I met the ever so sweet Jenny a couple weeks back at Whipstitch. She’s one of those people who just connects with everyone. And you feel like she’s your new best friend by the end of the day. She has a fun blog called the Southern Institute for Domestic Arts and Crafts (SIDAC). Today, she is here sharing her recipes for homemade cleaners and carpet fresheners. And if you stop by SIDAC today, she is teaching you all about essential oils. This is Jenny who simply said…
Hi there! Jenny here from the Southern Institute for Domestic Arts and Crafts. Have you been to the Southern Institute yet? It’s my little corner of the blogosphere where I talk about the things that make up life. Family, fun, things to do and make, how we see ourselves, watching our children grow and all of the things that go along with that. Tiffany was so sweet to share her project with my readers last week… Today I wanted to share something with hers!
If you are anything like me, then when you started a family and brought that new little baby into the house, you were all of the sudden very aware of what you used to clean said house. I got a little bit nervous about the chemicals that I was using. It seemed only natural that a mother who birthed her children naturally would try keep things natural around the house too! Don’t you think? So I did some research and talked to other people and found out that you can make your own cleaning products! What? And do they work, I thought? Yes, they do, and there are so many products that you can make. Today I will share with you the two that I use most often around my house.
All-Purpose Cleaner
I use this in the kitchen all of the time! On the counters, on the stove, around the sink, even on the teapot (that always seems to be gunked up with grease). It cleans well and leaves a great scent too. I normally double this recipe.
Ingredients:
- a spray bottle
- white vinegar
- borax (you’ll find this in the cleaners section of your local grocery)
- distilled water
- liquid vegetable soap (I use Dr. Bronner’s unscented castille soap)
- essential oils
Mix 1 tablespoon vinegar and 1 teaspoon borax together well in your bottle. To that, add 3/4 cup of warm distilled water and mix well. Add 2 tablespoon liquid vegetable soap and 10 drops of essential oils. Put the cap on your bottle and shake well. Mark your bottle well, including which oils you used.
Carpet Freshen-Upper
Ingredients:
- 1 cup of baking soda
- 10-12 drops of essential oils
- an airtight container (I store mine in an old jelly jar with a tight-fitting lid)
Simply mix the essential oils into the baking soda. That’s it. Sprinkle it on your carpet and vacuum it up. It will leave the whole room smelling fresh!
Go on over to the Southern Institute for a little tutorial on essential oils!
Another hit! I clear my drains with white 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1/2 cup baking soda, let bubble, when bubbles slow down pour a tea kettle of boiling water down the drain. This also works in a dishwasher with a slow drain.
Thanks for this.
that is such a great idea! thanks for sharing with us your recipe. i need to do that to all our drains.
The one I know is to dilute baking soda & use it to clean out the inside of the fridge… thanks for these tips
Any ideas for glass cleaner?
jana
I use good old plain white vinegar to clean my glass and mirrors. I use Bi-Carb (baking soda) for just about everything, from cleaning the bath/basin by simply sprinkling it on then using a non-scratch scourer (mine has a handle which makes it easier) to rub it in then just rinse off. Just made my own laundry powder and fabric softeners using bi-carb, borax, vinegar, sunshine soap which is a pure soap here in Australia. These work great and my eczema doesn’t react with them.