Homemade Dishwasher Soap

While browsing my Pinterest pins, I came across a recipe for homemade dishwasher detergent. Why not!? I already had the ingredients for the powder version because they are also ingredients that I use to make my own laundry soap. I LOVE it!! I simply used a clean and dry recycled spaghetti sauce jar to keep moisture out and I added a few drops of lemon oil for disinfecting and smell (just add two or three drops to dry mix and shake well to incorporate)....it smells fantastic! I also did the vinegar in the rinse and all my dishes came out spotless!

POWDER BASED RECIPE

Mix the following inside a container with a removable, snap-top lid or a jar with a lid:

• 1 cup of borax
• 1 cup of either baking soda or washing soda

Seriously, that’s it! Add 2 tablespoons per load along with a splash of white vinegar in the rinse chamber of your dishwasher to prevent spots and/or residue. You can even make a fancier version by following the basic recipe above with the addition of several drops of your favorite essential oil (naturally antiseptic tea tree oil is an excellent choice).

LIQUID BASED RECIPE

Pour the following ingredients into a recycled plastic bottle with a squirt-top and shake until thoroughly incorporated:

• 2 cups of vegetable-based castile soap (such as Vermont Soap Organics or Dr. Bronner’s)
• ½ cup of water
• ½ cup of white vinegar
• 1 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice
• 3 drops of your favorite essential oil

Prior to each use, shake your homemade dishwashing liquid well and then measure out 2 tablespoons per load.

That's it!! It's green, easy, and cheap!!


Source for recipe

Thrifty Thursday--Cheap and Clean

I LOVE baking soda....No, not just to use in baking, though I do bake a lot...I love it for CLEANING!!


There are a zillion uses for baking soda if you scour the web, but here are some that I've tried out that work great:

1. Most people know about putting the box of baking soda in the fridge, but it also works great in diaper pails!

2. Cleaning stainless sink...wet the sink, sprinkle with soda and scrub a little, rinse it really good and it's shiny!

3. Use it in your garbage disposal...sprinkle some in and let it set a couple minutes, then run disposal

4. Getting stains out of your crockpot...I do not like to spend forever scrubbing stubborn stains out of my white crock, but by making a paste just like cleaning the sink and letting it sit just a couple minutes, all the stains will come off and it will be super clean once again...even the brown stuff from beans!

5. If you really want some super bubbly cleaning power for sippy cups, mix just a LITTLE vinegar with baking soda....be cautious because it will erupt (this is how they make those science project volcanoes! Seriously!)...works great for the cup, straws, lids, and the little valves, too.

6. Clean your coffee pot...I run vinegar and water through once first, then plain water about three times and put baking soda in the pot the second and third time...gets all the gunk out and makes it look like new with little or no scrubbing.

7. Sprinkle it on your carpet or rug and vacuum away! It will neutralize odors, even those caused by smelly little boys, and I would know! (; 

The best part is, baking soda is very cheap!!! And, you can buy large boxes of it, not just the tiny ones for an even better value.

Here's some more uses for baking soda, too!