Well, I will post a couple now, while I have time. They are all pretty simple.
I cannot use any conventional dishsoap because of excema and I have tried several recommended homemade versions that did not work so well in my opinion. This one is the best so far and it actually has been helping my excema feel better! So I think I will keep using it just because of that!
It is just soap nuts liquid with some tea tree oil mixed in. You make it just by gently boiling 10-15 soap nuts in about 6 cups of water for 20 mins to half an hour. It should give you about 4 cups of liquid when done. Then I pour the hot liquid into a sterilized canning jar and put the lid on and it seals. After I open the jar, I just pour a few days worth of the liquid into a container by my sink and add about 5 drops of tea tree oil, then I store the rest if the jar in the fridge. I pour some liquid into hot running water and wash like normal but I have found that I need to rinse with HOT water to get the best results. It works pretty good on most dishes but I have found that plastics tend to stay a bit “slippery”, for lack of a better word. I am not sure how it works with different types of waters, though.
I really like this natural glass cleaner and it is very easy as well.
You will need to start with whole lavender flowers or buds. I always use dried. I use approx 3-4 cups of water and pour in max a 1/4 cup lavendar. Then just boil until all the purple color crom the buds has leaked out into the water and the buds all look just green. Then I strain the decoction into a pourable container and press out all moisture from the lavender buds while they are in the strainer. Discard the buds, let the decoction cool and then pour into a clean spray bottle. I have found that, if I leave this for to long on its own in a cupboard, it will start to grow mold, though. So, I have started making less at a time or using the same method of canning and use as the soap nuts liquid. I used to use the vinegar method but my husband HATED it and did not think it worked very well when he cleaned any windows, so this is better for us and he says that it works MUCH better. Even my mom, the “queen of clean” says she likes it a lot.
For a tough scrub powder for jobs that require a bit more scrubbing action (sort of like comet or jax) I mix equal parts baking soda and washing soda then add 1/4 -1/2 measure of salt. I use this when the normal baking soda and vinegar is not quite enough.
Furniture polish is pretty much the same as Gina’s. Just slight variations in method. Same basic concept, though, so I won’t post that one.
I use soap nuts (or berries) for laundry and I usually add a little bit of washing soda or vinegar because we have hard water, so far it is working pretty well. No one around here has had any complaints about it. I am still working on an all purpose homemade,natural stain remover, though.
I have a few different recipes for oven cleaners. Some of them use borax, though. I don’t have time to post them , though.
HTH : )
