Getting ready for Spring!

This morning I saw over 9 doe and fawns in our backyard. I couldn't help but smile since I knew spring is upon us. I am a big advocate for a clean home and natural products. But how does one clean with natural products without spending lots of money? Don't get me wrong, I love supporting such company's like 7th Generation, Shaklee, and Arm and Hammer, just to name a few. However, I found that making my own was just as easy. So, without further delay here are my tested kitchen and laundry recipes:

Homemade Dish Soap

8 cups water

1 cup grated Dr. Bronner's Castile bar soap . I used peppermint becuase I like the way it smells. I have also used almond lemon. FYI: a few drops of lemon will make it an disinfectant.
(see substitution option below*)

Essential oil (optional) When I get my hands on some, I am going to start adding Thieves' oil which acts as an ANTI-VIRAL disinfectant--aka flu and cold fighter!

Put soap flakes in pan and add water. Set stovetop to medium heat. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally.

Once soap is dissolved, lower heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and let cool. If using essential oil, add 10-15 drops before soap hardens. Pour into a reusable dish soap bottle.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

1 quart Water (boiling) (that's 32 oz if you are metric-minded)
2 cups Bar soap (grated) *8I use Dr. Bronner's Baby Bar soap. This can be found in health food stores. about $2-$4
2 cups Borax (found in the laundry aisle for under $3)
2 cups Washing Soda (also found in the laundry aisle for under $3)

• Add finely grated bar soap to the boiling water and stir until soap is melted. You can keep on low heat until soap is melted.
• Pour the soap water into a large, clean pail and add the Borax and Washing Soda. Stir well until all is dissolved.
• Add 2 gallons of water, stir until well mixed. I did this step in a large bucket that can be bought for $1 at Lowe's.
• Cover pail and use 1/4 cup for each load of laundry. Stir the soap each time you use it (will gel). I covered the bucket with plastic wrap for about an hour and voila! Perfect gel that I could pour into my old laundry detergent bottle.

So, how much does the break down to per load you ask? About .06 cents. Store bought will run you anywhere from .25-.75 cents.