Au' Natural

Thinking about saving the environment (cloth diapering) and what not, I've decided that I may try a few "home-made" more natural cleaners in my home.

I've looked at several sites online and have concluded that most people use the same ingredients in each specific product, so I am not going to credit anyone (or any site) in particular, but they all came from the web.

All Purpose Cleaner: Mix equal parts vinegar and water (distilled) in a spray bottle. I plan to add a few drops of Lavender Essence Oil as well for a fresh smell instead of a vinegary one.

Mop Solution: 2 drops of natural dish-soap mixed with 1/2 bucket of vinegar and hot water.

Glass Cleaner: Wash windows with soapy water and then clean with an equal mixture of vinegar and water in a spray bottle. (Leave out any oils)

Bathtub/Shower Scrub: Mix 1/4 cup baking soda with 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 3-5 drops of a natural dish detergent.

Toilet Bowel Cleaner: Let 2 cups of vinegar sit in toilet bowl for 3o minutes to 1 hour and then scrub with toilet brush. Heavier stains, let set overnight.

Wood Polish: Mix 1 cup olive oil with 1/2 cup lemon juice (fresh is best).

Laundry Soap (from www.ehow.com): Depending on how much laundry soap you'd like to make, you'll have to measure out your ingredients. First, chop up a bar of soap (or several for bigger batches) into small chunks. Again, this soap must be PURE soap like Ivory brand, castile soap or homemade soap (not melt and pour or glycerin soap). You can also use a laundry bar soap called fels naptha.

1. Cut enough to measure 2.5 oz of soap. If you don't have a kitchen scale, 2.5 ounces of soap chunks will fill approximately a one cup measure.

2. Put the soap chunks, little by little, into the food processor or a good blender. Chop until the soap forms little balls.
3. To the blender\processor, add 1 cup of borax, 1 cup of washing soda and 1\2 cup of oxy clean (optional) for every 2.5 oz of soap. DO NOT ADD MORE SOAP! It may look like there's not much soap as it gets powdered, but don't be tempted to add more.
4. Run the blender\food processor until the powder is mixed through and soap chunks are powdered and mixed in. At this point you can add a couple of drops of essential oil if you'd like it scented and mix again. REMEMBER: Adding too much essential oil to this mix will stain your clothes, so it keep it at only a couple of drops! Dispense into an easy to use container.
5. To Use in a Regular Washing Machine: Add 1 TB per small or lightly soiled washload or 1.5-2TB for heavy or large, to the washing machine BEFORE adding clothes. Allow it to agitate a little before adding clothes.
   
6. For HE Washing Machines: Follow the instructions in your manual. For some HE machines, you can add the powder directly to the powdered detergent dispenser, for some the manual will tell you to add the powder directly to the washer itself. If you use the correct soap, this is a low sudsing detergent and thus can be used in HE.