Stain Treatment

From Aliisa:

My daughter has a light blue coat and I dont know what she does to it but I can never get it totally clean. The arms and around the bottom of the coat always look dirty and dingy no matter how many times I wash it or treat it and soak it and then wash it. I had just given up on it.

So last night I treated it and washed it and it was still dirty looking and then it hit me. The Fels Naptha bar of soap that I use to make my laundry soap is a pre treatment for laundry. So I got out a new bar of soap, got it wet and began rubbing it on all the dirty areas of her coat. All the stuff that I had treated before and that had been dried into the coat and then I washed it. Her coat came out looking almost brand new. I could hardly believe it!!

I am now converted. Anything that could get that coat clean is a miracle stain treatment for me!! And in my area it is only $1.29 for a large bar of it which Im sure will last a long time. What a bargain.

My snotty shaving gel

From Aliisa:

Ok, first let me apologize for the title...horrible isnt it? Sorry.

Now, I had this idea the other day that I could save money turning bars of soap into liquid bath soap. You see, the liquid bath soap I love so much, cost a fortune. So, I did an experiment with a bar of Ivory soap I had here at the house. I read that you could grate the whole bar add 2 cups of water and you are done. Yea...I dont think so. I did this and when it cooled, my liquid soap was definately not liquid enough so, I squeezed it back into the pan and added more water. This made it better. However, when my daughter used it she didnt like the "squeeky clean feeling" she wanted soft skin....so....I squeezed it back out and added olive oil to it. You know, they make bars of soap out of olive oil but what they dont tell you is that 1. your soap doesnt suds up anymore and 2. it comes out like snot. So...this wasnt good for bathing and rather than trash the whole batch, I shaved my leggs with it. Guess what? It was the BEST shaving gel I have ever used!!! So here is my recipe...so to speak.

1 bar of Ivory soap grated
3 1/2 cups of water
1/4 cup olive oil

Melt together until all soap is melted. Pour into old soap or shampoo bottles and let cool. It looks disgusting but it feels great!!

Think I should sell it as "Aliisa's snotty shaving gel"? *lol* just kidding

Window Washing

From Sundy:

Actually, this one is from my Mom! :) Thanks for reading and contributing, Mom!

"Here's a tip for washing really dirty windows on the outside. It works well for car windshields too. You'll need a window squeegee, dishwashing liquid (JOY), paper towels,any old clean rag and a bucket.

"Put one capful of dishwashing liquid in about a half gallon ofwater, swish some. Using any old clean rag, wipe over the window with the soapy water. If it is a large window, split it up in sections, working top to bottom.

"After you wash over the window with the mixture, use your squeegee -- one swipe -- then wipe the squeegee with the towel and swipe again. As long as you dry the squeegee after each swipe, you won't have streaks and no smears, because the JOY is cutting through the grime that has built up on your windows.

WINDEX? SAVE YOUR MONEY! This does a better job."

Homemade Essential Oils

From Aliisa:

I began wondering the other day if there was a way to make my own essential oils since they are so expensive. It would be nice to put them in my laundry soap or in the dishwashing soap and have wonderful smelling stuff. So I did some research and here is a site that tells you how to do it. I started a very small batch today with orange peel since I had some oranges in the house. I dont know how it will turn out, but if it does...wow that would be an inexpensive solution. If you want to try it, click here for the website.

Dishwashing Detergent Recipe

From Aliisa:

I did some research last night on how to make detergent for the dishwasher. I came across alot of recipes but many talked about a film left on their dishes. I dont know about you but I would rather pay the money for the stuff at the store than deal with a film left on my dishes. Then I came across one that talked about the film and what to do to solve it. Apparently you need Citric Acid. So here is the recipe I found:

Dishwasher Detergent
In a plastic container with a firmly fitting lid, mix:

1 cup borax (20-Mule-Team Borax, available in any supermarket)

1 cup baking soda

1/4 cup salt

1/4 cup citric acid (available in brewing stores among other places--if you haven't tracked it down yet but must try this formula, use two packets of Lemonade-Flavored Kool-Aid, ONLY lemon, or you'll dye your dishwasher! and ONLY unsweetened Kool-Aid!)

30 drops citrus essential oil--lemon, grapefruit, orange, tangerine, or a mixture
Put all of it in the container, shake it up.

To use, put a tablespoon or so into each cup of your dishwasher.

Im almost out of dishwashing detergent so I will be trying this out very soon. I will let you know the verdict.

Laundry Soap Verdict

From Aliisa:

OK, last week I said that I had made the laundry soap. Well, I gave some to a friend to test and I used mine on several loads of laundry and the verdict is......we both loved it!! It worked just as well as the stuff I buy and I am pleased to say that it worked well putting it in the milk containers. I liked that because I just pour it out into my 1/2 cup measuring cup and put the lid back on.

I was very pleased when my friend offered to pay me to make her some more *lol*. I told her it defeated the purpose of making your own to save money so in the end we decided that, if she buys her ingredients, I will make it for her in exchange for babysitting!! What a great barter. My husband thinks we got the better end of the deal!!

I will say that I put scent in my soap. It smelled great until my clothes came out of the dryer and didnt really smell like anything. I think I will have to add more scent next time. But for all of you interested in making your own, I recommend it!!

For instructions, here is the site: homemade laundry soap

Homemade Laundry Soap

From Aliisa:

A few weeks ago I read about a recipe for Laundry soap over at Gayle's Blog, the Grocery Cart Challenge. I even emailed her to find out if it really worked all that well. Gayle loves it and that is good enough for me, so today.....I made Laundry Soap!!

I havent tried it yet, you have to let it sit for 24 hours so that it can gel but I do have to say, it was alot easier than I expected.

I will keep you updated on how it works and how well I like it. If you're interested here are the instructions. http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm
She really does a great job of walking you through it.


I do have to say, I didnt make mine in a bucket like she recommends. I didnt have one and didnt want to buy one, so I mixed it in a really large pot and then used a funnel to pour it into 2 empty, clean milk jugs I had. I will let you know how that works out.

Tips and Tricks

From Aliisa:

This morning as I cleaned my bathroom and put laundry on to wash, I realized that I needed to share some of the tips and tricks that I use in my everyday life. A couple of years ago my life changed and I realized that we were going to be living off of less than I was used to. So I got online and began to do research in how to save money. I began making my own cleaners and such but I also began learning about all the different uses for Vinegar and Baking Soda and I was amazed at what you could use this stuff for. It not just for baking...but Im sure many of you already knew that. I buy white distilled vinegar in a gallon container for right around $2 and my baking soda, I buy at Sam's Club. I get a 5 pound bag for around $5, or at least that is what it was the last time I bought it. A 5 pound bag usually lasts me about a year.

Tips:

In the kitchen:
1. I use vinegar in my dishwasher instead of jetdry. Its considerably cheaper and it works great. And just to prove to myself how well it worked, I let the vinegar run out and still washed dishes. My dishes were covered in spots, so I filled it back up and ran it again and they were perfect. What a great inexpensive use for vinegar!! (and no my dishes do not come out smelling like vinegar).

2. I have a swiffer wet jet that I love to use; however, I do not enjoy the price of the cleaner I have to buy. Now, instead of buying the cleaner, I just mix 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar in a spray bottle and use that. I simply spray a section of my floor and then go over it with the wet jet and it cleans beautifully. And yes for a bit you will smell vinegar but the smell goes away very quickly.

3. When cleaning my counters, instead of using comet or soft scrub, I now use baking soda. Just sprinkle it on the counter and scrub just as you would with comet. Works just as well and is really cheap to use.

4. I use my spray bottle of water and vinegar to clean my microwave. Just spray it down, turn it on for about 1 minute to warm it up and then wipe clean. It works great.

Laundry

1. Use 1/2 to 1 cup of vinegar in the washer to soften clothings. Fabric softners leave a residue on your washer and on your clothing. Vinegar is a natural fabric softner and doesnt stay on your clothes. I even did a test one time. I washed 2 loads of towels, one with fabric softner and one with vinegar. I then presented the two to my husband and asked him to choose the one that was softer. He chose the vinegar!! That was good enough for me. Also, my clothing never smells like a salad, once they come out of the dryer, they just smell like the laundry soap you used.

Bathroom

1. I use my homemade wipes (recipes in the tips and tricks section) to clean off the counters and outside of toilet.

2. To clean my toilet bowl, I use a scoop to get my baking soda and then sprinkle that all around the bowl. I then use my 1/2 water and 1/2 vinegar in a spray bottle to spray all of the baking soda. This causes a chemical reaction that looks alot like the fizzing of peroxide. I then use my toilet brush to clean the toilet as usual. This works great...just as good as any cleanser you can buy on the market!!

3. Cleaning the tub. I do the same for the tub that I did for the toilet. I sprinkle the baking soda all around the edges of the tub. I then spray down the entire tub with vinegar making sure I hit the baking soda too. I then take my scrubby and clean the tub. Rinse and its done. I havent used commercial cleaners in 2 years!!

4. I use the homemade window cleaner (recipe in the tips and tricks) to clean my mirrors in the bathroom. It works just as well as windex!!

For Sanitizing Kitchen and Bathroom

To sanitize everything I make wipes with alcohol. I just wipe down anything that I feel needs to be sanitized.

Please feel free to share any tips or tricks that you have, we would love to hear them!!

For more ways to use vinegar, visit this site:

http://www.versatilevinegar.org/usesandtips.html#2

More Cleaning recipes

From Aliisa:

Ok, so here are some other cleaning recipes.

Furniture Polish Recipe

Mix in a sprayer bottle:
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup lemon juice
Shake well and apply a small amount to a flannel cleaning rag or cleaning cloth. Spread evenly over furniture surface. Turn cloth to a dry side and polish dry.

I keep this in the refrigerator and heat up when I want to use it. It really does work great, even better than Pledge.

Homemade Febreeze

2-4 Tablespoons fabric softener
25 ounces of water
My old Febreeze bottle or another spray bottle

I have been doing this for several years now and it works great!!! In fact, I’m still using the same bottle of fabric softener!!

Laundry Pre-Wash Spray

1/2 cup ammonia
1/2 cup liquid laundry detergent
Water

I haven’t tried this yet but only because I had an obscene amount of spray and wash in my laundry room. However I intend to use this when I finally run out.

Homemade Dryer Sheets

2 cups of water
1 cup of vinegar
2/3 cups of any hair conditioner

I got this from Gayle over at her Grocery Cart Challenge Blog....check it out!

Enjoy!!

Make your own wipes

From Aliisa:

So one of my "hobbies" is to find ways to save money. For the last couple of years I have been making my own cleaning supples and I love it!! So today, since I have extra "me" time, I thought I would share these with you.

Make your own cleaning wipes

You will need a plastic container large enough to fit ½ a roll of paper towels in. I use a plastic ice cream container normally used for round ½ gallon containers of ice cream. You can use a coffee can, plastic container or even a 1 gallon size Ziploc.

For best results, select an extra-large roll of good quality paper towels for this project

Without removing the paper towel wrapper, use the electric knife to cut the paper towel roll into two shorter rolls. Save the second roll for a refill later.
Remove the wrapper, and place one short paper towel roll inside plastic food storage container. Using a liquid measuring cup, gently pour one of the following cleaning solution recipes over the top of the paper towel roll.

You will need between 2 and 4 cups of cleaning solution, depending on the size and absorbency of the paper towel product selected.

Place the lid on the plastic food storage container, and allow paper towels to absorb cleaning solution for 4 hours to overnight.

Open the food storage container. Gently pull the wet cardboard tube from the center of the paper towel roll and discard. Carefully pull the end of the paper towels from the inside, where the cardboard roll had been.

Any of these can be used as the solution for the wipes or you can make it up in a spray bottle.
General Surface Cleaning:
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 1/2 cups water

*this works great, I have been using it for years.

Disinfectant Cleaning:

1/4 to 1/2 cup pine cleaning solution such as Pine-Sol brand
2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cup water

Disinfecting Wipes:

Make wipes and then pour alcohol in and allow it to absorb.

½ roll paper towels
1 bottle alcohol

*I got this idea from one of my favorite blogs...here is the link: http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/2008_09_01_archive.html

All Purpose Cleaner ( like 409)

16 oz trigger spray bottle (or use in wipes)
2 Tablespoons distilled vinegar
1 teaspoon of borax
Water (if you have hard water this needs to be distilled or purified water, otherwise use tap)
1/8 of a cup of mild liquid dish soap (ivory, palmolive….)

*I love this cleaner!!! I use this in my wipes and it works great. I also keep a spray bottle of it for all sorts of purposes*

Window and Glass Cleaning:

1/2 cup rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol
2 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon white vinegar

*This works great. I just make it in my empty Windex bottle