A Few Things For Your Household

Hello All! Today is my first day back to the "real" world after a nice, family weekend at the beach with my boys. We had an amazing time... beautiful weather, visit with my brother-in-law that lives in Pensacola, and of course, some shopping :) Bentley did not particularly care for the sand or the waves, but we all enjoyed the pool and most of all, spending time together. I decided while I was away, I would come home and post a blog about some things you can make and use in your household. I have some recipes for homemade laundry detergent, baby wash, and a few others. I hope that you all will try them and enjoy them. They are very easy and work extremely well. Plus, it will save you money and who doesn't want that?!?


Foaming Tear-Free Shampoo

What You’ll Need:

Empty Foaming Soap Dispenser {Bath & Body Works, Dial, Johnson’s, etc.}

Tear-Free Shampoo

What You’ll Do:

Clean out your empty foaming soap dispenser

Then… add about 1 inch of Shampoo to the dispenser…

Fill the bottle the rest of the way up with water {leaving a little room at the top}

Then, gently turn side to side to mix together.

There you have it ~ you’re all done… and that was seriously easy!

Give it a try ~ it’s a simple way to save $$ and stretch your dollars on Tear-Free Shampoo!

Homemade Laundry Detergent  
   What You'll Need
1/2 Cup: Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda {not Baking Soda}
1/2 Cup: Borax {print a coupon here}
1/3 Bar of Fels-Naptha Soap {you could also use Ivory soap, but if using Ivory… use the whole bar}
Bucket {2 gallon size or larger}
Empty laundry detergent containers or bucket with lid to store detergent.
What You’ll Do:
Grate 1/3 bar of Fels-Naptha Soap (or Ivory) over large pot or saucepan…
Add 6 cups of Water.
Heat over medium-high until soap dissolves and melts.
Add Washing Soda & Borax, and stir until dissolved.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Pour 4 cups Hot Water into bucket, then add Soap Mixture.
Stir, then add 1 Gallon + 6 Cups of additional water. Stir.
Transfer to a bucket with a lid, or pour into empty laundry detergent containers.
Set aside, and let it sit overnight, or up to 24 hours, to thicken and gel up.
Consistency and color will vary depending on your soap & water ~ it may be lumpy and watery… kind of like a watery gel, but it works great!
Stir or shake before each use, as it will continue to gel.
Good job… you did it!
Don’t forget… to save more money, you can cut your dryer sheets in half and make Homemade Fabric Softener!
How Much Will it Cost?
Borax, 76 oz. box ~ $2.98 at Wal-Mart
Arm & Hammer Washing Soda, 55 oz. box ~ $2.99 at Kroger/Fry’s.
Fels-Naptha Bar of Soap ~ $1.79 at Kroger/Fry’s.
Total Cost to make around 2 gallons: About $1.00!!
This recipe makes a low-sudsing detergent, and I know several people who use it in their HE machines, too! 






Homemade Fabric Softener

What You’ll Need:

6 cups HOT water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups Suave Refreshing Waterfall Conditioner {or other favorite scent}
What You’ll Do:
Mix conditioner & hot water well, until conditioner is dissolved completely.
Add the vinegar, and mix well.
Store in a large container {empty fabric softener container, empty large vinegar bottle, etc}
Pour into a downy ball… or the fabric softener spot in your laundry machine… then wash!




Homemade 409
What You'll Need:
2 Tbsp. Distilled White Vinegar
1 Tsp. Borax
1/8 cup Dawn Dishsoap
1 cup Hot Water
Triggered Spray Bottle {16 oz.}
What You'll Do:
Pour vinegar, borax and hot water into spray bottle.
Then continue filling spray bottle with cool water.
Add Dawn Dishsoap last. {no need to shake}
It’s as easy as that!

Glass Cleaner
What You’ll Need:
1 cup Water
1/4 cup White Vinegar
2 to 3 drops Dawn Dish Soap
Empty Spray Bottle
Combine water, white vinegar, and dawn dish soap in an empty spray bottle, and… that’s it! You’ve just made Homemade Glass Cleaner!

How to Save $$ on Dishwasher Rinse Aid   
  fill your rinse aid dispenser with white vinegar. Vinegar does a great job at removing spots and disinfecting, too!

 Homemade Weed Killer   
 Simply fill a spray bottle with white vinegar, and spray generously on all parts of the weed ~ leaves and root area.
The combination of the vinegar and sunshine will make those stinky weeds shrivel up!
Be careful to spray only on the weeds you want to kill, and keep away from your plants that you want to live!

Dryer Sheets
One way to save money on dryer sheets, ir by cutting them in half. I do this everytime I use dryer sheets, and it still works the same and gives the same fragrance! My husband thinks I'm silly, but oh well lol (love you babe!)


***A few other things that I have read is to not use the recommended amount of laundry detergent on your clothes. Use half of it, because the manufacturers are making it so strong now that it can discolor or ruin your clothing.
*** You can always use a shower curtain to hang and dry clothes on to cut on electric bills. (or hang a clothes line)

Hope this helps and works for you!