Homemade Cleaning Products
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Homemade Cleaning Products
This past weekend was truly special. I had a visit from my parents and both grandbabies, filling our home with joy and laughter. My mother and I spent some time reminiscing about the old days, especially the incredible canning feats of my grandmother and great-aunts. They had an assembly line in the kitchen, canning everything they could get their hands on—chicken, beef, and more. At one point, my mother joked, "I think your grandmother would've canned the squeal of a pig if she could've." Moments like these remind me of where my Rustic Roots come from, and it was bittersweet to see the weekend come to an end.
Homemade Cleaning Products
This week, I'm excited to share the second post in my homemade cleaners series. I'll be walking you through how to make Scouring Powder, an All-Purpose Spray Cleaner, and my tried-and-true Laundry Detergent. I've also been working on some jar labels, and I'll include a picture of a few prototype labels I’ve been designing.
Making my own cleaners gives me the peace of mind of knowing exactly what’s being used in my home—especially with two toddlers around, who seem to think everything belongs in their mouths! The ingredients are easy to find, and many of you likely already have them in your homes.
Ingredients for All-Purpose Cleaner
One important note: I use both baking soda and washing soda in these recipes, but they are not the same. Baking soda, or Sodium Bicarbonate, is not readily soluble in water. Washing soda, or Sodium Carbonate, on the other hand, is highly soluble in water and acts as a powerful surfactant. Think of baking soda as a regular person, and washing soda as the Hulk! But a word of caution—never use washing soda in place of baking soda in cooking.
Another ingredient I love using is Borax (Sodium Borate). Borax is like magic! It’s versatile enough to treat stains, use as a scouring powder, or mix with dish soap for a soft scrub. And of course, vinegar is a staple in my All-Purpose Cleaner. Let’s dive into the recipes!
All-Purpose Cleaner:
This cleaner is perfect for the bathroom, kitchen, and just about everything else.
1/2 cup vinegar
1 cup water
30 drops of your favorite essential oil
Mix it up and put it in a spray bottle, and you're ready to go. For an extra boost, you can add 1/2 cup alcohol for a stronger disinfectant. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with pre-treating my vinegar. I take a quart jar, fill it with vinegar, and add the peelings from 3 lemons and 4-6 sprigs of rosemary. After a couple of weeks in a cool, dark place, I strain out the solids and use the infused vinegar in my cleaner. If you go this route, you can skip the essential oils.
All-Purpose Cleaner
Scouring Powder:
I use this often on my antique white cast iron sink, and it works wonders.
1 cup baking soda
2 tablespoons Borax
20-25 drops of essential oil (lavender is my favorite)
Optional: 1 tablespoon finely chopped or crushed lavender buds
Mix everything together and store it in a shaker. A mortar and pestle works great for grinding the lavender buds. Just remember, this powder is abrasive, so avoid using it on aluminum, stone countertops, silver, gold, or hardwood.
Laundry Detergent
These recipes are not only easy to make, but they’re also environmentally friendly, which is important to me. I hope you find them as useful as I do! Also, feel free to get creative with your essential oils! Try tea tree oil for its natural antibacterial properties, or eucalyptus for a fresh, invigorating scent. You can also experiment with different combinations of herbs when infusing your vinegar—thyme and orange peels make a lovely alternative to rosemary and lemon.
Link to Items used in Blog
Castile Soap - unscented, Lavender (6 bars)
Essential Oils - Lavender 4 oz, Orange 4 oz, Eucalyptus 4oz, Tea Tree Oil 4 oz
As always, be sure to store your homemade cleaners out of reach of little ones. Even though these are made with natural ingredients, they should still be treated with care.
New Labels - available soon
New Labels - coming soon
I will have labels available to download as pdf files in the near future for a small fee to help me cover the cost of the website. I print them on whole page label paper and cut them out. I covered them with packing tape to make them a little more water proof. I’m interested to hear what you think or if you have specific items/spices you want included in the set. I have canning jar sizes for a variety of baking ingredients and the random items I keep in jars. I will be doing a set of spice labels too. Drop me a message in the contact form below.
Sourdough Chocolate chip Cookies - The favorite snack last weekend
