Welcome Home Handsome

Welcome Home Handsome

Followers

Friday, December 30, 2011

I've been a busy bee today...see what I did!!

Oy!  I've been a busy bee, working away at making some fun stuff!  I have more planned for tomorrow =)  No worries though, everything I'm about to share with you was simple as pie!!  I'm AMAZED at how far this stuff stretches.  I haven't added the numbers yet but I'd say that to buy all of the ingredients for the things I'm making/have made/will make, I've spend less than $75.  I will be able to make probably a years worth (if not longer) product with what I have bought as far as ingredients go.

This includes:

Laundry Detergent
Cloth Diaper Detergent
Fabric Softener
Sugar Scrub
Salt Scrub
Dishwasher Detergent
Anti-bacteria Spray
All Purpose Cleaner
Bathroom Cleaner
Wood Polish
Carpet Stain Remover
Shampoo
Body Wash/Hand Soap

And so many more that I can't think of them all right off.  Just for the items I listed above, I'd EASILY spend $100 on a month, if not more.  I am so excited to say that I won't have to make my stuff but ever 3-6 months (I'm guessing) and that I have more than enough to make more batches before ever having to pick up more ingredients.  Holla!!!  So below I am going to share with you my own twist on recipes I have found.  You can cut them in half, double them, or use my recommended amounts.  Whatever you see fit.  In the next few days I will be making more stuff, so keep your eyes peeled!!

Laundry Detergent


What you'll need:
1 bar Fels-Naptha Soap (you can find this in the laundry isle of Walmart, and you can subsitute with whatever bar soap you'd like.  I might try Ivory whenever I run out....WAY down the road haha!)
3 Cups Washing Soda (also found in the laundry isle of Walmart-I use Arm and Hammer)
3 Cups Borax (again found in the laundry isle of Walmart-I use 20 Mule Team)
1 teaspoon essential oil of your choice (this is purely to add scent and it totally optional)

You will need to grate your bar of soap with a cheese grater (I have a 4 sided one and used the finest grater side for smaller pieces).  Pour in the rest of your ingredients and mix well.  I used a 1.5 gallon plastic canister (I found a set of 4 in different sizes at Walmart for around $6) and I just put the lid on it and shook it REALLY well until it was evenly mixed.  *Use 2 tablespoons per wash load* This is safe for HE machines.  I have a front loader and I put the detergent straight into the drum rather than using the soap dispenser (as I'm not sure how well it would work since this is a powder).

(grated soap)

(All mixed together)



Cloth Diaper Detergent

As all cloth diaper parents know, special CD detergent is EXPENSIVE!!!!  Well, fear no longer....you can make your own at home for like...I don't know.....$0.50??  

What you'll need:
1 Cup Washing Soda
1 Cup Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Borax

Mix all ingredients WELL into whatever container you choose.  I used the smallest canister that came in the set of 4 I bough.  It's 850ml and plastic.  Perfect size! You use 1-2 tablespoons per load depending on how soiled they are.  This will last you quite a while and costs only pennies!  So stop wasting money and start making your own!  Anything for an excuse to add to your stash...right? =)



Bath, Sink, & Tile Cleaner

This will work wonders in cleaning everything in your bathroom!  This will be thick and almost pasty.  I put it in a spray bottle but I'm thinking I might need to Up-Cycle an old dish soap bottle later for it.  I also double the recipe below so that I had a full bottle.

What you'll need:
2/3 Cup Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Castile Soap (liquid and any scent you choose.  I used Rose because that's what I had)
2 Tbsp. Vinegar
1/2 Cup Water
a few drops of Tea TreeOil (TTO is an all natural fungicide, germicide and is an antibacterial)

Mix together in the container of your choice and get to cleaning! 




All Purpose Cleaner

Pretty much self explanatory.  I used a spray bottle to mix it in.

What you'll need:
1 tsp. Borax
2 Tbsp. Vinegar
1/2 tsp. Washing Soda
1/2 tsp. Castile Soap
20 drops Tea Tree Oil
2 Cups Hot Water (to make sure it mixes well at first)

Shake it all up and keep with your household cleaners.



Antibacterial Spray

This is incredibly simple!!  Lavender is a  natural antibacterial.  So while so many of use have spent tons of money on lysol to keep those germs away for years, we can now do it for almost nothing!!

What you'll need:
Water
Lavender Essential Oil

Fill a spray bottle (Up-Cycle one if you can) with water and add 60 drops of lavender essential oil and shake.  I know that sounds like a lot of oil, but it's really not.  I plan to use this to pray the insides of my trash cans, and other hard surfaces to keep germs away.


Thursday, December 29, 2011

DIY Sugar & Salt Scrubs

Tonight I made my very own sugar and salt scrubs.  I know many of us, myself included, have paid BIG bucks from places like Bath and Body Works and Victoria Secret for the same thing.  I made each of these for probably less than a dollar per half pint.  Are you excited yet??  I am!

I originally found these recipes by stumbling on them through blogs online.  I have now made them myself and tweaked them to my liking.  I made both of them in half pint mason jars.  I use these to shave with, exfoliate, and as a foot scrub.  Heavenly!  They will leave your skin feeling like silk.

Lemon Sugar Scrub


What you'll need:   13 TBS Fine Sea Salt
                             3 TBS Sunflower Oil
                             2 TBS of Pure Lemon Juice or 2 squeezed
                             lemons

(After making this with Lemon Juice I found the lemon scent to be weak.  I like a fairly strong lemon scent. I think I may add a few drops of lemon essential oil next time just to enhance the scent)

(edited to say after a few uses I found the sea salt to be a little too abrasive, along with the lemon.  So I am going to try epsom salt and lemon essential oil instead with the next batch.  If I like it better, I will post the new recipe in a new blog entry 1/2/12.) =)

In a bowl you'll measure out your salt and oil and mix together.  It is important to mix the salt and oil before adding the lemon.  Once the salt is coated in oil the lemon will not dissolve it.  Once the salt is coated, measure out/add your lemon juice and mix together. Then pack it into a half pint mason jar.  You may also Up-Cycle any container of your liking.  I plan to also wash out an old body cream container from Victoria Secret for future uses.  Voila!




Vanilla Sugar Scrub


What you'll need: Equal parts white and brown sugar
                           3 TBS Sunflower Oil
                           1 TBS Vanilla Extract (you may use a vanilla essential oil if you'd like, this for scent)

In a half pint Mason jar you'll pack in equal parts of white and brown sugar.  Then you'll dump into a bowl and mix with your oil and vanilla.  Mix well and pack back into your jar.  Now you're ready to hit the shower!!





*Note-you can substitute the oil for olive oil if you like, but I prefer Sunflower oil.  It's still packed full of antioxidants and it's a lot more affordable.  You can find it in the baking isle at your local grocery store next to the rest of the baking oils.

**If you store your scrubs in the shower as I do, you may want to have a tongue depresser, spoon, or scooping mechanism of your liking to scoop out the scrubs.  This will prevent any bacteria from getting into and growing in your scrub.

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

List of Ingredients for Household products

2012 I am dedicated to living frugally, as most of you know.  Being green and natural is what I am dedicated myself and my family to.  It's really not as complicated as most tend to think.  In this post I am going to provide you a list of ingredients and a list of the things I will make with them.  So it will be short and sweet. ;-)

Later I will post a blog with recipes on Do It Yourself Beauty Recipe's.  YAY!!

What I will be making in the weeks to come:

Laundry Detergent
Fabric Softener
Wood Polish
All Purpose Cleaner
Body Wash
Shampoo
Hand Soap
Grease Cutter
Antibacterial Spray
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Dishwasher Detergent
Window Cleaner
Microwave Cleaner
Carpet Stain Remover
Carpet Re-Fresher
Homemade Room Spray

Sounds like a lot right?  Feeling overwhelmed?  DON'T!!!  Many of these items call for a lot of the same ingredients.  Many of the ingredients are easy on the pocket book, go along way, and will make you enough products to last you months and months and months!  Fear not, you too can become frugal and save your family from those nasty chemicals!!

List of ingredients I will be getting initially, all of which should last me quite some time and get lots of different products made:

A Lemon
Olive/Sunflower Oil
Borax (20 Mule Team)
Arm & Hammer Washing Soda
Fels-Naptha Bar Soap
Distilled Water
Castile Soap
Essential Oils (these are for fragrance and can be whatever you like)
Vinegar
Spray Bottles (you may recycle ones you already have, same goes for any other container but I don't have any right now)
Mason Jars
Pitcher w/pour spout lid
Citric Acid
Epsom Salt
Suave Conditioner (edited to add that I will actually be making my own conditioner and will use that in my fabric softener as well.)
Rubbing Alcohol
Hydrogen Peroxide
Tea Tree Oil  (a natural germicide, fungicide, and anti bacterial)
Lavender Oil (natural anti bacterial)
Vegetable Glycerin
Toms (or similar) All Natural Bar Soap

If you don't already have a cheese grater, you will need one.

I know that it sounds like a lot, but really most of these items are fairly inexpensive and you will be HUNDREDS of dollars worth of products out of these....and enough of the product (like I said) to last you a fairly long time.  Most, if not all, of these items can be found in your local Walmart, Walgreens, etc.

GO GREEN and LIVE FRUGALLY!!

Stay tuned for my reviews and Beauty Recipes.