My New Obsession...

My new obsession is Pinterest. I held off joining for as long as possible and then I just couldn't do it any longer!  It is great because it has do-it-yourself crafts (DIY), stylish looks (clothes, hair, nails, etc), fun things for kids, party ideas, quotes, and just about anything you can imagine. And, since I can't afford all of the cute clothes that everyone pins, I will settle for making some homemade household products! I'm all about saving some money. So far, I have only made the laundry detergent, but I will be making the remaining items soon (like when my current store-bought supply runs out!):

Laundry Detergent

4 Cups - hot tap water

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar

1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda

½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted. (You do not have to grate the soap any more. You can microwave it to melt it and then add it to hot water on the stove to make sure it's melted well.)

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

½ cup to 1 cup per load

It was about $10 (or less) for all of this and I found everything at Walmart!


Dish Detergent

2 cups Borax

2 cups washing soda

2 cups Lemi shine

1 cup kosher salt

Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of this mixture to your dishwasher detergent compartment along with 3 drops of dishwashing liquid. Do not use more than three drops. The dishwasher will overflow if you use too much dish soap! (I am going to use Dawn.)

Then splash 1/2 to 1 cup of white vinegar into the bottom of the dishwasher and start the machine. I also read that it works well if you fill a small bowl with white vinegar and set it in your top rack in the dishwasher.



Stain Fighter (aka SHOUT)

2/3 cups Dawn Dishwashing Liquid (or whatever dishwashing liquid you prefer)
2/3 cups ammonia

6 Tblsp baking soda

2 cups warm water

Mix everything together then use a funnel to pour into an old Shout bottle or other spray bottle.

To use: shake bottle, then spray on stains as you normally would. Let it soak in for a few minutes and then launder as usual.



Body Wash/Liquid Hand Soap

6 cups hot water

3 bars of soap

Boil water on stove. Then bring to medium heat. Microwave soap (one at a time) until melted (about 90 secs). Cook on stove making sure all is melted. When finished, transfer to glass jar or bowl (will thicken as sits).



Carpet Stain Remover

1 part Ammonia

1 part water

Spray on stain liberally. Let sit, then put a towel over the area and iron over with a hot iron.