Eco friendly (and dollar friendly) cleaning recipes

I have been using a recipe for laundry soap since I started washing baby clothes. To my astonishment, it will also take care of the greasy work jeans and my delicates. I am thrilled!

It is one of the easiest recipes ever.

1 Bar of Soap - I have used Sunlight laundry soap bar, I have used handmade soap bars and I have used Ivory. Works about the same with them all.
2 Cups of Borax (found in the Laundry aisle)
2 cups Washing Soda (also from the laundry aisle)

Grate the soap and mix all three ingredients thoroughly. Use one tablespoon per load. I use 1.5T on the greasy work jeans.

I have seen recipes that suggest you use your food processor but I would rather use the hand grater I keep for this purpose. I can't imagine the soapy taste it might leave behind. Less electric power, more elbow grease.

I also use a 1/4 cup of vinegar in the rinse cycle. It keeps the clothes from getting mildewy in the washer if I don't get them right away. I live in an incredibly humid climate and I myself start to grow mold if I sit still too long.

I mentioned that I use dish soap for most of my cleaning. Simple soap and water works for most things. I also dilute the super ultra concentrated kind and I find that I go thru about a bottle a year. Maybe two. I also use leftover shampoo and soap to clean the bathroom. Soap is soap for the most part. And anything that is on the bathroom tiles and tub are things that the soap removed from the people? It does a decent job of removing it from walls also. I have a long handled scrubber that I use for the tub and tiles. I have back issues and can't get down to bend and swipe the way I used to.

I have various recipes for homemade cleaners and hand soaps etc. using castile soap and other natural ingredients - leave a comment if you would like some of them.

squidoo

I am going to try out squidoo. I have read some amazing stories and I think I can create a decent lens. Hmmm. Hope so anyways. I will put up a link when I figure it out. I am driven to my computer for social life and I have always wanted to write. Now i can put together mini articles and see if it is as much fun as I think it will be. I will post a link when I figure it out. I caved on the pumpkin and cut it in half...

Anyone know how to roast a pumpkin?

I have a pumpkin sitting in my dining room that I keep insisting that I will roast and use for breads and pies. But i am daunted by the sheer enormity of trying to cut that sucker in half. Does anyone know if I can just throw it in the oven and clean and carve it later?

I have done this with squash but have not ever tried pumpkin. Hmmm. time for a science experiment, I think. I will update as it progresses. Wish me luck!

Frugal living.

I am working on saving as much as I can so that I can work a "portfolio career" that includes raising my son as much as possible. I have rediscovered my love of baking and now have to deal with my love of baked goods... I have been making cornbread and banana bread (I recommend allrecipes.com ) and will be adding to my repertoire of recipes as time goes on. Cornbread is the easiest bread in the world and I had forgotten how much I love it. the little man will eat bananas and when they go black, he will eat the banana bread that I make. He is a little bit picky so I am working with whatever will go down! It is always less expensive to bake your own and if I could figure out how to capture the heat of the woodstove to use as an oven - then I would be cooking without gas!

I have been making my own laundry detergent and stretching my dishwasher soap. I make a bottle of dishwashing liquid last me a year. Now that they are all super ultra concentrated, I find that i can dilute them quite a bit and still have them be useful. I fill a spray bottle with warm water and add a bit of detergent at a time trying the sprayer in between. I use it to clean the stove and counters. I use it to clean the floor. I spray down my microfiber cloth with a mist of soapy water and it gets the kitchen floor clean. I sweep instead of vacuum and am slowly changing all the light bulbs to energy efficient. And saving the pennies along the way. I don't use dryer sheets but have static reducer cloths that I bought at the community natural food store in calgary. Good for 500 loads as long as you wash them occasionally. I don't use baby wipes. I use a wet washcloth on the poopy bum but diapers are so good nowadays that you don't need to wipe chemicals onto the babe if the diaper is only wet. My son has rarely had any more than a very small and occasional diaper rash and usually a bit of cornstarch will take care of it.

I hope to elaborate on my efforts in the future. I am also working on greening my home... but that is another post for another day.