DIY

Home made laundry detergent!

DIY project number one for the thrifty momma! Home made laundry detergent! This recipe can also be altered, next time around I will probably nix the baking soda as well. I didn't really notice much a difference!

2 C of Borax
2 C of Arm and Hammer washing soda (not laundry stuff, the cheap stuff)
2 T of Oxi Clean
1 whole bar of Fels-Naptha, grated with a cheese grater
1/2 container of unstoppables, or purex crystals (mostly for smell).

Use 1 T for HE machines, and use old fashioned folks with the top loaders use 1 1/2 to 2 T depending on how soiled the items are. I also keep the rest of the Gain unstoppables next to my washer for bedding so it smells extra good!  This recipe comes out to less than 5 cents per load, opposed to the 20 cents a load that
I was spending with Tide! AND these ingredients last forever! I have had my box of Borax and Arm and Hammer for about 4 months and they are still more than half way full!

UPDATE: FOR CLOTH DIAPERS, TAKE OUT GAIN AND OXI CLEAN. 





For people with new babies, nix the Gain and the oxi clean! Just put them on your washer next to the soap and mix it with your grown up clothes only! 

Home Made Baby Wipes

My girl is FINALLY out of diapers and too bad for us I found this recipe about a month too late! But good for you guys, huh? Now this one is SUPER easy! All you need is to first find some kind of container that is a good 6-7 inches high, and wide enough to fit a roll of paper towels in! You will also want to make sure it has an air tight lid so they dont dry up as fast, and so your ingredients dont leak out! You will need to collect the items shown above, obviously. Oh and some tap water :)

You will need 1 roll of either Bounty or Viva paper towels, no cheapies cause they will just fall apart! 1 container described above, Walmart is your best bet! 1 thing of baby soap, we use johnsons and johnsons but if your baby has sensitive skin feel free to use whatever baby soap you typically use! 2 and a half cups of tap water, and 1 thing of baby oil. Again, if your baby has sensitive skin, feel free to use your normal baby oil, OR even your normal baby lotion for this step! 

First; Add 2 and 1/4 C of water in container, 2 T of baby wash, and 1 T of baby oil OR baby lotion. then MIX
Second; Cut your roll of paper towels (no cheapies remember) in half with a pretty good knife, do not use one with a serated edge or it will rip it to shreds at the end. Lay to the side.
Third; Put 1/2 roll of paper towels inside of water mix. Then put the lid on your container. Turn your container with ingredients upside down for about a minute so the towels can absorb the liquid.
Fourth; Turn your container upright, open, then remove the cardboard center of the paper towels. It should come out easy, if it doesn't turn your container upside down a little longer. From there you should be able to grab the center of the towels, and pull like a normal roll!
Fifth; Wipe baby butt!

Also, if you have a toddler that you don't use many wipes on and you don't want them to mildew you could mix the liquids in a spray bottle and use either a cloth or paper towels to wipe! This is also great for tree huggers, you can use wash cloths or cut up old flannels to wipe with!

Cost Break Down

Oil, about $4.00 for a 20 ounce container you will use 1 T each time so this comes out to only 15 cents per batch!
Soap, about $4.00 for a 15 ounce container. You will use 2 T each time so this comes out to about 30 cents per batch.
Paper Towels, I bought a 6 pack yesterday for $5.00 of Bounty, that comes out to only 83 cents per roll THEN cut that price in half! So only about 42 cents per batch!
You have a one time fee for a container, but not counting that this only comes out to 97 cents per batch! AND feel free to use generic soaps and oils, I do! :)

These are fabulous for SO many reasons, ONE- You have EVERTHING listed here already if you have a little one, except the container probably, but that is only like 3 dollars ONE time! So COST is fabulous. PLUS these do not contain any harsh ingredients like normal baby wipes, like alcohol. There shouldn't be anymore screaming during diaper changes, that stuff burns their tiny bums sometimes! :( AND you're making them, who cares more about your baby than you, nobody! So there shouldn't be any crazy recall for bugs living in them, or vodka being mixed in with the wipes.

UPDATE: Since we have moved from disposable wipes to cloth wipes I started just mixing water, baby soap, and baby oil in a squirt bottle and squirting some directly on bum! I like this method better, I feel like he gets a thorough clean every wipe! :)

Home Made Window Cleaner

Now this is easy AND cheap! All you need is a spray bottle (go ahead and use that old Windex bottle if you have one), Ammonia, alcohol, and a tiiiiiny bit of either dish soap or laundry soap.

First: Add 1/8 C (1oz) of Ammonia to spray bottle, 1/4 C (4oz) of rubbing alcohol, then just a drop of either the laundry soap or dish soap.

Second; Fill the spray bottle all the way up with water

Third; Shake then Clean! :)

This comes out to costing 25.6 cents per BOTTLE full! WOW! Thats a deal huh? This is how it breaks down....

Ammonia- $1.00 at the dollar store.. You will only use 1 oz each time out of a 64 oz bottle! That is only $0.015 PER container!

Alcohol- $1.00 at the dollar store.. This comes out to about $0.25 per mix!

Dish soap and water- So minimal you dont even need to count it! :)

Hope you guys enjoy these! More will be posted soon! :)

 DIY Carpet Spot Cleaner

(will post before and after photos later)

This recipe might just be my all time favorite, it works amazing! My husband wears big, nasty, greasy, filthy, work boots and subsequently, makes big, nasty, greasy, filthy tracks all over my carpet, which for years I've pretty much just learned to deal with because nothing works! Well, this WORKS! 

First: Pour baking soda on area and let sit x20 minutes. (honestly I might have left mine for 10 minutes, max.) 

Second: In a jar mix 1 tsp of Dawn dish soap, 1 C vinegar, and 1 C of HOT water. With a WHITE sponge or cloth scrub area, its magic. 

Third: Take another WHITE cloth and clean with just plain old cold water to get the soap out. TADA! You're finished, you've cleaned your carpets and not poisoned your family by doing so!

Cost break down: On this one, just trust me! It's ridiculously cheap. Maybe $0.50 to make it? if that! Plus like usual, all of these things should be stashed away in your cabinets. Enjoy!

DIY Drain deodorizer/cleaner

For weeks my drains had a yucky smell coming from them, it was awful. THEN all of a sudden, it stopped working! After vigorously snaking the drain my husband pulled out an awful ball of BLACK glop that stunk awful, I gagged. From then on I refused to let this happen again. This recipe should help maintain clean drains, so far so good at least!

First: Boil about 5 C of water in a container on the stove, pour down drain.

Second: 1 C of baking soda down drain. Let sit for 20 minutes.

Third: Pour a couple of cups of vinegar down, cover quickly with towel to keep from bubbling over!

Fourth: Pour 2 C bleach down! 

These knocked my drain stench out immediately and the bubbling power of the vinegar/baking soda should hopefully get the gunk before it builds up!

DIY Fabreeze

Okay, I am a HUGE fail of Gain fireworks and I knew you could make your own fabreeze with fabric softener so I started thinking.. How can I put this AMAZING smell everywhere??

First: fill your bottle mine was 24 ounces with HOT water

Second: I used 1 tablespoon of baking soda (it's a deodorizer) 

Third: 1 capful (top line) of fireworks. 

Fourth: Let this sit for about 5 minutes, then SHAKE! TA DUH! 

Know what this comes out to, about a quarter a bottle. Thats what, $5 cheaper than Fabreeze?? Score one for cheap moms! :)

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