Homemade Household Products

Cleaning Products

Ingredients:

There are 8 staples for homemade cleaning products, then some ideas for the right mixology is below:

1. Baking soda: provides grit for scrubbing and reacts with water, vinegar or lemon by fizzing, which speeds up cleaning times
2. Borax: disinfects, bleaches and deodorizes; very handy in laundry mixes (Warning: keep out of reach of children)
3. Distilled white vinegar: disinfects and breaks up dirt; choose white vinegar over apple cider or red vinegars, as these might stain surfaces
4. Hydrogen Peroxide: disinfects and bleaches
   
5. Lemons: cut grease; bottled lemon juice also works well, although you might need to use bit more to get the same results
6. Olive oil: picks up dirt and polishes wood; cheaper grades work well
7. Vegetable based (liquid castile) soap: non-petroleum all-purpose cleaners
8. Washing soda: stain remover, general cleaner, helps unblock pipes; should be handled with gloves due to its caustic nature. Washing soda is usually found in the laundry aisle of grocery and drug stores.

Recipes:

Streak-free Window washer:

Fills spray bottle with water.

One tiny drop of dishwasher soap.

1 teaspoon vinegar.

Shake well and use.

(found this recipe off a professional window washer's blog)

Freshening Window Cleaner

Combine the following in a 22-32 oz. spray bottle:
Water (fill the container almost all the way)
4 tbsp. vinegar
15 - 20 drops lemon essential oil

Hairy Drain De-clogger.

2-3 tablespoons Baking Powder mixed in luke-warm water

1 cup Vinegar.

1) Mix Baking Powder in water and disolve as much as possible. Pour down the offending drain. The longer it takes the better - the baking powder will soak in.

2) *Slowly* pour in vinegar. Listen to it fizz! That's how you know it's working. Together, these will kill all of the germs or bacteria growing in your drain, which can catch hair and generally gunk things up. It will also loosen all but the most stubborn hair balls. I'll

3) Chase with very hot water - boiling hot if possible.

4) Repeat as necessary. (I have lots of curly hair, and this has never failed. Even on old plumbing.)

Purifying Tub Scrub

Using oxygen bleach as the abrasive, add the following:
6-10 drops of ONE of the following essential oils: lemon, lavender, white thyme, tea tree, grapefruit, and scrub!

Disinfecting and Uplifting Floor Cleaner

Combine the following in large container:
1-gallon bucket of warm water
A very small squeeze of liquid castile soap
10 drops of lemon essential oil
4 drops tea tree essential oil

Disinfecting Toilet Bowl Cleanser

Combine the following in a 22 oz. spray bottle:
Approximately 18 oz. of water
¼ cup liquid castile soap
20 drops of white thyme essential oil (or for variety try lavender, tea tree or lemon oil)

Laundry Detergent

1 oz. liquid castile soap
1/2 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax
1/4 cup baking soda or 1/4 cup white vinegar

Using the liquid castile soap as a base, combine with washing soda, borax (for stains and bleaching), and either baking soda (reduces static and softens fabrics) or white vinegar (softens fabrics, reduces static and bleaches clothes). If you feel like your clothes aren't clean enough, play around with the amount of liquid castile soap, using from 1 oz. to 1 cup.

Bleach alternative

1/2 cup hydrogen peroxide

Cleansing Room Spray

Combine the following in a 4 oz. spray bottle:
4 oz. water
20 drops lemon essential oil
6 drops patchouli essential oil
15 drops white thyme essential oil

Homemade Personal Care

There are a lot of great natural personal care products out there available on the shelves of your local health foods store, but sometimes it's nice to make your own stuff.

Face Moisturizer/ Cleanser:

For Dry Skin:

1 small container, preferably water-tight. Screw-on-tops work best. I use an old hair gel tub.

1/2 cup coconut oil

5-10 drop Lavender Essential Oil

5-10 drops Tea Tree Essential Oil

1) Warm coconut oil until it melts. I usually soak my jar or tub of it in hot water for 10min.

2) Pour into container

3)  Add essential oils.

4) Close and shake to mix. Done!

5) Apply a small amount to your face. Too much oil on your skin is never good. (If you apply too much by accident, rub it off on the back of your (clean) hands and moisturize them!)

These essential oils are safe for use on most skin (in fact lavender is proven to promote healthy skin growth), and they're both mild anti-septics. That means if you get zits, or if you have mild acne, it can help keep your skin clear and heal any blemishes. The coconut oil moisturizes all day without feeling heavy or oily. Just don't apply too much - less is better in this case. Coconut oil lasts for a long time, and the essential oils smell good. The scent fades in 5-10 min, so they don't act like a perfume. If you try this recipe and don't like it, you can cook with the coconut oil or use it as an all-purpose moisturizer.

Also, you can experiment with how much  of each essential oil you use to adjust the scent. Just don't use too much! Essential oils are like coconut oil: less it better.

Honey and Olive Oil Hair Mask:

This one's a little sticky, but it's quite moisturizing and smells great!

1. Mix 1/2 cup honey and 3 tablespoons olive oil.  It helps to warm up the honey a bit (but not too hot, otherwise it gets really runny).
2. Work a small amount at a time through hair until coated.
3. Cover head with a shower cap; leave on for 15 to 30 minutes.
4. Shampoo well and rinse.

Facial Scrub With Orange Peel And Almond Paste:

1. Mix 1/2 tsp ground or zested orange peel, 1/2 tsp almond paste, 1/2 tsp barley meal (you could also use ground oatmeal), and 1 tsp green papaya paste (for a creamier variation, try avocado).
2. Apply a small amount to you skin.
3. Scrub gently.
4. Use once a month for soft, silky skin!

Yogurt and Honey Facial Mask:

1. Mix 1 tsp natural yogurt at room temp (plain or vanilla) with 1 tsp warm honey.
2. For dry skin, add an extra teaspoon of honey.  For oily skin, try a few drops of lemon or lime juice.
3. Apply to face.
4. Leave on for 15 minutes.
5. Wash face thoroughly.

Dry Skin
Moisturizing Cream:

* 4 fl. oz. almond oil
* 3 fl. oz. rosewater
* 1/2 oz. beeswax
* 10 drops rose
* 5 drops lavender
* 4 drops bergamot
* 8 drops patchouli
* 8 drops sandalwood
Melt the wax and the almond oil in a double boiler. Decrease the heat and add the rosewater gradually in a thin stream while vigorously beating the mixture. As soon as the water is incorporated remove from heat. When the mixture cools and turns creamy, add the essential oils.

Oily Skin Facial Mask:

Mix 3 tablespoons of white corn meal and almond meal (freshly ground raw almonds work best), add the following essential oils:

* 10 drops lavender
* 5 drops bergamot
* 3 drops of clary sage
Add just enough rosewater or orange flower water to make a wet paste. Using circular motions gently massage the mixture onto your face, avoiding the soft tissues under the eyes. Leave the mixture on for 5 to 15 minutes, then rinse off with warm water. Finish the treatment by splashing cold water on the your face to close your pores.

Normal Skin

Toning Facial Mist:

Add the following essential oils to 2 fluid ounces of distilled water:

* 6 drops lavender
* 1 drop clary sage
* 1 drop chamomile
* 4 drops lemon
Pour into a spray mister bottle. Essential oils and water will separate, so shake the bottle vigorously before spritzing this refreshing blend onto clean skin.

Sunburn Mist:

Add the following oils to 2 fluid ounces of distilled water.

* 9 drops of lavender
* 2 drops of peppermint
* 1 drop of spearmint
Mist lightly over sunburned skin.

**Applying Pure Lavender Essential Oil to a mild burn, such as a burn from the stove or spilled coffee, is a great way to heal the burn.