Natural Cleaning Recipes - Page 5

TulipMama · 01-08-2006, 02:41 PM

FWIW, I find apple cider vinegar smell to be more agreeable. . .

herbalwriter · 01-08-2006, 05:27 PM

Bonnie - Zopte soap is impossible to find around here, but our local grocery store carries Fels Naptha soap in the laundry soap aisle...it's in a bar. It does nicely and smells REALLY good.

And vinegar loses its odor when mixed with baking soda, so you can toss both in to your laundry for fabric softener. This works esp. well if you hang laundry out.

01-09-2006, 02:51 AM

So where can I buy washing soda? I've looked in the laundry section of all my grociery stores and both Super WalMarts. I wasn't able to find Zote, but did find some Zels....

herbalwriter · 01-09-2006, 11:08 AM

Our grocery store has washing soda...it's in a big yellow box in amongst the other laundry boosters, like Borax. Did you ask them? I asked Wal-Mart about Zote and they told me they don't carry it anymore.

01-29-2006, 10:21 AM

Quote:

anyways, here's my homemade laundry soap recipe: *originally posted by Boston'smama*

2/3 bar grated zote soap
2 cups Borax
2 cups Washing Soda (not baking soda, still by arm and hammer, but in a yellow box, not orange)

mix up and store in a recycled glass jar---
use 1 TB. per load of laundry....smells great and lasts forever! nice save on $$ too

Is there anything I could use instead of washing soda? I can't find it ANYWHERE (I've looked in every grocery store in town and WalMart!) I've looked online, but I hate to pay shipping more than the cost of the actual item, yk?

Piper2 · 03-19-2006, 11:42 AM

OK, I'm hooking up to this thread now with my own dumb questions.

It is necessary to put the EO's in the various recipes? Does it do anything in regards to how well the product cleans, or is it just to mask the vinegar smell? I have some of the ingredients on-hand already (if I can use Seventh Generation dishwashing liquid for "detergent") except for the EO's.

Just as an impulse purchase when I was at Wild Oats last week, I got a bar of Dr. Bronner's peppermint castille soap. I'm assuming that the castille soap listed in these recipes is liquid (which they had also, but I didn't get). So...what do I use this bar soap for?

chelsea · 03-19-2006, 02:58 PM

Quote:

It is necessary to put the EO's in the various recipes? Does it do anything in regards to how well the product cleans, or is it just to mask the vinegar smell? I have some of the ingredients on-hand already (if I can use Seventh Generation dishwashing liquid for "detergent") except for the EO's.

They do both (mask vinegar smells AND do other stuff.)

All essential oils have different purposes. For example, some are anti-bacterial, some are anti-fungal, some are anti-viral, etc...and most of them have multiple purposes. You'll notice Tea Tree Oil is in a lot of recipes...it is really good when cleaning because of all the action it takes against so many "bad" things (like germs, etc). And lavendar is great also but is more "gentle" and also has a very soft and beautiful scent. I'll let someone else explain the details but that is just a short (and probably not very good)

explanation.

Mothering by Heart · 03-19-2006, 03:43 PM

Yes, both Tea Tree and Lavender have anti-bac properties, plus, they make the vinegar smell better :P

jenn3514 · 08-05-2006, 11:34 AM

This is a really dumb question, but I have a front loader and I would like to try the laundry soap recipe, but I was under the impression that you cannot use powder in a front-loader? Thanks!
Jenn

KarenBoo · 08-06-2006, 01:36 PM

I use BioKleen laundry powder in my front loader all the time. I just use a tiny bit. The problem with the front loader is that the suds can get to be too much. I don't have any homemade laundry powder recipes, but you can leave out or reduce the sudsing agents and that should help. Or, if you make a "regular" batch, just do what other laundry powder instructions tell you to do and use about 1/4 of what you would use in a top load machine.

mama j · 08-07-2006, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celeste

I love this thread! I'm about to go try the window cleaner idea. Now I have a question. I saw some ants by my front door yesterday and thought maybe pouring a little vinegar would deter them. umm NOT.

anybody got any ideas for that?

I was just reading up on this for myself in a book I have by by Annie Berthold-Bond. I will see if I can find the links to some of the recipes online, if not I'll just post what I can recall...
Ants dislike peppermint, so the recipe was to make a mix of water with a little bit of castille peppermint soap in a spray bottle (sorry don't remember the measurements) and to spray this along the baseboards where the ants are coming in and don't rinse off.
It also had a recipe for making your own ant bait with water, borax and sugar. http://www.care2.com/channels/solutions/home/3
It also said that ants dislike ground cloves... so I am going to get some in bulk at the food co-op and sprinkle it around the outside of my house to see if it keeps them out.
And because ants dislike mint/peppermint, the book suggested planting mint outside your house. I'll be doing this next year as I have had such an issue with ants this summer. Ugh!!

Mama Rophe · 08-07-2006, 08:05 AM

If you are breastfeeding I would be careful with peppermint as it can reduce your amount of milk.

TulipMama · 08-07-2006, 04:08 PM

We've been battling ants. . . Been using small remedies inside, because just a few sugar ants don't bother me. However, it had gotten worse, so we used ant bait. BIG MISTAKE. Do NOT use ant bait in your house! We ended up getting an exterminator and learned alot.

Most ants you see in the house actually have their homes outside.

Do NOT use bait inside. Bait outside. Poison inside.

Cut back any plants that are touching the walls. (For us, that meant majorly trimming our hibiscus--ants use that as a route into the house.)

Ants like sugar, yeast, and one other type of food. They need all of them. Be careful of crumbs.

Ants eat caulking. Do you see caulking gone in your kitchen or bathroom? Ants love it. It's like candy.

Re-caulk areas that need it with silicone caulk.

Spraying with vinegar/peppermint helps some. Not a lot. But I use vinegar in a spray bottle for cleaning, so I do it anyway. It won't get rid of the ants, but it may discourage them a bit.

If you buy poison/bait, plan to use the poison inside only at a time in which you can take the kids out for several hours. (We didn't, we regretted it. The professional exterminators stuff was less toxic to our family, the OTC stuff was moreso.)

herbalwriter · 08-07-2006, 04:11 PM

This works great against ants of all sorts (they have been killer this year - last year was fruit flies, this year, ants!), and it is safe to use around children, pets and food.

You have to re-apply it now and then, but it is worth it because it really does work.

http://www.safeinsecticide.com/

I agree with bait inside - it just draws them from my experience.

mama j · 08-08-2006, 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leah

This works great against ants of all sorts (they have been killer this year - last year was fruit flies, this year, ants!), and it is safe to use around children, pets and food.

You have to re-apply it now and then, but it is worth it because it really does work.

http://www.safeinsecticide.com/

I agree with bait inside - it just draws them from my experience.

Good to know!!

01-08-2006, 02:41 PM	#61
TulipMama Deactivated Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 6,078	Re: Natural Cleaning Recipes FWIW, I find apple cider vinegar smell to be more agreeable. . .

01-08-2006, 05:27 PM	#62
herbalwriter Rose Garden a nun in love with her herbs! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: West Virginia (Almost Heaven!) Posts: 12,026	Re: Natural Cleaning Recipes Bonnie - Zopte soap is impossible to find around here, but our local grocery store carries Fels Naptha soap in the laundry soap aisle...it's in a bar. It does nicely and smells REALLY good. And vinegar loses its odor when mixed with baking soda, so you can toss both in to your laundry for fabric softener. This works esp. well if you hang laundry out. __________________ Formerly Leah Elizabeth Battle Single, homeschooling mama to 7yo ds, born at home Freelance writer battlescribe.com Aspiring Herbalist currently studying with Vintage Remedies I blog about herbs and mountain life here.

01-09-2006, 02:51 AM	#63
catholicapmom Guest Posts: n/a	Re: Natural Cleaning Recipes So where can I buy washing soda? I've looked in the laundry section of all my grociery stores and both Super WalMarts. I wasn't able to find Zote, but did find some Zels....

01-09-2006, 11:08 AM	#64
herbalwriter Rose Garden a nun in love with her herbs! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: West Virginia (Almost Heaven!) Posts: 12,026	Re: Natural Cleaning Recipes Our grocery store has washing soda...it's in a big yellow box in amongst the other laundry boosters, like Borax. Did you ask them? I asked Wal-Mart about Zote and they told me they don't carry it anymore. __________________ Formerly Leah Elizabeth Battle Single, homeschooling mama to 7yo ds, born at home Freelance writer battlescribe.com Aspiring Herbalist currently studying with Vintage Remedies I blog about herbs and mountain life here.

03-19-2006, 11:42 AM	#66
Piper2 Rose Garden Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 6,078	Re: Natural Cleaning Recipes OK, I'm hooking up to this thread now with my own dumb questions. It is necessary to put the EO's in the various recipes? Does it do anything in regards to how well the product cleans, or is it just to mask the vinegar smell? I have some of the ingredients on-hand already (if I can use Seventh Generation dishwashing liquid for "detergent") except for the EO's. Just as an impulse purchase when I was at Wild Oats last week, I got a bar of Dr. Bronner's peppermint castille soap. I'm assuming that the castille soap listed in these recipes is liquid (which they had also, but I didn't get). So...what do I use this bar soap for? __________________ Lisa Homeschool mom, flute player and bagpiper Wife to Drum Sergeant Scott Mom to tenor drummer Kevin (Asperger Syndrome, b. 4/20/99) http://www.alabamapipesanddrums.org

03-19-2006, 03:43 PM	#68
Mothering by Heart Deactivated Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 6,004	Re: Natural Cleaning Recipes Yes, both Tea Tree and Lavender have anti-bac properties, plus, they make the vinegar smell better :P

08-05-2006, 11:34 AM	#69
jenn3514 Rose Garden Be assured, God is in the details. Join Date: May 2006 Location: New Jersey Posts: 4,540	Re: Natural Cleaning Recipes This is a really dumb question, but I have a front loader and I would like to try the laundry soap recipe, but I was under the impression that you cannot use powder in a front-loader? Thanks! Jenn __________________ married to my best friend; Lovin' my kiddos 18yo dd; , 9yodd; , 7yo ds; ,; 4yo dd; and three angel babies

08-06-2006, 01:36 PM	#70
KarenBoo Rose Trellis Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Portland, OR (pretty sure we are permanent!!) Posts: 3,204	Re: Natural Cleaning Recipes I use BioKleen laundry powder in my front loader all the time. I just use a tiny bit. The problem with the front loader is that the suds can get to be too much. I don't have any homemade laundry powder recipes, but you can leave out or reduce the sudsing agents and that should help. Or, if you make a "regular" batch, just do what other laundry powder instructions tell you to do and use about 1/4 of what you would use in a top load machine. __________________ Married to DH for 20 years. Mama to very sweet DD1 "Kitten" 5/03 (asthmatic, food, animal, environmental, and chemical allergies) and our "firecracker" DD2 "Monkey" 1/08 (also food allergies) crunchy, homeschooling, eating ala WAPF, trying to finally settle down in Portland. again.

08-07-2006, 08:05 AM	#72
Mama Rophe Rose Garden Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: South Dakota. Posts: 7,635	Re: Natural Cleaning Recipes If you are breastfeeding I would be careful with peppermint as it can reduce your amount of milk. __________________ Laura INFP ~ It makes total sense to me now! Wife to Rob for 9 years Mama to Lightening(9), Thunder(6), & Hurricane(5), and Raindrop(3) My Blog: Peace of the Prairies Design your story and wear it close to your heart: South Hill Designs by Laura Heinle Praying

08-07-2006, 04:08 PM	#73
TulipMama Deactivated Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 6,078	Re: Natural Cleaning Recipes We've been battling ants. . . Been using small remedies inside, because just a few sugar ants don't bother me. However, it had gotten worse, so we used ant bait. BIG MISTAKE. Do NOT use ant bait in your house! We ended up getting an exterminator and learned alot. Most ants you see in the house actually have their homes outside. Do NOT use bait inside. Bait outside. Poison inside. Cut back any plants that are touching the walls. (For us, that meant majorly trimming our hibiscus--ants use that as a route into the house.) Ants like sugar, yeast, and one other type of food. They need all of them. Be careful of crumbs. Ants eat caulking. Do you see caulking gone in your kitchen or bathroom? Ants love it. It's like candy. Re-caulk areas that need it with silicone caulk. Spraying with vinegar/peppermint helps some. Not a lot. But I use vinegar in a spray bottle for cleaning, so I do it anyway. It won't get rid of the ants, but it may discourage them a bit. If you buy poison/bait, plan to use the poison inside only at a time in which you can take the kids out for several hours. (We didn't, we regretted it. The professional exterminators stuff was less toxic to our family, the OTC stuff was moreso.)

08-07-2006, 04:11 PM	#74
herbalwriter Rose Garden a nun in love with her herbs! Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: West Virginia (Almost Heaven!) Posts: 12,026	Re: Natural Cleaning Recipes This works great against ants of all sorts (they have been killer this year - last year was fruit flies, this year, ants!), and it is safe to use around children, pets and food. You have to re-apply it now and then, but it is worth it because it really does work. http://www.safeinsecticide.com/ I agree with bait inside - it just draws them from my experience. __________________ Formerly Leah Elizabeth Battle Single, homeschooling mama to 7yo ds, born at home Freelance writer battlescribe.com Aspiring Herbalist currently studying with Vintage Remedies I blog about herbs and mountain life here.

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