Intrigued from the response in "Rawie's" - blender cleaning thread, I have started to think about other aspects of cleaning/washing. I especially like to use "homemade" recipes instead of purchasing commercial prepared items. The "Frugal" comes out in me!

For laundry;

1 quart Water (boiling)
2 cups Bar soap (grated)
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda

I adjust the amounts to make a couple of gallons at a time. It lasts a really long time, at using only a few oz. per load of laundry.

For windows/general purpose cleaner;

Vinegar
Lemon
Water

Mix in spray bottle.

I haven't really come up with a dish soap recipe yet. Please feel free to post any/all ideas!

Cheers!

Come on guys/gals, no posts on this?

What do you all use for washing dishes/laundry/handwashing-bath, etc.? I know with all the health conscious individuals on this forum, that you guys aren't using Palmolive or Dawn, or Tide.

I would really like to hear from you folks on this. I am trying to cut all chemicals that I possibly can out of my & my families life, & I am sure you guys would have some great ideas/recipes, etc.

juicerkatz Wrote:
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> Come on guys/gals, no posts on this?
I like just Cold water to 'wash' my juicers and
cups and other things, using a little natural soap on the knives.
In the Laundry? Publix brand 'Free-and-Clear'....WY

Hi WY,

Thanks for the input; I am still looking into "natural" alternatives to regular dish soap; not all of my family are raw foodists, so w/ some cooking going on, they think they need a little more than plain water to cut the grease, even if it is from vegetarian food sources.

We don't have any Publix stores this far north (PA), we have Giant & Weis food stores, which do have their own house brands. Being the frugal sort that I am, I am still looking for a very cheap alternative to buying prepared soaps.

I see Castile soap talked about a lot, I believe I may look into doing something with a diluted or mixed version of that.

I have an "instant hot" water dispenser (it's almost boiling temp), and if i rinse my dishes with just that their almost clean.

LOL, a friend of mine just told me that they run "Tang" through the dishwasher to clean it! I suggested Wheatgrass juice, they just looked at me funny...

juicerkatz,

The Tang works to clean the valves in an automatic dishwasher: because of the tons of citric acid in it, because of the mild abrasiveness of the sugar particles, and because the food dyes in it don't stain industrial plastics.

Cleaning your dishwasher is the ONLY thing Tang is good for; as those of us who recall the adverts from childhood know--it is not of this earth!

yeah maybe the citric acid in an oarnge would clean dishes well.since we dont grease them up with cooked oils and fried foods and death(meat)youd only need a mild cleanser.

Laundry is done with Maggie's Soap Nuts (do a Google on that). Used them for almost 3 years now. Love them.

Dishes are generally washed in the dishwasher, using a biodegradable soap I get at the food co-op. Juicer, Vitamix, dehydrator trays, things like that, are hand washed/rinsed using a biodegradable dish soap. (I think it's Bio-kleen brand).

Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much
We are all in this together!
Namasté

"Maggie's Soap Nuts" - Cool! I never heard of them, but that is real interesting. I am going to do some reading on them, 7 most likely make a purchase.

I am trying to remove all nasty chemicals from my life that I can, this looks like a step in the right direction.

Thanks so much for bring them to my attention.

I use Ecover products. Not very frugal, but they work really really well for being "natural". I also love Dr.Bronners.

I have made my own soap using orgainic essential oils and organic oils, like Coconut Oil, Olive and Palm Oils etc. Great for baths, showers, or just for washing dishes.

I also mix lemon essential oil with distilled water to clean with, for baths, floors, dusting, even mirrors and windows.

I'm cutting out the 2% solution of bleach and water mixI've kept on hand, and using more of the essential lemon oil mix. I'm so sensitive to so many chemicals now..it's clear and very evident and only takes from a second to an hour to feel effects of things around me.

Love,
Prism

Hi Prism,

I have been thinking of doing something like the bath/shower/washing dishes mixture you mentioned. I was thinking of putting it in a pump/dispenser bottle or something similar.

What, exactly is the recipe you use for essential oil/Coconut Oil, Olive and Palm Oils? Does it lather at all? It would seem that it would leave you with an oily feeling after bathing, washing hands, etc.

I do have recipes I like, but my favs start out with the required lye for the chemical reaction to take place. So, the easiest way is to buy the all ready made soap from Brambleberry.com or some place like it and you can buy an all white all pure soap made with only olive oil, or a mix of oils that you like. Get at least 2-4 lbs. of the soap or more if you like. I go with bulk when I buy it..I think 25 or 50 lbs.

You melt the soap in pure water in a large crock pot or other pot (double boiler). I leave it whole and just cover it with water about 2 inches above the soap bar. Don't touch it..just let it all melt by itself..it will melt. Then add in what you want, any essential oil like Sweet Orange, or Jasmine, or Lavender, etc. You will need about 2 oz. of essential oil for each of the 2 lbs. of soap you melt. You can add more if you like. Then stir it gently as to not make bubbles.

Pour into any mold, you can cut it later so even a large tupperware works good. Leave it to set up and once it is set, around a couple hours,you can place in the freezer to sit for an hour and it will pop out without a problem. Then cut it up as you like. You can add that to some pure water to make a gel type soap and that's it..you can wash with it, shampoo with it, use it for cleaning or washing dishes.

I'd suggest buying an easy to read soap making book..or visit a yahoo soapmaking group like [groups.yahoo.com]

It's lots of fun, doesn't take much to start and you can make it as easy or as complex as you like.

Love,
Prism