I just counted my household cleaners and found 32 on the first floor of my house alone! Which means there have to be a few more hanging around upstairs for convenient cleaning up there too. 32 cleaners? That is crazy! But I dont think it is just me being a crazy compulsive cleaner buyer. Lest you think so, take a look at this list...I bet you have a bunch of these too.
glass cleaner
all-purpose cleaner - homemade!
degreaser
dishwashing soap
soft scrub
dishwasher detergent
finishing liquid
disinfectant spray
carpet cleaner
upholstery cleaner
febreeze
dust cleaner
bleach
fabric softener
laundry detergent - homemade!
oxiclean
fabric stain spay
dryel
toilet cleaning gel
bathroom cleaner
That's just 19...because I have more than one type of several of these things. Ugh. It is time for a change. My own little Earth Day challenge.
Ever since I made the laundry detergent I have been thinking about what other cleaners I could make because the laundry detergent has been really successful. We've been using it exclusively for almost 2 months now, and one batch lasted a little over 2 months as I had hoped. In that time it hasn't missed one normal kid/Dad stain, besides an oil stain or two that regular detergent wouldn't have budged either. In addition, I swear my white bathroom towels are whiter and fluffier than before. I like this stuff better than Tide and it costs so so much less. I made a second batch the other day because I was getting low and it took me 15 minutes. This stuff is well worth 15 minutes of my time.
My reasons for wanting to cut out some of my other cleaners are both environmental and financial. On one hand I would love to have less toxic chemicals floating around my house for my children to breath in and ingest. On the other, I'd like to do that without spending an arm and a leg on expensive green cleaners. Making my own cleaners just makes sense and if the others are nearly as successful as the laundry detergent I'll be in pretty great shape.
So here is the list I hope to get down to:
Made by Me
all-purpose (even glass) cleaner - done.
laundry detergent - done.
fabric stain spray
scrubbing paste (for showers, ovens, stoves, etc)
dishwasher detergent
carpet/upholstery cleaning spot spray
deodorizing spray
toilet cleaner
NOT made by me
bleach
dishwashing soap
dryel
That is 11, which still seems like a lot...but at least it is a third of what I own now. I'm not even sure if this list is completely possible. I have ideas and recipes for some items like the stain spray and dishwasher detergent, but others like a toilet cleaner or carpet cleaner I haven't researched yet...so we'll see. And maybe we'll find a substitute for dryel? Who knows. The goal is there. Cut down on household cleaning costs, cut down on chemicals.
I'll keep you posted with my successes and failures. Have a great weekend!
No comments:
Post a Comment