Homemade Natural Cleaners

As many of you know I have been experimenting lately with making my own household cleaners, laundry soap, dishwasher soap, etc. I am happy to report that it is going remarkably well. I LOVE my homemade cleaners. I love that they are all eco-friendly, safe for my children, easy to make, and, yes, economical! I have talked to some of my friends (a special thanks to Ariel!), and have experimented for over a month now, so I feel confident in sharing my findings. I will try to give you some price breakdowns too, so you can compare it to what you are buying and using already. I will start with the most popular....

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP
I made two different batches. The first one was a mixture of Borax, Washing Soda (NOT baking soda), and a bar of soap.

1 1/2 cups of Borax

1 1/2 cups of Washing Soda

1 processed soap bar

Grate the bar of soap first, and then put it in your food processor and process until it is a fine grainy consistency (like your normal laundry soap). Mix with the borax and the Washing Soda- and you're done!

I can make a batch of laundry soap for a month in approx 15 minutes (2 batches lasts us about 5 weeks or so)! Borax can be found at Walmart in the laundry aisle. Washing Soda (also known as soda ash) I found in the laundry aisle of my local Albertsons.

**Here's your science lesson for the day: From what I've read, you aren't supposed to substitute baking soda for the Washing Soda. Baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Washing Soda is sodium carbonate. Although similar, the sodium bicarbonate has less sodium and an added hydrogen atom(NaHCO3), while the sodium carbonate has more sodium and no hydrogen (Na2CO3). This makes baking soda a weak base and Washing Soda a strong base (very alkaline). This affects how they clean- the washing soda is a better cleaner and can even cut through grease and fats. So, I guess you won't get as good of results if you switch them. Both, however, are laundry boosters in that they can soften your water, and help with stains and odors. I think if I was in a jam or wanted to cut costs even more, I'd try the baking soda. I haven't yet...but that's just my opinion.

For the bar soap, you can use any bar of soap that you like. Most of the sites I read said to use Ivory. I just use Trader Joes Tea Tree bar soap. It comes in a two-pack, and has been working great.

Before I get to pricing, let me say one more thing about this first laundry detergent recipe. There is some conflicting information on the Web regarding the safety and eco-friendliness of Borax. Borax is a naturally occurring mineral called sodium borate decahydrate. However, it IS toxic if ingested by little ones. I did a batch with the Borax and then several without. I prefer the one without, but the one with the Borax is a little cheaper. You can do your own research and see how you feel about using Borax.

Also a side note for my temple-endowed friends: If you have any pre-dyed white clothing, the sodium borate converts a water molecule into hydrogen peroxide and acts as a bleaching agent. It turned all of our pre-dyed whites a lovely shade of blue. Yes, blue! So, don't use the borax mix on those!

The second laundry detergent recipe I tried, and continue to make, is made just like the the Borax mixture, minus the Borax and increase the Washing Soda, so:

• 3 cups of Washing Soda
• 1 processed soap bar

Another recipe to try that is a tad cheaper, and I think would work fine, although I haven't tried it yet, is this one:

• 1 cup of baking soda
• 2 cups of Washing Soda
• 1 processed soap bar

For all recipes, just add 1/4 cup of the mixture per large load (less if smaller). I also add a couple of drops of essential oils to each load for more fragrance. Right now I'm using lemon.

**HOWEVER, if you have a fancy high efficiency washer, you can use MUCH less- about 2 Tbs per load- that will be a much great savings!

Okay, let's talk price:
A box of Borax- 72oz at Walmart- $3.36
A box of Washing Soda- 550z at Grocery store- $3.50
Two pack of TJ soap- $1.69

Without boring you too much, I did some conversions and figured out the prices per load using all three recipes:

• With the Borax-$2.29 for approx 16-20 loads, depending on size and how well you process the soap. So about 13 cents per load.
• Without Borax= $2.60 for approx 16-20 loads, depending on size and how well you process the soap. So about 15 cents per load.
• With a mixture of baking soda and Washing Soda and no Borax= $2.38. So about 14 cents per load.

*I did not figure out the cost if you have a HE washer- but it will be considerably less since you will only be using 2 Tbs vs. 1/4 cup per load.

**I compared these numbers to the natural liquid Trader Joes brand laundry soap. You can get a large bottle- 64 loads for $9 (14 cents per load)- or a smaller bottle-26 loads- for $5 (19 cents per load). Although it's about the same price, or only slightly less, I have found that the time it takes to make my own and knowing exactly what is in my cleaners merits my effort (after all it's only 15 minutes every month or so!). There are several ingredients even in the natural detergents that I am either not familiar with or can't use in my home due to allergy issues.

Okay, well, here are some other ideas for cleaners I have gathered or have used myself:

DISHWASHER MACHINE SOAP (per load):

1 tsp of liquid castile soap

1/2 tsp citric acid OR 1 tsp of lemon juice

*I have been using the dishwasher soap for weeks now, and my dishes are coming out sparkling clean, no hard water spots- really great! This is a serious money saver. We run our dishwasher at least once a day, and I don't have to buy dishwasher detergent anymore. We do have access to a lemon tree (thank you Hurst family!), and I just juice lemons every week and keep enough on hand to add to the dishwasher when needed.

(For hard water, put white vinegar in the rinse aid compartment)

Regular Dish Washing Soap (to hand wash dishes):

just use castile soap

All Purpose Cleaner (put in a spray bottle):

castile soap mixed with water and your choice of essential oils

Window Cleaner:

water and newspaper
OR
white vinegar and water in a spray bottle

For Hard Stains or Deep Cleaning (tub, shower, sink, toilets, etc):

Borax- see directions on box
OR
baking soda and castile soap works great too (mix a few drops of castile soap with a little baking soda to make a paste, scrub, and rinse thoroughly).

To clean kitchen counters and cutting boards:

lemon juice

Floors:

baking soda (you only need a little) and a scrubby sponge- after you have scrubbed the whole floor (sorry ladies, this is a hands and knees exercise) use a wet rag to wipe up the residual baking soda

Just my 2 cents! Cleaners, especially the natural ones, can get pricey. You can get big bottles or boxes of baking soda, vinegar, etc., at Walmart or Costco to clean naturally, safely, and effectively. Here are the last of the prices, I've gathered:

TJ Castile Liquid soap- $3.49 for 16 oz (lasts a LONG time)
Baking Soda- 4 lbs at Walmart- $2.16
Empty Spray Bottles at Walmart- $1
White Vinegar- 1 gallon at Walmart- $2.28
Essential Oil at Health Food Store- varies, I got my lemon oil for- $5

Happy Cleaning!