Saving money with DIY cleaners

I have to admit that I was a little skeptical of homemade cleaners at first, but decided to give them a chance for many reasons. 
1. They are really cheap... Like crazy cheap.
2. I actually enjoy experimenting and making things like this.
3. I know what's in my cleaner
4. I can't let the boys help clean with some of them since I know there's no harsh chemicals. 
5. You can make your own smells!
6. Did I mention they are cheap?

I decided that the time/effort to cost saving ratio should be taken into account.  If I'm spending too much time and effort and it's something I can buy fairly cheaply then it might not be worth my time.  Obviously, they should function as good or better than the product they are replacing.

I first started with laundry detergent.  This is a link to the recipe I used for laundry detergent and fabric softener.  While this did take a little bit of time it was not hard to do and made two gallons of detergent and 1/2 cup = 1 load.  That's a lot of detergent and this is crazy cheap.  The three cleaners cost about $9 and there's enough for a lot more.  Plus, these cleaners can be used in other things as well.  My batch does separate after a while. so I do have to shake it up before pouring and I would suggest investing in designated 1 gallon jugs with a decent seal...or just use a milk jug.  The other thing is that while your clothes feel and look awesome, there is very little scent on your clothes...this could be a benefit or drawback depending on your preferences.  If you want your clothes to have a strong detergent scent, this may not be for you.  I love the smell of snuggle brand fabric softener, but I love saving money more.   The fabric softener is working great and it doesn't smell like vinegar.

All in all, I'm really happy with how it's working and the time/effort to cost saving ratio!  Oh, and I will say if I have something stinky or really dirty I'll add 1/2 cup of bleach in the washer cup and dilute it with 1cup of water.  I do this even on colors on a regular basis and don't have any trouble with bleach stains.  Great for stinky towels, scrubs, or boy funk!

The second thing I tried was the bathroom cleaner.  I've heard a ton of great things on the blue dawn and vinegar mixture and I have to say that I really love it!  If you do it regularly it really keeps the shower looking great without much scrubbing effort!  I normally just add about 3-4 tablespoons of dawn and 5-6 table spoons of vinegar to a 16oz spray bottle of water.  I will add few drops of tea tree oil for it's disinfecting qualities and a few drops of lemon grass oil because I LOVE the smell!  I use this as a multi-purpose cleaner and it does a wonderful job!  My favorite thing is that I can use my dish rag on the kitchen counters to wipe it up because it's just soap and vinegar, no need to get a separate rag for the kitchen counters.

This is a favorite of mine definitely worth the tiny amount of time it takes to mix it up and the cost is very low compared to a $2-$3 multipurpose cleaner.  Plus, when I run out I don't have to go to the store, I just make some more!  Love it!  I did invest in a semi-nice spray bottle.  They are like $2...what can I say, I like the finer things in life.

The third cleaner is my hardwood floor cleaner!  LOVE this one because it makes my house smell amazing!!  First, I have bamboo hardwood that is very dark and shows dust and dirt like crazy.  I use this cleaner pretty much everyday.  I have a mop that you can take off the mop rag thing and wash it and it has a spray bottle for the cleaner.  Love that thing!  I basically came up with this through testing several recipes on pinterest.  I fill a two liter up with water and use 3-4tablespoons of blue dawn dish soap, 4-5 tablespoons of vinegar, 6-8 tablespoons of olive oil, and several drops of lemongrass oil and tea tree oil.  First, this does an amazing job with my floors!  They look great afterwards!  Second, my house smells so clean and fresh!  If you prefer a different scented oil I would  recommend you use it, otherwise it's going to smell like vinegar for about an hour after you mop.  I'm normally not a fan of lemon scented cleaners, but the lemongrass essential oil is awesome!  The last thing I'll mention is that I feel so much better about my boys running over the floors if they are wet, knowing that there are no harmful chemicals that are getting on their skin.  Sometimes I give Whitman the mop and let him go to town!

The most recent thing I've made is the dishwasher detergent tablets.  Let me just say this, I'm really picky about this and I normally only buy the Finish Tablets.  I hate picking up a glass out of the dishwasher and it not having that slick, clean glass feel to it.  I tried these because we didn't have money in our grocery budget this week for detergent...without cutting out things that I didn't want to cut out.  So since I've been saving money by making cleaners I went to pinterest to see what it had to offer me in the cheap DIY dish detergent.  Here is the link to the recipe that I used.  I had most of the ingredients from my laundry making.  I just bought salt and lemon juice (about $3).  I did a double recipe from what she listed and it made 70 tablets...not too shabby.  I still have a lot of ingredients left.  She did a break down and said they cost only 4cents/tab.  That's a huge savings and this only took about 15 mins and then overnight to sit out and dry.

I did not like this recipe. It left my dishes clean but had a chalky texture... Ugh.  I was bummed but determined to find something that works.  I found the solution.  I started adding a stop if dawn dish soap and a tablespoon of citric acid with the tablets and it does a great job!  You can add more or less citric acid depending on how hard your water is.  My silverware is super shiny compared to even the finish tablets!  FYI, citric acid is with the canning stuff and is about $3.

I have tried a few things that I don't like as well as my regular store bought cleaners.  The first is a stainless steel cleaner.  I've tried several things but I have to admit that the expensive wipes that I have are what make it shine like a penny.  Plain vinegar and water might work, but I'm not a big fan of the vinegar smell.    

I've tried making liquid hand soap.  It has not panned out as well.  We go through this stuff like crazy so I'm going to keep on trying to get a recipe that works.  Most of the ones I've found just say to buy bar soap and melt it in water, add essential oils, and glycerin etc.  Well I did that and got a weird snot like soap.  Once again I love the smell of the lemongrass (I know i'm obsessed), and the soap works, but it does have a very off consistency.  I did buy a foaming soap dispenser and I watered the soap down and it does help, but I really don't prefer it over the store bought stuff.  

The liquid hand soap takes some time to make because it have to be grated, melted and cooled.  Taking a total of 12-24 hours before you have a usable product.  However, the cost savings has the potential to be huge.  You can get a bar of soap for cheap and it can make a lot of liquid or foaming hand soap.  

I have a few more to share but no time right now.  Look for another posr in the future to include: toilet cleaner, rust remover, foaming hand soap, baby wipes, and body wash.