De-Clutter Your Life (Day Four, Week One)
Green, natural cleaning can save you money!
I think that it’s been a general misconception that to be “green” it’ll cost an arm and a leg. I find that we often forget there are natural, common household items that can get the job done well AND on the cheap. Some of these remedies (listed in the article below as well as on the REAL SIMPLE interactive cleaning site tool) are ones that I recall my grandmother using. Others I have never even considered a healthful, environmentally friendly option…. I’m really excited to put these alternatives to the test!
If you have other natural and frugal tips & tricks about cleaning green please save them to share with us later today in an upcoming give-away!
Safer and Cheaper Cleaning With Natural Cleaning Products
Article By Markus SkupeikaGenerally, natural cleaning products are effective cleaning solutions. They can produce very good cleaning results without putting the human health and the environment at risk. Another plus is that they can get all these done with less financial requirement.
Though it’s true that some commercially available green cleaning products can be a bit expensive, there is still a way of acquiring them that requires little to zero money at all. But even if you have to purchase them, they are still of greater advantage over chemical based solutions. What you will spend with them will be all worth it as these products can do multiple works of cleaning while protecting your family from hazardous chemical ingredients. In other words, commercial green cleaning products can be described as very cost effective.
To address the above statement that they can be inexpensive, it is because that they can also be personally produced using only common household ingredients. These ingredients may already be in your kitchen cupboards and if not, they sure can be found in a local grocery store at a very low cost. Even the processes of how to make them are not at all too hard to execute. With sufficient knowledge and a hand for mixing, you can already produce your very own green cleaning products.
However, some people are thinking that natural cleaning products are less effective just because they are friendlier to the environment. But of course, this is nothing but a false claim. Though mild and inexpensive, green cleaning products are actually tough to dirt’s and messes.
Know what easy-to-get ingredients you can use to get started producing your own cleaning solutions:
Vinegar
Vinegar is a cooking ingredient that can be used to clean almost anything. It can also be used as a deodorizer and disinfectant. As a natural cleaner, vinegar can be applied on items, furniture and equipments on bathroom, kitchen, laundry room and other house areas. One thing you should remember though is to never apply vinegar to a marble surface.
If you are concerned of the smell vinegar can give to your items, you should not worry about that. Its smell will eventually disappear once the cleaning solution dries.
Baking Soda
Baking soda can absorb undesirable odors in your home. It can also replace your commercially available abrasive cleaning products. As a deodorizer, simply place a box of baking soda in your refrigerator or in any foul smelling house area. You may also sprinkle it on carpets to get rid of the not-so-good smell and later clean it with the use of a vacuum cleaner. As an abrasive cleaner, it is often mixed with water.
Lemon Juice
Lemon, with its acid component can also be used as a natural home cleaner. You can mix it with vinegar and baking soda to produce all-around cleaning paste. It also works well in cleaning and shining brass and copper items.
Salt and toothpaste
This two are ingredients that can be primarily used as abrasive. Salt, if combined with lemon juice or vinegar can also work as an effective rust remover.
Cornstarch
Used to clean windows and to polish furniture. Also it works as a deodorizer to carpets and rugs.
**Be sure to check the article on Real Simple, 66 All-Natural Cleaning Solutions— Tackle countless chores with common household items. The first all natural item listed is my favorite! 😉
READER RECIPE – Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap
Thanks Angie and Leslie W. from Lafayette
Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap
1-bar Fels-Naptha soap
1 cup Borax
1 cup Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (NOT BAKING SODA!)
Hot tap water
5 gallon bucket with lid
2 gallon plastic beverage dispenser
Light colored essential oils (optional)
Grate bar of soap with a cheese grater. Fill the 5 gallon bucket 1/2 full with hot tap water. Melt the grated soap slowly over med-low heat in a large saucepan with 2.5 cups of water. Once the soap is completely melted, add this to the water in the five gallon bucket. Now add the Borax and the Super Washing Soda and stir. Now top the bucket off with more hot tap water. Loosely put the lid on the bucket and leave over night to thicken.
Fill beverage dispenser half full with soap and top off with water.
You can add 15 – 20 drops of essential oils to this if you like. (Lavender, Lemon, Peppermint, etc.)
This makes 10 gallons of detergent!!
This soap has no suds but suds are not what cleans our clothes anyway!
High efficiency use 1/8 cup per load. One batch does about 640 loads!!
Top load machines use 3/4 cup per load. One batch does about 180 loads!!
Remember to shake the detergent well before each use as it tends to settle.
To Make Your Fabric Softener Stretch
Dilute the fabric softener 2 parts to 1 part water!
It is soooo concentrated anyway you will never know it!
I also put this into a beverage dispenser but a smaller one.
They have Fels Naptha at Kroger (top shelf, laundry section). My great Aunts have always used it to get spots out of clothes. If you find a grease spot on a t-shirt, etc (even after you have have washed & dried it) you can rub some on and rewash the shirt with your regular laundry and NO STAIN.
I appreciate that tip. We’ve always got stains we can’t get out. Does it work for grass stains? My boys are terrible about that.
is this detergent cloth diaper safe, or does no one here cd?
I am curious tooo… I CD as well
I haven’t used it yet but i know of many CD families who use this, they swear by it! HTH
I always wondered if i was the only CDing person here 🙂 nice to see a couple others 🙂
I don’t know what cd is, but this is the recipe the Duggars use and I emailed them about a year ago to ask if it was safe for diapers and baby clothes, they said yes, they use it on theirs. Also, we used to soak cloth diapers in a Borax solution…even Martha Stewart recommends it as diaper presoak, so whatever that is worth…
It just hit me, cloth diaper…duh!
I have been making and using this soap for well over a year now. It works fine on our cloth diapers, however it does leave a build-up over time. I wouldn’t suggest using it on fleece lined diapers. Everything else seems fine; I find my diapers need occasional stripping (I use Dawn detergent) no matter what laundry soap I’m using. HTH!
good to know..ty.. i have cd’ed all of my 3 kiddos! (my youngest is 7 mths)
I make my own as well, but I didn’t want to do the liquid…seemed too time consuming for me but I know others have loved it!
Mine:
3 cups Borax
2 cups washing soda (can find on alice.com)
2 cups baking soda
2 cups grated bar soap – I use Ivory or Dr. Bronner’s, try not to use a moisturizing or deodorant soap as those can stain…
1/8 cup (2 TB) per load
Fabric softener:
white vinegar in my downy ball 🙂
My korger has the washing soda and i get the borax at target and i use jergens soap from dollar tree 4 bars for a $1
I like the powder version better. A lot less work, I think.
I’ve used this detergent for over a year without any problems. For really tought stains I add oxy clean. Also, you can mix equal parts borax and washing soda and use a tablespoon of the mix in place of dishwasher detergent. Vinegar is a good substitute for jet dry, too!
I do this all the time I haven’t bought detergent in at least 2 1/2 months
I’ve been making this laundry detergent for over a year and save my family of 7 so much money!! Love it!! Thanks for the great idea of putting it into a beverage dispenser…I am going to pick one up while I’m out today!!
Not sure of the greenness but saves me lots of green! I use the snuggle liquid fabric softener, put it in a old cottage cheese container, throw in cut up sponges when i need one i grab a sponge squeeze it out and throw it in the dryer! I have been using the same 2 bottles for months(i like to change fragrance :-P) I figure i’ve gotten some where around 200 loads out of the 2 24ld bottles, and i still have plenty of loads left, i’d guess i’ll be close to 300 loads before its gone! Ths is of course snuggle that I got for free several months back! 🙂
I have between 6 and 11 kids at home, cloth diaper 2, have several bedwetters still so I do a minimum of 3 loads of laundry a day not counting diapers. I’m working off a stash of free purex and all(well .50 I think) but then i’ll be making this I believe!
Thanks Collin for all you do here, coupons, cleaning tips , its a whole brain on 1 site! woohoo! 🙂
Thats an awesome idea! Thank you!
Cheapo fabric softener sheets………put some fabric softner on an old facecloth. Throw it in the dryer with wet clothes. One cloth lasts a long time.
Harris Teeter is listed as place to buy for the soap. You can find places to buy here
https://www.henkelna.com/henkel-store-locator-9949.htm
select laundry products then fels naptha
I soo want to try this, i have went to three different grocery stores, and cannot find the washing soda… hmm.. does anyone know where i can find it:)
Arm & Hammer has a “Where To Buy” on their site:
https://www.armandhammer.com/Products/WhereToBuy.aspx
Well that sucks it says there are no stores around me in tampa florida… That dosent sound right.. Any alternatives???
Check the pool section at Walmart, etc. Look for ph Plus. It’s about $8 for a container of it, but it will last you forever. It’s the exact same thing as washing soda. I had to go that route for a while until I finally found some washing soda when I went up to Dallas (over an hour away). I then bought a few boxes of the arm & hammer. You can also look up soda ash, but that’s hard to find too. pH plus is easy to find, especially this time of year, and may even be cheaper at an actual pool supply store.
I have been making this laundry soap for over a year. I purchased the Fels Naptha and washing soda online at http://www.soapsgonebuy.com. They had great customer service and the shipping doesn’t cost too much.
They carry it at publix! got it there this morning
Alice.com
You can buy it on alice.com and they offer free shipping there too! 🙂 Hope that helps.
Just wanted to add, I think they offer all the ingredients needed on alice.com
I found all my items at Ace Hardware.
I just found it at Meijer today.
I have used homemade cleaning supplies for a while and I love them…it makes me feel better especially with 4 kids and one on the way. I also have tried a homemade laundry detergent which was great but I think I am going to try the one you wrote about. Thanks for all you do.
I have used this recipe for over a year now. I have saw no build up, and it cleans the clothes fine. It works great in my front loading washer. I dont add oils and I just cleaned and use my old laundry soap bottles with half soap mixture and the rest water as needed.
You can find borax and washing soda on alice.com not sure they sell the fels but could substitute that with other cleaning soaps.
I will have to try this. Never really thought of making my own laundry soap. Thanks!
I’ve made this same soap several times, and I love it. It’s very frugal and green. I like the smell of it, too. I haven’t made it in a while since I’ve gotten so much detergent for free, but I won’t hesitate to make it again. It really doesn’t take long!
I often make my own cleaning products, and one time I made laundry soap…BUT I’ve found that it truly is cheaper to buy Arm and Hammer laundry soap (or some other “green” option)than to make my own. A &H laundry soap isn’t any less “green” than making it yourself considering all those ingredients are made in a factory too. I figured out it cost just about double to make it myself vs. buying Arm and Hammer (or some other “geen” brand) when it’s on sale. Definitely want to be “green” and save some “green” as well! 🙂
i have to disagree, with the big boxes i bought, and it makes like 40+ gallons of detergent, much more cheaper then spending 3.00+ on a bottle of only 32 loads…
It is much more “green” than buying detergent because of the packaging along. You buy the box of borax and washing soda and it lasts forever (much longer than store bought detergent for sure!) and just keep using the same jug over and over. I’ve made this before and put it in a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and just refill my old detergent containers with this and it worked great…but I have to say, I love the jug with the nozzle like they did! That is awesome! It smells fine without the essential oils, but I think the oils make it even better.
I mean “alone” not “along”
I have been making my own detergent for 8 months now and the total cost I have spent is $23. That’s for a family of 7. I used to spend $30 every two months before. This is definitely a money saver for me. Also Macey’s sells washing soda.
This is SOOOOOOOO much better then buying a million and one plastic bottles that most couponers do!
I’ve been cleaning with vinegar for a while now. Just another side note – I have read NOT to use vinegar on granite counters or grout – it can etch the granite and break down the grout over time. I can’t speak to the accuracy of this because I’ve never wanted to actually put the theory to test. But just a heads up. I do use it for a TON of other things though!
Thanks Collin for this post – I emailed you a while back about green cleaning being a cost savings and never got my act together for your video contest. My loss. But I’m so glad you’re putting it out there for everyone. People often do not realize that their indoor air quality is worse than outdoor pollution just because of all the chemicals they use. And it does NOT have to be expensive as we see!
Jen
Been using this method for about a year now and I love it!! Will never go back to store bought!!!
Add it up…it’s not that much better for the environment to buy A&H or 7th Gen or something than to make it yourself (recycling the container, of course.) The ingredients for the laundry soap have packaging, processing, and recycling costs to the environment too. I personally made 5 gallons of laundry soap a while back and it cost me about double to make it than to buy it. I’m a seasoned “green cleaner” and I’m just passing along a tidbit that I’ve learned along the way…”make most other things, buy laundry soap.” Hey, I guess it is easy bein’ green! 🙂
I frequently stop by your site and was excited to see all the recipes for the home made cleaning products. In fact today I am having a go green “House Party” today where me and a bunch of friends will be making home made cleaning products. Double Bonus!!! Thanks Hip 2 save!
Club soda is for washing mirrors and windows 😉
Well i just got donw making my first batch of laundry detergent. We will see how it turns out tomorrow. im sooo excited… I paid like 6 dollars to make 5 gallons of detergent…or 10 as stated above… Now how can buying store brand be cheaper??? this is my new method.. PLUS i still have almost full boxes of the borax and washing soda.. so MANY more galls of detergent:), i might even take some for my family to try:)
The first time you make this it IS going to be more expensive. Then it’s cheaper. Why? Because you have to buy a whole box of borax, etc. even though you’re only using a bit of it. It is WAY cheaper overtime.
People, do some freaking research before you just start blabbing on here.
Think this would be fun to try. I’m curious about the initial cost of these ingredients. It would seem to me that we always pay for the “convenience” of any product, no matter what it is, so it would make common sense to me that it would be cheaper in the long run. I despise paying big $ for laundry products. The good coupons are few and far between, and it’s good for the environment. Off the subject, but does anyone know of any “magic” , environmentally safe way for cleaning hard water spots? I live in the west, our water is terribly hard even with a water softener. TIA 🙂
Where are they? Windows: spray straight vinegar (you can add some lemon too if you want) onto the spots. Wipe away. Let it sit if needed.
Chrome facets: Same thing, if it doesn’t wipe up easily soak a washcloth/rag in the solution and then just set it on there for awhile.
Sinks: Same think, or you can make a paste out of a litttle dish liquid and some baking soda and scrub a bit with that.
I’m BIG into green cleaning. I haven’t bought any cleaners in years (exception, dish soap, it’s just easier to buy in bulk and all my recipes for dish soap never quite worked out). I make my own out of vinegar, lemon, water, baking soda, essential oils (some have disinfection properties supposedly, and smell good.), etc. It is SO cheap. I know couponing gives you free items but it also contributes SOOOOO much plastic waste to the landfill.
If anyone has any green cleaning questions just post your email (I’d rather not post mine) and I’ll help ya out!
Oh heck, it’s emsweddingfundATyahooDOTcom
I also do green gardening, composting, etc.
Oh heck, it’s emsweddingfundATyahooDOTcom
I also do green gardening, composting, etc.
hmm- I will have to try this one- sounds like a good deal and a way to save money. How well do these homemade detergents get stains out?
here is a cleaning recipe that clean just about everything.. I use it when doing the spring cleaning you will be amazed at the junk it will take off your walls and cabinets..
1 cup vinegar
1 cup baking soda
1 cup ammonia
1 gallon of water.
mix all these together make sure and allow room for the reaction when you mix all those things together.
I have been making this exact recipe for 2 years now and I love it! We have sensitive skin and it really helps! It smells fine without the fragrance and I have been diluting my softener for years too! It is true you never notice they smell even better because it is not such a strong smell. The only thing i changed to the recipe was I added an extra 1/2 c of the borax and the washing soda to make it a gel and I keep it in a big bucket but the beverage dispenser idea is awesome! Thanks! Love everything you do you are an amazing woman! 🙂
A friend of mine made this in a class at church one time, and gave us each about 3 loads worth to take home. I was hooked! It seems to take out all the build-up from other liquid soaps and leave my clothes so much softer! I made it myself and my huge 5 gallong bucket seems to be lasting forever! It may be a year before I have to make another. btw we are a family of 5 and do a lot of laundry! I definitely think it is worth the money, and save a ton of green too!
LOVE the dispenser idea. I use and new 5 gallon paint bucket and might I add several people think I am crazy for making my own soap! They think I have gone too far. This is coming from the people that lug home laundry soap every two weeks. I get away with making a batch two maybe three times a year. And no lugging home big bottles of laundry soap or all those plastic containers.
I do my own fabric softener like this
1 empty softener bottle or any plastic bottle
2/4 warm water
1/4 any conditioner(I use suave waterfall or raindrop smell)
1/4 white vinegar
shake it baby shake it …you have your cheap fabric softner and you will notice the clothes are more brighter and more soft than regular softeners.
Is that a 1/4 cup or 1/4 of the bottle? Thanks!
Where was this pitcher boughten? I have searched and can not find one.. even went to the rubbermaid site?? HELP
Did you look in the camping section? My Dad always brought a bottle like that when we went camping.
I purchased the beverage dispenser at Walmart in the housewares section. Near the rubbermaid containers. Hope this helps!!
I found a 2 gal. dispenser like this in the housewares section in Meijer. It was with the tupperware. HTH!
Thanks for this post. Very informative. Never thought of making my own laundry detergent.
Where can I find the Fels-Naptha bar soap and Arm and Hammer uper Washing Soda?
thanks,
Ive been able to find both at Harris Teeter!
How much should do a load? Can I add less water when I mix it up and just make it more concentrated? New to this, but SO excited!
High efficiency use 1/8 cup per load. One batch does about 640 loads!!
Top load machines use 3/4 cup per load. One batch does about 180 loads!!