Since finding out the kids were having so many issues with food our grocery bill has gone through the roof. Before we went onto the current elimination diet, I used to save a lot of money on groceries by buying most items generic or store brand, which is no longer an option for us. Most generic and store brands are full of dairy, soy, and corn (and wheat and gluten) as well as not being made and processed in dedicated facilities to reduce or eliminate the risk of cross contamination. Now most of the food I buy is ordered off of Amazon, in bulk (since I'm buying for 3 boys) and are allergen free (oh how I miss stocking up at Costco!), bought at various "all natural" or health food stores, and at various local grocery stores.
To make up for the money going into the grocery budget I decided to cut somewhere else, since most of our bills are fixed (we don't have very much if any credit card debt) I figured I'd try to make my own cleaning products since the ones you buy in the store are so expensive and I have to buy multiple different products to clean, say, just the bathroom, the most disgusting rooms in my home thanks to all the boys! I figured I give homemade cleaners a whirl and if I didn't like them I'd go back to my old habit of buying hundreds of dollars worth of the stuff at the store. Much to my amazement I actually liked the homemade cleaners better than any store bought stuff I'd ever tried, and believe me I've tried them all!
I have made my own toilet bowl cleaner, disinfectant all purpose cleaner, all purpose bathroom/ floor cleaner, and jewelry cleaner so far and have loved them all. Today I whipped up a new batch of toilet bowl cleaner and disinfectant all purpose cleaner with just a few basic items, many that you probably already have in your pantry.
Here are the recipes I've been using with a lot of success.
Disinfectant All Purpose Cleaner
1/2 Cup Distilled White Vinegar
1/2Cup Lemon Juice
2 Cups Warm Water
2 tsp Borax
A few drops of Tea Tree Oil
Mix everything together in a spray bottle and shake well to mix.
I've used this to clean the outside of and all around the toilet and it works really well. Gets rid of all the peepee smell left from boys that still don't know how to aim.
Toilet Bowl Cleaner
3/4 Cup Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Water
2-3 drops of Dawn Dish Soap
2-3 drops of Tea Tree Oil
Mix all ingredients in a large measuring cup and pour into an old dish soap bottle with a spout. Shake well to recombine all ingredients right before squirting under the rim. Allow to sit for a while and scrub with a toilet brush.
Some recipes I've seen call for Castille Soap with Teas Tree Oil, but I can never find it anywhere. I love Dawn dish soap for its grease cutting abilities, and hey, if its safe to scrub animals that have gotten covered in oil during oil spills, its good enough for me!
All Purpose Bathroom and Floor Cleaner
1 Cup Distilled White Vinegar
1 Cup Water
2-3 drops of Dawn dish soap
Mix all ingredients in a spray bottle and shake to combine.
This works great on glass shower doors in the bathroom. Another little tip for those pesky glass doors is to buff them with a soft cloth dabbed in baby oil after you've cleaned them. This will help keep them clear until the oil breaks down or gets washed off, but that normally takes close to a month to happen in my experience. I've also used this cleaner on my tile floors in the kitchen and bathroom with great success.
** Make sure you test all cleaners you use on an inconspicuous test spot before going all out with it. You don't want to ruin your stuff just to save money!
I'm also giving my top loading washer a cleaning with a tip I found on Pinterest. I'll let you all know how it went soon!
TIP- A great scrubby to use while cleaning the bathroom showers and tubs is used dryer sheets! They scrub really well and haven't scratched anything yet, so pretty dang safe and free since you were going to throw them out anyway! I save mine in a mesh lingerie bag in the laundry room after I pull them out of the dryer for use later in cleaning.
Soon I plan on making my own dishwasher soap. I found a couple of different recipes and I'm going to give those a try and will post the best one, if any are worth it. I'm really excited about this one since dishwasher detergent is sooooo expensive!
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