Why I Like Homemade Cleaners

If you have spent any time at all here at Household Cents, you know that I have a thing for homemade cleaners.  Why do I like them?  Oh, let me count the ways:

1. I enjoy trying them and seeing them actually work.  There is just something about making something from scratch and having it work even better than its store-bought counterpart that makes me feel empowered.  Self-sustainability is like a drug, I tell ya.
2. I enjoy all the money that I save.  Some of those cleaning products in the store are outrageously expensive!  I have much better things to spend my hard-earned money on, thank.you.very.much.
3. The convenience.  I love being able to whip up another batch of my favorite cleaner out of the products that I keep on hand.  No need to get all fancied up and run down to the store for more.
4. Homemade cleaners are generally better on our environment.
5. Homemade cleaners are also generally better on our health.  The chemicals being used in the homemade cleaners aren't nearly as harsh as some of the junk that companies put into commercial cleaners.

I am continually asked by friends, family and blog readers about the cleaners I make.  One of the most commonly asked questions is, "What do you keep on hand at all times?"

Vinegar, baking soda, borax, washing soda and rubbing alcohol (along with the occasional essential oil) are the basics that I have in my cleaning closet at all times.  In the laundry room, you'll also find a nice stash of Zote soap bars (for making laundry detergent).  These are all I need to make the majority of the cleaning products that I use on a regular basis.

I recently found a web page at the Reader's Digest - Canada website which lists some great recipes for homemade cleaning products.  A couple of them were even new to me, and I am one of those people who is forever researching ways to make everyday things at home.  My mother-in-law will be very excited when I tell her about the Moth Repellent recipe they have listed.  Their Fabric Softener recipe is very simple and yet gets wonderful results.  Their Basic Kitchen Cleaner recipe looks like it might just become one of my favorites!

Homemade Laundry Detergent - Revisited

Over a year ago, I posted a recipe for homemade laundry detergent.  It's the recipe that I have been using on a regular basis for years.  It's extremely frugal, works great and is quick and easy to make. 

A good friend of mine, Kat, has taken this laundry detergent one step further.  Her and her daughter did a science experiment which compared the homemade stuff to Tide.  What a fun experiment!  I just wanted to share the results with all of you because I thought it was interesting.  So, head on over to Kat's blog and see the experiment.   :)

Recycled Egg Carton Crafts

Back in June, I wrote a post, 10 Ways to Re-Use an Egg Carton.  One of my suggestions was to do some crafts with them.  Today I came across a great blog post over at Green Your Way loaded with all sorts of fun crafts to do with egg cartons.  I just HAD to share it with you!

Herbal Nurturing Giveaway!

If you are anything like me, you enjoy being frugal and that includes saving money on medical expenses.  One small way to do that is by making some of your own balms and herbal remedies for common family ailments.  Most of the ingredients that go into these recipes are cheaper than over the counter remedies and much cheaper than an unnecessary trip to the ER.  Plus, they are all natural and since you are making them, you know exactly what is in them and in turn you can feel more confident in what you are giving to your family. 

 

I recently got a copy of "Herbal Nurturing: A Family Healing & Learning Guide" and I am impressed.  It has dozens of recipes for at home natural healing for basic ailments.  I can't wait to try my hand at making the 3 in 1 Healing Balm which you can then use to make lip balm, sinus and sleep rub, and a scrapes soother.  There are recipes for a headache soother, pink eye relief, cough syrup, immune booster syrup and more.  There are also a few recipes for womanly "ailments" during that time of the month, pregnancy and postpartum.

Michele, the author of Herbal Nurturing over at Frugal Granola has generously offered a free copy of her ebook to the winner of this giveaway!  Yay!!!

Mandatory Entry:

To enter, just leave a comment here telling me why you would like a copy of this ebook.

Additional entries (please leave a comment for each entry):

"Like" Frugal Granola on Facebook

"Like" Household Cents on Facebook

Follow me on Google Friend Connect

Blog about this giveaway (leave the link to your blog so we can all go check it out!)

For those of you who can't wait for the giveaway, click on the Herbal Nurturing button in the above post, or on the Herbal Nurturing button in my sidebar to purchase your own copy.

I will be using random.org to choose a winner on 12/27.

Good luck!

How to Make a Christmas Wreath

This year our family went to the local Christmas tree farm to get a Christmas tree. (The artificial tree that we have been using for the last decade was falling apart). After having to saw off some of the bottom and side of the tree to even get it through our front door, I was wondering what I could do with all the extra pieces of pine branches. I decided to make a Christmas wreath for our front door.

Here is what I did:


First and most important of all - I went to my mother-in-law's house because she has a big craft room with lots of stuff that she lets me use.  :)  Then I got two wire hangers, bent them into a circle and wired them together with craft wire.

Then I started adding branches. I stuck the stem between the hangers and wrapped them tight with wire. Do this all the way around and keep adding branches and twigs until you are happy with how it looks.

Then add the embellishments. I tied a bow on the top of the wreath around the hanger. I also added a pinecone and some weird red things that I found at the bottom of a craft box. They looked Christmasy enough.

Here is the final product, hanging on our door.


Have you ever made a Christmas wreath?

Snowflake Patterns

Do you like to make paper snowflakes?  We do.  I thought I would share two websites that have wonderful snowflake patterns.  Every December, we make a bunch of these and hang them on our doors and around the house.


Free Snowflake Patterns:

Dave's Paper Snowflakes
(This website has membership fees in order to get all 450 patterns, but they do have several free patterns and links to more snowflake websites.)

3-D Paper Snowflakes
(These are so pretty!)


Enjoy!

Kill Those Nasty Gnats!

Around here, we gets gnats and fruit flies really bad this time of year. Here is a simple and frugal way that I get rid of them.

I put about 1/8 cup of apple cider vinegar in a small jar (a pint sized jar is what I typically use). Mix it with one very small drop of dishwashing soap. Then place some plastic wrap over the top.  Screw on the jar lid ring or use a rubber band to hold the plastic in place.  Poke a few holes in the plastic with a toothpick.  That way, the fruit flies can get in the jar, but they apparently are not smart enough to figure out how to escape from the jar.  The apple cider vinegar attracts all the fruit flies and the soap thins the surface of the vinegar. They fly down to take a drink and then fall in and drown. Die you nasty flies....die!

Ahem.


I made a batch the other day and took a picture the next morning.

I counted and there were 78 of those pesky things floating around in the vinegar graveyard. After a few days, the whole bottom of the jar was full. Blech.


If this fly trap is too slow for you, a vacuum hose works well....and it is quite gratifying to suck those nasty little things right out of the air.

Pillowcase Dresses

My friend over at Home...With Purpose recently posted about a tutorial on how to make simple dresses out of pillowcases.  What a cute idea!  Since it's simple and frugal, I thought I would share it here.  I personally can't wait to make a couple of these for my daughter.  Enjoy!