I've been making my own laundry detergent for about 5 years now. It's a fun way to save money, easy to make, and doesn't hurt the environment. I once saw a baby have to be intubated in the ER after swallowing one of those colorful packets of concentrated laundry detergent, and I was even more convinced that homemade is better. Here's my recipe, if anyone's interested in trying it.
A few weeks ago, I finally joined the Pinterest bandwagon and started searching more do-it-yourself recipes for household items. I'm slowly eliminating dangerous and costly chemicals from underneath my sink. To be honest, I'm really just a DIY nerd and think this kind of stuff is fun :-) I grew up using store-bought detergent and chemicals, and I'm still alive. But it is fun to make things yourself, and saves money too.
This is an easy all-purpose cleaner that costs about a dollar to make. Fill a jar with citrus peels. I used orange peel, but I'm sure lemon or lime or grapefruit peel would work too. Then add enough white vinegar to cover the peels. Let the jar sit for 2-4 weeks, and it's ready to use! I waited 4 weeks. Be sure to get a cute spray bottle to put it in. I just started using mine, and it seems to work pretty well for counters and sinks.
Next I looked up a bunch of recipes for dishwasher detergent. I've been hesitant to try this, for fear of leaving streaks on my dishes, but lately my store-bought Cascade hasn't been doing a very good job - maybe it has something to do with our water, I'm not sure. But I thought I might as well try to make some. Here's the recipe I used, along with where in the store to find the ingredients:
1 cup borax (laundry aisle)
1/2 cup washing soda (laundry aisle)
1/2 cup baking soda (baking aisle)
1/4 cup kosher salt (baking aisle - sea salt would probably work too)
1/4 cup citric acid (with the canning stuff - I read that Fruit Fresh also works)
Use 1-2 tablespoons per load. I also put a couple tablespoons of white vinegar in the bottom of the dishwasher, to help rinse.
Does anyone have any other do-it-yourself recipes for household items? Glass cleaner? Liquid dish soap? Let me know what works for you! I'm a big fan of easy recipes, with cheap ingredients :)
