the Thieves dishsoap that I use - it's 3x concentrated and lasts me a long long time.
Get the above as a printable here: Cleaning Class Recipes and Cleaning Free Printable
Learn more about Thieves here or if you're ready to get started click here for the easiest way to clean up toxins in home cleaning and personal care in one quick, simple step. Remember keep it simple!
Share your thoughts and comments below ▼ I love hearing from you ❤️
Click here to get your Aroma Reset guide - This simple technique clears your limiting beliefs and negative thoughts. Your powerful sense of smell unlocks the part of your subconscious brain responsible for making decisions on autopilot. That instinct or survival brain isn't open to reason and logic. Empower yourself at that level to accomplish every goal you set!
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