Homemade non-toxic

Okay, so I know I haven't posted here in SO long. Frankly, I have been busy (what mom isn't), and I have been working on other writing projects that haven't left enough time to dedicate to this one. I will work on that.

I made a facebook status today asking if anyone has made a good dishwasher detergent. I have officially replaced all my household cleaners with homemade non-toxic cleaners, with the exception of dishwasher detergent.

How did I do it? Well I am actually very creative, smart and awesome. That is how.

NOT.

I google, try a few and keep the ones I like. I can't take the credit for any of these recipes. I will share my not-so-secrets, and credit the person I got the idea from where I can.

All Purpose Cleaner
*1 spray bottle
*Equal parts white vinegar and water
BOOM. That is it. Simple, yet effective.
If you really hate the smell of vinegar you can add essential oils, or vanilla, almond extract to mask the scent. My only suggestion is to shake the bottle before each use because the parts will separate and you'll get a strong dose of vinegar.
This is my primary cleaner. I even use it in my steam carpet cleaner!
This cleaner works for cleaning counter tops, toilets, sinks, floors, windows, everything! I don't even buy floor cleaner anymore, I add this little concoction to my Rubbermaid Swiffer Wet Jet knock-off and it cleans the floors. I know I have blogged about this before, but this cleaner is awesome. The best part about it is that you can spray it all over your kids toys to clean them, and they will not get sick from it. They wont put their grubby little hands and mouths all over nasty chemical covered toys anymore.

Laundry Detergent -NOT safe for Cloth Diapers (or so I am told)
*1 4 lb 12 oz box Borax (2.15 kg or 76 oz) found in the detergent isle

*1 4 lb box Arm & Hammer Baking Soda (1.81 kg) found in the cooking isle

*1  box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda 55 oz (3 lb 7 oz) found in the detergent isle

*3 bars of Fels-Naptha soap, found in the detergent isle (if you use Zote bars use 2 bars instead, 

  Zote  can be found at Home Depot)

*2 small containers of Oxy Clean or store brand Oxy Clean (try to get about 3.5 lbs total (1.58 kg)) found in the detergent isle.




The woman who I got this recipe from says that you can find all the products at the grocery store, I found that to NOT be true, but it still wasn't hard to get the ingredients.

I use 1Tbsp per load, unless I am washing soiled sheets from the kids, then it gets a double dose.
This recipe is great because it cleans REALLY well, but doesn't have a strong smell. I used to LOVE the smell of laundry detergent, but now that I know those scents are really just nasty chemicals to breathe in I appreciate the fainter smells of things :).

To make: Simply combine all the ingredients in a big trash bag and mix well. You have to grate or food process the three bars of soap, then mix it in. I don't have a food processor, so I hand grate the soap, which is a huge pain in the butt, I keep toying with the idea of leaving the soap out, but I don't know if that would hinder the cleaning capabilities. Anyone know the answer to that?

This recipe makes two gallons of detergent, and lasts me about 9 months. And I do A LOT of laundry not including my cloth diapers). The work is worth it to me to never have to run out and buy detergent. Making a batch every 9 months is no big deal since it works so well/lasts so long.

THIS is where I got the recipe. Thanks, Creative Mama!

If the laundry detergent recipe was discouraging because there are so many things you have to buy, no fear, it gets MUCH easier.

I was using a lot of Lysol spray with a newly potty-trained 3-year-old, and a diaper sprayer (if you cloth diaper, you know what I am talking about). Essentially, I am constantly wiping off the toilet, and spraying the germs away. But Lysol is nasty and toxic, so I did some more google-ing. I will admit that the options don't sound very exciting, but the one I chose seems to work, and again, it isn't going to poison my family, so I will take it.

Disinfectant Spray
*2 spray bottles
*White vinegar
*Hydrogen peroxide

This is SO EASY. Put the vinegar in the first spray bottle (label it), put the sprayer from the second bottle on the peroxide bottle. You are DONE. Spray the peroxide on the surface you with to de-funk, then follow up with the vinegar. BOOM. You are done.

The first time I tried this I used way too much and it didn't dry quickly, I learned less is more. Now I am not worried about poo and pee germs all over the bathroom, and I am not coughing up  my lungs from the fumes from Lysol.

I suggest visiting the link below to learn more about this home-remedy 
Thanks, BrightNest. 


Toilet Bowl Cleaner

I am not giving you a recipe for something you can combine in a bottle and spray in the toilet. This isn't as simple, but it is still easy. The best part about it is if you are making the other recipes I have posted, you already have the ingredients.

*1/2 cup baking soda

*8 drops tea-tree or melaleuca essential oil

*1/2 cup distilled white vinegar

Pour Baking Soda directly into the toilet boil add oil, then vinegar - in this order.

Add Essential Oil

Let sit for about 10 minutes then scrub with toilet brush.

DONE. Easy.

I don't always use essential oils because they aren't as easy to pick up at Target (are they?), and because as soon as you flush the toilet the smell of vinegar is gone. But do whatever floats your boat. 

This is where I got the idea!

Laundry Stain Remover

This one is pretty easy, and you already have the ingredients. There are some stains that I have not been able to get out of my kids clothes no matter what I try, even shout, spray 'n wash and oxyclean. So I don't feel bad if this recipe doesn't always work, some kids clothes are just not going to make it to the next one.

This is what you need:

*baking soda

*vinegar

*old toothbrush

*Spray or drip bottle

Mix vinegar with equal parts water in the bottle.

Shake or sprinkle baking soda on the stain, then spray or drip vinegar and water mixture on top. Scrub the stain a bit with the toothbrush and let sit for about 5 minutes, then wash with your regular load of laundry. Wasn't that easy??

Simple Homemade gave me this idea!

So there you go, that is how I keep my house clean. I am sure you are wondering if my house is actually clean, or if it reeks of vinegar. Well the answer is yes, my house is very clean, I am a little too Type A for my own good. My house is company ready 95% of the time, I can't function if it is not. And my house doesn't smell like vinegar. It is an older rental house, so it doesn't smell like a bed of roses like I would like my home to, but it doesn't smell like vinegar, either. 

Make sure you label your products!

The Business of Being Born, Part Two

Okay, so I finished the documentary. I said I was going to wait until my husband could finish it with me, but I couldn't wait.

It was amazing.

I would like to say that it changed my life, but having my son in crappy hospital, and having been under the care of a crappy doctor for the entire pregnancy is what made me evaluate my options, and is what opened my eyes.

But if you have never considered the way the US treats childbirth, this movie will change your life, or at least open your eyes to a lot of things.

The documentary talks about how we as a country got to where we are where childbirth is concerned. It talks about the good, the bad and the ugly regarding how doctors and hospitals treat pregnant women and childbirth.

The documentary isn't pushy, yet it doesn't tip toe around the truth.

I think anyone who has had a baby, or ever plans on having a baby should watch this documentary. And if you are a "crazy hippy" like myself, who wants to have a baby in a bath tub and go home five minutes later, you should make your family watch the documentary, that way they wont treat you like a "crazy hippy."

The Business of Being Born

The documentary brought to the world by Rikki Lake has me fascinated.

I am only 20 minutes in, but I am amazed at what I am seeing. I am waiting until my husband can finish the movie with me because he was getting into it as he got himself ready to leave for work tonight.

I have had a hospital birth and a birth center birth. One with every bit of medical intervention you can imagine, and the later with zero. I want to see more, but my experiences sound a lot like Rikki Lake's, and I can see why she got so involved in the birth practices in the United States.

I will write more after I finish the "show," but I can already confidently say that any women who has had a baby, or ever plans on having a baby needs to see this documentary.

Brother and Sister

I mean, come on. . .

3/27/2013

 

 

 

I don't know about you, but my brothers spent the better part of my childhood being really mean to me. Danny asked to hold Layla. So sweet.

It almost make me forget that he did this to her several weeks ago:

Three Months

I haven't blogged in three months.

I tried once, and I even wrote up a nice post (the topic I can't seem to remember), but blogger ate it or didn't like it. . . whatever happened doesn't matter. I haven't posted in SOOOOO long.

Why?

I have an almost three year old who keeps me moving all day, a six-month-old who only sleeps for 3-4 hour stretches at night, and a husband who is a cop and works crazy hours, with zero consistency, schedule wise.

I might complain and feel sorry for myself sometimes, but I am not stupid, I know so many other moms and dads have tougher situations than our family. But, it can still be rough.

A quick recap, Danny is talking about anything and everything, whether you want to listen or not. He says whatever is on his mind. He loves CARS and monster trucks, and also Veggie Tales. We listen to Veggie Tales on Pandora all the time and he sings along to almost every song. Layla rolls over and sits up and gets on all fours to try to get places. She isn't crawling yet, but she lunges towards things she can't reach. She laughs and smiles all the time and squeals way too loudly when she is bored. She just turned six months, so I started her on baby food, she hates sweet potatoes (breaks my heart), but loves apple sauce.

The hubby and I are exhausted. Work and kids, and almost no time for play, but we have an awesome aunt and uncle who had kids young and are living it up in their 50's now that the kids are grown. We aren't in a hurry to have the kids grown, but know it will be fun to have time to be together like we used to.

Now back to my mind-numbing netflix binge of The Secret Life of the American Teenager. The show is terrible, but I am hooked. It is on ABC family, but not the quality of my favorite show, Switched at Birth, but it slows down my mind at the end of the day.

Maybe I should read a book. . .