I’ve probably mentioned before that we make almost all our cleaners. We do have some conventional dish soap around here just because I get it free from CVS all the time, but we don’t use it very often because we just don’t need it.
Making our own cleaners is great for two reasons. 1) It saves money and 2) there are no harsh chemicals (bad for people and the environment).
Because I would like to encourage you to try making your own cleaners, I thought I’d share some of the recipes we use.
As a few of you may know, my dad, step-mom and aunt are coming to visit. Yes, I am super excited. And I am also wanting this place super clean.
I was raised to be a bit of a neat freak, but I try to balance that with my kids’ need to be kids. I don’t like things to be dirty or cluttered, but I don’t like to constantly nag my kids (or husband), either. Yes, there are times when my living room looks like a tornado went through it (like when all five kiddos are working on different projects). But with a regular cleaning routine and a little bit of elbow grease, even a house with five kids doesn’t have to be dirty. Messy at times, but not dirty.
Today we made carpet powder. You know, that stuff you sprinkle all over the carpet before vacuuming to make the house smell good. I used to swear by this stuff. LOVED it. Would go through a container of Glade Country Garden every week…until I decided that probably wasn’t the best idea.
How I didn’t think to make my own, I don’t know. But I didn’t. Fortunately for me, Mrs. Happy Homemaker did. Today, she’s our inspiration.
Making your own carpet powder is easy enough.
You will need:
A shaker (Jose had this one for mixing spices, but you can use an empty parmesan cheese container if you’d rather)
Baking soda
Essential oil (we used orange, but you can use any kind you like. Preferably organic)
Step 1) Put some baking soda in a bowl and sprinkle some essential oil in it. Ours doesn’t really sprinkle, but if you have the small bottle, it is easier because it comes out in drops.
Step 2) Mix.
Step 3) Put in shaker. Shake it on your carpet and vacuum. Yay. House smells good. :)
Do you ever see a handy tip and think, “I wonder if that really works.”? That happened to us yesterday and so Jose took his little self outside to see if toothpaste really cleaned the headlights. And guess what? It did.
Here’s our before (no judging us for having dirty headlights…):
We put some toothpaste on a dry rag and Jose started scrubbing. When he was done, he rinsed with water. We didn’t get quite the turnout we could have because our headlights need cleaned from the inside, too… (Can you even do that?) But it was definitely an improvement. Look:
So, yes, it works. Give it a try and let me know how you like your results.