I’ve had several people ask about my “new” (but yet old-fashion) cleaning products. Yes, some may call me crazy, but I’m happy to be improving out air quality and helping out the environment at the same time. Plus, knowing that there is no way Elly could ingest some terrible chemical mix is a nice bonus.
So far, I have made my own laundry detergent, automatic dish washing detergent, “all-purpose” cleaner and glass cleaner. The only store bought cleaner I still use is liquid dish soap, simply because I can’t buy the ingredients locally. So I settled for Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid, purchased at Target. If any of you do make your own dish liquid, please share your information and where you purchased your ingredients!!
For my laundry detergent, I used a quick and easy recipe that I found on the InspireCompany Blog. I’m not going to go into the details, just check their blog out. Although this is a natural detergent, it is not fragrance-free. If you need to make a fragrance-free detergent, let me know. You can also add an essential oil (I recommend lavender) to this recipe to customize the scent, found locally at Garners.
For my all-purpose cleaner I used an empty plastic spray bottle. You can use one you already have, or I purchased mine at Walmart. Combine 1 tbs. borax, 1tbs. baking soda and 1/4 cup of white vinegar and fill the bottle with warm water. If you need to cut grease, use a drop of liquid dish soap with your cleaner. If I have a tough mess, I will sprinkle baking soda, spray my cleaner and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Then it comes right up!
For my glass cleaner, I used 1/2 vinegar and 1/2 water in another spray bottle. You should know that the smell of vinegar goes away instantly when the mixture dries.
For my automatic dish-washing detergent, I use one part borax and one part washing soda (already purchased when I did my laundry detergent). Mix them together and store in a dry container. Use 1 tbs. per load. I also add vinegar for a rinse aid. I don’t have an exact measurement, I just add. 
And for those of your who are still nay-sayers, here is another link with detailed information on the potential hazards of household cleaners.
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