i've been thinking more and more about all the cleaning supplies i use
and all the preservatives in all of the food we eat
and i've been making changes a little at a time
i started making my own laundry detergent last year
and i will never go back to Tide
(no offense Tide)
the cost is 1-2 pennies a load
(!!)
and the ingredients are simple ... it's nice to know that we can have everyday products
without all the chemicals and other things
our bodies we're probably never made to put up with :)
i've started a few dryer balls with my sister-in-law
our project was interrupted a few times so we're only half done
but i'll let you know how they turn out
next on my list is fabric softener
:)
after church sunday i started to make pancakes, then realizing i was out of Bisquick
thought it was the perfect opportunity to take a peek at all the recipes to make your own
that have been floating around pinterest
i looked at three different ones and kinda mixed 'em all together...
with some of my own how-to
divide all ingredients in half
mix one half of the recipe at a time in an electric mixer
... starting with the first half
mix dry ingredients together in the mixer until well blended
add 1 cup of the shortening and mix again until incorporated
(scraping the paddle as needed)
about 2-3 minutes
that's it!
i figured the ingredients cost me $2-3
which made the equivalent to 2 large boxes of the real stuff
each box cost somewhere between $4-5 at Wegmans
have you made any "knock-off" housekeeping products?
tell me about them!
check out my housekeeping board
there's so many good ideas just waiting to be tried ...
much love ♥
linking up here ... ♥
I began making my own dishwasher detergent and it is just like the laundry detergent--just pennies. It uses a lot of the same ingredients (washing soda, borax) with a few others, salt and lemishine. You can use as powder or lightly spritz with water to dampen it and then form it with a tablespoon, into little "bisquits" so it is self-measured. I have yet to try laundy detergent--I just moved, but I plan to!
ReplyDeleteJoAnne!
Deletei made dishwasher detergent too! but it was a flop :(
the powder was so hard i couldn't even scrape enough up to wash a load!
i added some water to the batch and it softened up but it was leaving a very thick white film on all of the dishes...even with a rinse aid
i did some googling :) and a lot of ladies said the film has to do with hard water...which we have, so i guess i'm outta luck :( any suggestions??
♥ much love
ps. oh! i used lemon kool-aid instead of lemishine, so you think it matters?
I am late to the party, but more citric acid (lemon kool-aid, lemishine, or just straight citric acid) will take care of the cloudiness... the recommendation I have seen is to try doubling the amount of citric acid until your glassware comes out sparkling. Unfortunately, the citric acid is also by far the most expensive ingredient, so it may not end up saving you money.
DeleteAlso, to avoid clumping/hardening, I just measure each ingredient (washing soda, borax, citric acid) separately into the dishwasher detergent holder. I hadn't thought of making individual-size "biscuits" though!
You can use vinegar as a rinse aid as well. I have found that I need to fill the rinse aid dispenser a little more often when I use vinegar, I think because it is not as thick as jet-dry type rinse aids??
I just read that adding Vinegar to your dishwasher replaces that Jet Dry stuff. Not sure how that would go with the home made stuff, but worth a try.
DeleteJamie, I love this!!!! We are working on saving money and getting our own place, so stuff like this is a big help! Just a little tid bit, if you use vinegar in your wash it acts as a fabric softener. I am highly allergic to fabric softeners so I have been using this ever since I got married, it took my husband 3 years to realize that I used vinegar instead! you can also salt brine your shirts to make them feel soft and well worn and that softness will stay through a few washes. :-)
ReplyDeletethanks Lizzy! yes! the fabric softener is made of just vinegar & water with some conditioner added for smell i think :) i did not know that about the salt brine though ... thanks for info!
Delete♥ loves
Hi Jamie how would you store this without it going ransid? I really want to try this :)
ReplyDeletehi Deidre!
Deletei put it in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid...i'm not sure what would spoil except the shortening maybe? but i normally store that in my pantry and it's lasted up to a year ... hope this helps! thanks so much for the visit ♥ much love
Mine doesn't last long enough to go rancid! LOL
DeleteOh-Thank you for the recipe for Bisquick! I use that quite often. I make my own detergent, too...and my own has the softener in it. Have you seen the Purex softening CRYSTALS? You can add them right to your dry detergent mixture and the softener is right in there then. xo Diana
ReplyDeleteWonderful! Thanks for sharing this. I've been wanting to make my own, but the recipes I've found have powdered milk in them, which increases the price of the mix considerably.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Carrie
http://fiveseventeenrepurposing.blogspot.com
I use Bisquick all of the time!! I am definitely going to start making my own! Thanks for sharing this! I love your blog! I am a new follower! Would love for you to visit me!
ReplyDeleteriversrecipereview.blogspot.com
Thanks for sharing. I'm all about making as much as I can myself. You're totally right about the chemicals...no need for them in most cases :)
ReplyDeleteYou asked about other thing people make. I used to buy clorox wipes, but found out you can use vinegar and use it all the time to clean up the counters and tables! I also create citrus vinegar by adding some citrus peels to the vinegar prior to using it and let is sit up to 3 weeks before using the vinegar. I have just started putting it in a spray bottle and use much less than the presoaked clothes :) if you are on pintrest here's my email feel free to follow, I'm always posting ideas and ways to save money, both for the house and for personal care! heatheradams1116@gmail.com
ReplyDeletethanks for all the info Heather! what great ideas! i've been wanting to try the citrus vinegar ... will have to do that soon! thanks for the visit ♥
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