Thanks for joining Daily Acts! We hope you are inspired to use and add to this recipe book! Don’t forget that these homemade cleaning products you’ve made are improving our air and water quality. They are not only safer for your health, but are more cost effective too. Most importantly, we hope you have fun making your own products and share them with all your friends and family!
Table of ingredients:
- Castile soap: Made from 100% plant oils (typically olive oil or coconut oil), Castile soap includes no animal fat and no mysterious chemicals. It’s a true soap, not a chemical detergent, making castile soap completely biodegradable and very earth-friendly. This means it is also skin-friendly, unlike traditional soaps which can be extremely drying.
- Baking soda: A pure, natural product that is also a food, baking soda is non-toxic, unlike many other household cleaners. It is safe to use around children and pets and is ideal for cleaning food preparation surfaces. Baking Soda is a sodium bicarbonate: a naturally occurring substance that is present in all living things–it helps living things maintain the pH balance necessary for life.
- Vinegar: An acidic, clear liquid substance derived from fermenting alcohol, usually made from fruits or grains, that is used as a primary ingredient in many green cleaning products.
- Tea tree oil: Well-known for its powerful antiseptic properties and ability to treat wounds. Tea tree oil has powerful antimicrobial properties and can kill off harmful bacteria in your home.
- Borax: Sodium tetraborate or sodium borate — not boric acid (hydrogen borate), which is a common misconception. Borax is very effective, versatile, affordable, and eco-friendly compared to petroleum-based ingredients in conventional cleaning products.
- Lemon juice: Carries a powerful punch as a cleaner with natural disinfectant qualities. Straight lemon juice (fresh-squeezed or in concentrate form) is able to kill most of the bacteria in your home. The high level of acidity in lemons changes the pH level in bacterial cells, creating an acidic environment in which microbes can’t survive.
Bathroom: Soft Scrub
Here are two things you can do a couple times a week right after taking a shower to prevent extra cleaning and scrubbing:
- Spray the shower walls with vinegar to prevent mildew (keep a spray bottle filled with scented vinegar right in the shower stall to make this an easy job.)
- Use a squeegee to wipe down the walls.
Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup baking soda (slightly heaped)
- 1/4 cup castile soap (I use Dr. Bronners Peppermint, available in many grocery stores and health stores)
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 Tablespoon vinegar
- Make this in small batches because it can dry out and harden when stored. This recipe makes enough for 2-4 uses. Keep any remaining mixture in an airtight container.
Method:
In a bowl, combine the baking soda and castile soap. Add the water and stir with a fork to make a nice, soft, paste-like consistency. Scoop out the scrub with a sponge and start cleaning. This scrub can also be used to clean the toilet.
Bathroom: Homemade nontoxic disinfectant
Ingredients:
- 16 oz. water
- 3 tbsp. liquid castile soap
- 30 drops tea tree oil
- Mix together in a spray bottle
Bathroom: Disinfecting wipes
Recipe 1:
- 1/4 cup white vinegar
- 8-10 drops lemon essential oil
- 8-10 drops eucalyptus essential oil
- 5-7 drops tea tree essential oil
- 1 cup water
Recipe 2:
- 1 cup water
- 2 Tbsp Castile Soap
- 8-10 drops tea tree essential oil
Supplies:
- Squares of cloth – You can cut up an old t-shirt or receiving blanket, or any scrap cloth you have
- Container – You can reuse either an disinfecting wipes container or a baby wipes container
Method:
First, cut up squares of fabric for your wipes. Then, put the wipes into a container. You can either throw them into a reused baby wipes container or roll them up and put them in a reused disinfecting wipes container. (Roll them on a little bit of an angle so that the wipes in the middle stick up a little farther than the wipes on the outside and are easier to grab.
Laundry room: Homemade, non-toxic laundry detergent
Ingredients (makes about 48 loads):
- 1 Bar (14 oz) Fels-Naptha, Zote Soap or Ivory Soap
- 2 C Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (make sure it says “Super Washing Soda”)
- 2 C Borax
- Blender/Food Processor
Method:
- Cut the Soap into manageable pieces for the food processor/blender.
- Use the finest chopping blade available and grind the soap up, making the pieces as small as possible.
- Add the 2 Cups of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda to the grated soap.
- Next, dump in the 2 Cups of Borax.
- Mix everything as much as possible with a wooden spoon.
- Transfer the mixture into a cute jar or container.
- Use ⅛ Cup of the mixture for normal loads and ¼ Cup for heavily soiled clothes.
Laundry room: Liquid fabric softener
Method:
- Add 20-30 drops of your favorite essential oil to a one-gallon jug of white vinegar.
- Close the lid and give it a good shake.
- When it’s time to do your laundry, shake it once again, and use 1/3 cup per load.
Kitchen: Liquid dish soap
Ingredients:
- ½ cup liquid castile soap
- 1/8 cup water
- 4 drops essential oil scent of choice
1 tsp. homemade all-purpose citrus cleaner (or 1 tsp. of vinegar)
Living room: Furniture polish
Method:
Mix ¼ cup of vinegar with ¾ cup of olive oil or mix ¼ cup of lemon juice with ½ cup of olive oil. Wipe down furniture with a soft cloth and the solution.
Kitchen: Dishwater detergent
Ingredients:
- 1 8 oz. bottle of castile soap (almond or citrus are the best options for the kitchen)
- 1 C water
- 2 tsp. lemon juice
- 1 qt. size glass jar with lid
*If you have hard water, use about 1 ½ cup of white vinegar in the second detergent compartment
Method:
- Mix the ingredients in a jar, close the lid and shake gently. Do not mix vinegar and soap together.
- Fill open compartment with 1 Tbsp of the castile soap mixture made above.
- Fill closed compartment with about 1 to 1 ½ cup of white vinegar. You can use more vinegar if your water is hard. You can put vinegar in the “Rinse Aid” compartment as well.