Saturday morning I have time in my schedule to make my own soft soap, mix up my own cleaning supplies, and make up some bathroom/cleaning wipes.  This keeps me from buying expensive cleanign supplies that are toxic to our home and family.

We make our own soap which I then turn in to soft soap by grating and add to hot water.  It will turn to liquid and then will firm up a pudding consistency.  You have to experiment with how much water, which will depend greatly on the size of the soap bar.  Use good quality handmade soap - not expensive but made the old fashioned way without any added product or remove byproducts.  If you add too little water it is easy to fix,  just add a little more hot water and mix it up.  I usually leave my in a more concentrated stage for storage and add a little hot water when I use it.

I don't make lots of fancy formulas for cleaning supplies.  I like vinegar.  My kids don't.  They say it stinks.  We add leftover lemon or lime peels after we have used the inside of the fruit and put them in a 1/2 gallon glass jar.  Cover with vinegar and let stand.  The lemon takes on a more pleasant citrus smell. 

For homemade wipes I use a squirt of non-toxic biodegradable liquid dish soap mixed with some water and vinegar.  I dipinexpensive plain white rags in the mixture and then store them in an old baby wipe container in each bathroom.  The girls find these easy to use to wipe down the bathroom each day.  I count how many I put in, and I know if someone missed wiping down the bathroom when I re-fill each week.

Another cleaning mixture I like for scubbing things is some baking soda mixed with dish soap.  This works well on tubs/showers, bathroom sinks, and toilets.  Mix up just what you need for the job. 

I don't make every cleaning supply we use - sometimes a little soft scrub with cholorox is what I need.  I also find only windex does a satisfactory job on my windows.  However, I have cut costs and cut down on the chemicals in my home by experimenting with making my own items and finding the ones that fit in to our system and work for us.  I keep trying new ideas, and if they work I keep using them.  Do a little research and reading on this subject and see if this idea will save you money.

Next time - using herbal solutions instead of buying remedies. 

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Posted by heritagehill

Thanks for sharing these tips, very interesting to us all.
Marilyn

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Posted by Isabella

Good ideas. Thanks. I

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