Growing up, my own mother always introduced healthy, less-toxic products into our home and I am continuing that tradition in our family. I have been buying "all-natural" cleaning products and body products, but I am slowly trying to make my own as I try out new recipes and find what works best for us.
I have been making my own laundry detergent for over 3 years now! I used to be a real "brand loyal" customer, but I do NOT miss paying those high prices and our clothes are just as clean! You can find my laundry recipes here. I have made both the liquid and the powder varieties and they both work well! I also add a little white vinegar to my loads if they are extra soiled or pour some into the fabric softener dispenser if my jeans need a bit of softening since we have very hard water. It works GREAT!
Laundry Detergents
Cleaning Products
I have also gotten a lot of idea from Pinterest on making cleaning products. Some I loved, others...not so much, lol.
I absolutely LOVE this recipe for granite cleaner!! We actually use it to clean glass, stainless steel, everything that is non-porus! It really works well and smell so, so good. I use peppermint oil in it:)
And, I feel better letting the kids help with the spraying since it is all natural, too:-)!
{Oooh, and you can see how I re-upholstered our kitchen chairs in this picture, too!}
It was SO simple to do!
Between 3 kids under 6yrs old, 3 dogs and homeschooling, our cloth chair pads were looking really bad. So, I watched some Youtube videos and learned how to easily reupholster them!
Took my measurements to Joann's and bought some material. I decided it was better to go for practicality over fashion in this case, so I went with an easy-to-clean vinyl. I will change it to something more "beautiful" in a few years, lol.
I just simply pulled the sides and corners in really tightly and staple-gunned the fabric on. I re-attached the seat cushions to the chairs and that's it!
Ta-dah!!! Looks like a brand new set:)! All for under $10!
I have also made my own wood cleaner using white vinegar, olive oil and lemon juice. I like it just "so-so" so far. It seems to leave a greasy film on my kitchen cabinets which makes me think it is "attracting" more dirt, but we shall see. I use a murphy oil soap solution to clean them and that works really well.
Skin Care Products
I have also been testing out new skin products!
I made my own "Biore-type" skin mask. It worked AMAZINGLY well!
Here is the recipe with instructions and photos. I warn you, it scared my kids a bit when my mask was dry and my face was all tight. So, you may want to do this once the kids are asleep, lol:).
I will spare you my scary-faced photos:)
Here is my new {favorite} night cream! I use it every.single.day! LOVE it!
3 simple ingredients=organic coconut oil, raw shea butter and tea tree oil
Blend/stir together 2 TBSP of shea butter, 1/2 TBSP of coconut oil and 1- 2 drops of tea tree oil.
I mixed it in this bowl and then store it in a glass jar with a metal lid {aka baby food jar, ha, ha!}
It really works well!
You should totally try it!
Another really easy skin care product is Organic apple cider vinegar. I use it on a cotton ball as a facial skin astringent and it works like a charm!
What kind of DIY home projects are you working on?
I have some things I would like to try, whenever I get more time:
~DIY Oxyclean
~DIY Fabric Softener
~DIY body scrub
~DIY Dishwasher powder
~DIY shower cleaner
~DIY body wash
~DIY foaming hand wash
~DIY lip balm
~DIY hard lotion bars
Blessings,
Aria:)
