I suspect DIYing and being/going natural is part of my DNA. My parents weren’t hippies per se but have a lot of the “natural, granola, be out in nature” type thinking and way of life associated with hippies. I consider it a blessing of sorts that we didn’t have much growing up, material wise. Many of the things we needed we made. Both of my parents were very resourceful people, still are. If I get lost in the woods I’d want my parents there. If my sink, garden, moving van needs fixing, weeded, organized and/or packed, my parents are the ones to call. My mom baked/made so much from scratch when I was growing up out of necessity and love. So DIYing is in my blood and makes me feel comforted and somewhat successful.
While I have tried my hand at many DIY projects over the years, making my own cleaning products has come up again and again. Each time getting a bit more detailed and successful. Now that I have more time I have delved in once again. This time I expanded to everyday cleaning supplies. I literally got rid of almost all of the store-bought products and made my own. Some of the store-bought cleaners literally left me coughing and were too hard for me to breath.
I don’t quite remember where I found her site but clean mama (I am sure she’s mentioned her name on her blog, but I can’t find it) from cleanmama.net. Anyway, her site and shop was the kick I needed to get going. I ordered some labels…super helpful when making and remaking the solutions. Her style is right up my alley as well. I also ordered spray bottles and a microfiber cloth to start off with.
Most of the items I had already. White vinegar, rubbing alcohol, dish soap. I didn’t have any essential oils. I bought the ones clean mama recommended. (I know I am way behind on the essential oil bandwagon. More on that in a different post.)
Then I FINALLY made Number 2 spray. Why did I wait so long? This really works and smells so good. I triple the recipe. Now our old Glade air freshener sits barely used.
Another clean mama recipe/solution I love is her Nightly Sink Scrub. While I don’t use it daily (as with anything it loses its novelty.)I do use it regularly. I have used both peppermint and cinnamon essential oils at different mixings. Both smell lovely and refreshing. The kids like when I use it too. They love the smell. Our sink gets nice and shiny as well.
Laundry detergent was my first go at DIY cleaning solutions. I used it consistently for awhile. However, I noticed that after washing our clothes with this detergent about 4-5 times, they weren’t as clean. So, I’d use Tide for a wash or two, then go back to the homemade. The homemade detergent also helped our oldest daughter with a skin condition she had. Due to the lack of time at one point, I just went back to Tide. Now I use the homemade for washing our floor mats, rugs, dog beds, human bedding and the like. Clean mama’s recipe is on the container, but I use a slightly different one. The jury is still out on the dryer balls at this time.
This is a closer look at my detergent. I use a food processor for making it.
This is store bought on a whim. Won’t buy it again as it really doesn’t work.
Now for my favorite cleaning solution. Makes everything sparkle and shine while disinfecting. I may just switch over and clean everything (except our granite counter tops) with it. Simply super easy to make. Just two ingredients! Cut up some lemons, put them in a jar. Fill with white vinegar and cover. Let sit for at least a week. Pour the yellow loveliness into a spray bottle and there you are. Sanitize, clean, disinfect and save money.
No fancy bottle required.
Okay, I am breaking from the whole natural, DIY theme BUT I had to share. We do use disinfecting wipes. It is so easy for the kids to help clean. So easy for a quick wipe up or wipe down. We literally LOVE the smell of these. We recently had two dog incidents where our noses were grateful for these. One, our big dog threw up a bit in the living room. A quick wipe down after the cleanup and the room smelled so fresh. Second, our little dog or maybe the big one, don’t honestly know, peed and peed that stinky, rank pee that smelled up the whole house. It took us hours to find it. Anyway, after clean up, we wiped the floor down and our noses were doing the happy dance because of these wipes.
They Call Me Mom 