Frugal Cleaning Tips

In keeping up with the budgeting and frugal living blogs, today's blog theme will be just that. Cleaning tips that are frugal and much better for you. There are not a bunch of chemicals you can't pronounce, let alone know what they are. These are either natural products or products that are safe for use.

As our family made the transition, many years ago, into a more natural life style, we found that the products in the stores were full of questionable ingredients. Our first transition came in the form of laundry soap. As someone who was very sensitive to most soaps, there were just a couple from the store I could buy anyway. After a few different experiments, we found a handful of items that worked great for us.

Laundering - We use a recipe of Borax, Washing Soda, Fels-Naptha soap, and essential oils for our laundry soap. The exact recipe is questionable since I do not follow one. It's roughly a bar of soap-grated into a pan, covered with enough water to cover the soap completely. Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly until soap is fully dissolved. Then remove from heat and let cool. In a 5 gallon container, I use 1 1/2C-2C of Borax, and the amount of washing soda. Once the soap has cooled, pour over the borax/washing soda mix and stir well. You can, at this point add in the essential oil of your choice(I use 10-15 drops of lavender oil.) or just stick with the sent of soap without the oils. Then add warm water (about 4 1/2 gallons) or enough to fill your 5 gallon container. Stir well and let sit for 24 hours before use. You will need to stir it well after 24 hours. I keep my soap in the 5 gallon container and use 1 C. of soap per load of laundry. The entire container (5 gallons) costs about $3 to make and lasts my family about 2 months. This soap only takes about 30 minutes to make.

Our next project was fabric softener. Since this is a controversial subject for repairmen, let me just tell you why before we get to the solution. For everyone who uses fabric softener, check your dryer lint screen at least once a month. Pull the lint screen out, clean it out(should be done after every load!) and take it to the sink. If you run water across it and it doesn't drain or drains slow, it is clogged and can cause your dryer to have to work twice as hard, and can even cause your dryer to catch fire. One of the components in fabric softener will clogged your vent screen. Most people do not know this. So it's best, if possible to avoid fabric softener. We have tried multiple ways of accomplishing the fabric softener "feel" without actual fabric softener. We used coffee filters soaked in a mix of fabric softener and water, we've tried nothing at all, and I will tell you the 2 things that have worked for us.

We have a front load washer, so I do not know how this works with a top load. As we are putting our clothes in the washer, I fill it about half way then add in some epsom salts that have been scented with essential oil, about 1/4 c per load. Then finish filling and run like normal. The salts cause the water to become "soft" in essence making the soap work better, adding oxygen to your water(like oxy-clean), getting your clothes cleaner with less soap, and not breaking down the fabric itself. As for the dryer, I have a crumbed piece of aluminum foil. It knocks out the static electric, and keeps the clothes softer while drying. This is corny I know, but works! Another quick tip with washing/drying....if you wash comforters/blankets/pillows and dry them, add a tennis ball! It keeps them all fluffed up and not flat! ;) Another trick I have learned!

There are only a small handful of items that we keep on hand to clean with! My cleaning supply list?: Vinegar, Peroxide,Baking Soda, Essential Oils, and furniture polish(only because I haven't found a natural one that really works, yet!). That's it! If by chance I have oranges on hand, I keep the peels in a 1 quart glass jar in the fridge. once it's full, I pour vinegar over it, and let it steep in a dark place(usually my pantry) for 2 weeks. It's an awesome wood cleaner/polisher! Other wise, I use vinegar, baking soda, or peroxide for everything! I will work on some recipes for each use but don't have them at hand right now. I am a firm believer in their effectiveness and the lack of chemicals they emit. They clean glass without streaks, they clean tubs/showers/toilets without chemicals and very effectively. They remove stains, smells, and refresh without chemicals.

Another little tip.... If you are battling to detoxify your body, have a bout of constipation, or have sore/achy muscles....keep epsom salt, and baking soda on hand! Run a bath as hot as you can stand. Mix in about a half cup of epsom salts, a small handful of baking soda and a few drops of lavender essential oil! It helps you relax, draws out toxins, eases cold/flu/sinus symptoms, eases sore muscles and helps relieve constipation. A word of warning....I am NOT a doctor, but make sure you drink plenty of water! When you draw toxins out of your body, you have to replace the water to replenish your body.

When we made the transition into a natural life, we learned very quickly that you have to read labels! Every single label, every single time! One thing we have learned is that anything that has food colorings in it must be avoided! Food colorings mess with the chemical make up of our hormones and with continued use, will actually harm the brain cells and begin causing our bodies to break down into diseases.

After the extensive studies and certification I have been through to become a Natural Heath Consultant, I learned so much more than I ever thought possible. The next post will be geared towards nutrition and the effects of processed foods. Once you become educated in nutrition, you will understand the effects all the chemicals have on our systems and why so many are battling with diseases. I hope you will find a shred of information in these posts to make you healthier, happier, and wiser!
~Salli