As the year begins I always feel like cleaning, well, pretty much everything! I really like to start the calendar year off with a deeply cleaned house but over the holidays(the day before Thanksgiving) I managed to do some serious damage to my hands because I forgot to wear gloves while cleaning my oven(yes I acknowledge that it was my own fault)! It has taken almost 6 weeks for my hands to be almost healed. After that horrible experience I decided to make the switch to green products that are economical, easy for me to make at home and safe to use around my family, my pets and in my house. Above is a picture of some of the ingredients I will be talking about over the next couple of weeks as I make the switch from chemical cleaners to homemade.
The first recipe I choose to try was for a Bathroom cleaner that I saw on the www.beingfrugal.net site.
This bathroom cleaner is an easy one to make. You’ll need the following
Spray Bottle
½ Cup Original formula Dawn Dishwashing Liquid and
Spray Bottle
½ Cup Original formula Dawn Dishwashing Liquid and
Vinegar (I used white vinegar, it is easy to find and very inexpensive)
Pour the Dawn Dishwashing liquid into the spray bottle and then fill the rest of the way with white vinegar. Gently shake to mix and you are ready to go. Like I said – easy peasy!
Cost for this batch (Based on the prices at my local Walmart and Lowe’s stores) –
½ cup of Dawn = .24
18 oz of Vinegar = .36
22 oz Spray Bottle = $2.28 at Lowes
Total Initial Cost = $2.88 (cost decreases each time you refill since you don’t have to purchase a new spray bottle)
Cost for the cleaner comes out to about .03 per ounce (I did not include the cost of the bottle in the per ounce cost because it is reusable and not part of the actual cleaning recipe). Formula 409 is roughly .18 per ounce
A great money saver and making this product is easy on the environment and on me!
The first time I used this I was thrilled. It did an excellent job cleaning the tub, toilet and counter tops - in the bathroom my boys use – ‘nuf said! It was also easy to make and did not of require tons of scrubbing. There was a very strong vinegar odor at first but that only lasted about 10 minutes. Once the tub was dry the vinegar smell was gone. After that first use I added 25 drops of essential oil to my bottle of cleaner. The result, the vinegary smell dissipated much quicker and there was a very light, lingering fragrance of my choosing, over all - I LOVE it!
Another benefit – I did not cough, my eyes did not burn or water and my still healing skin did not get red, cracked or become sore, in fact, after cleaning all three bathrooms in my house I am surprised at how soft my hands are. I will definitely not be going back to chemical cleaners.
Now, for the Witchy add-ins…
The fun thing about making your own cleaning products is that, as a witch, you can add a little bit more oomph to the recipe just by the essential oil you decide to add. Of course you want to make sure it has a scent you like as well as a purpose that is compatible with what you are using it for.
A couple of ideas:
Add 20 -30 drops of peppermint oil to clear a room of negativity. This will also help get rid of the tendency to procrastinate and during the holidays it smells very festive.
Add 20 -30 drops of Lavender Oil to balance and calm an area, this is great for bedroom windowsills (mine are tile) and bathrooms, imagine taking a nice warm bath in a room that has been cleaned with a lavender charged cleaner!
Add 20 -30 drops of Sage Oil for overall purification and cleansing, this is a great way to purify spaces between uses of your sage smudge stick!
The variations are limitless! I love working with oils so this was an added benefit to making my own cleaning products. I chose to add Clovebud Oil to my cleaner due to its purification properties, ability to drive away negative forces as well as its tendency to invite abundance. It also has a smell that I find very pleasing!
What I noticed about adding the essential oil was that there was no oily residue, only a very light scent of the oil that I added. I would imagine that this is due to the small amount of oil used, the fact that I used essential oil AND the fact that it is combined with a really nice grease cutter in the Dawn dishwashing liquid.
One thing to add, vinegar has been proven in many scientific studies to be an effective disinfectant. Here are some of the sites I visited while researching green cleaners which discuss the effectiveness of vinegar.
Coming Up Next:
A Witchy Green window and glass cleaner
This sounds so simple! Much easier than many of the ones I've seen. I may give it a try. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYou formula is similar to what I make. I don't add the Dawn. I add Borax, and pure Water to the vinegar and essential oil. It works wonder for me.
ReplyDeleteThank for a wonderful post. Can't wait for the next.
boliyou - it was much faster and easier than I though it would be and so far every product that I have made works as well or better than its chemical counterpart!
ReplyDeleteCainwyne - I made an all-purpose cleaner using Borax and I love ti! I'll be posting about that late next week. I am totally hooked on making my own now!